Momiji 紅葉 (Japanese Maple)
Momiji, also known as The Japanese Maple, (Acer palmatum), is originally from Japan, China, and Korea. It owes its botanical name to the hand-shaped leaves with five pointed lobes. Palma is Latin for palm, as in the palm of your hand.
In spring the new leaves have a yellowish or orange to bright red colour, depending on the variety or cultivar. The maple is also known and loved for its attractive autumn colours in all shades of yellow, orange and red.
The bark of young trees is green or reddish and smooth and turns light grey with age. The reddish flowers have five petals and appear in clusters in May to June. The fruits split into two winged seeds, shaped like a paired winged nut that floats to the ground like propellers when they drop.
Red leaved varieties (often referred to as simply a red maple) include the Deshojo and Seigen. The young shoots in spring have yellowish, orange, or even bright red leaves. It’s also well-known and popular for its very attractive yellow, orange, and red autumn colors, orange and red maples being the most popular.
Some of the most popular types of Japanese Red Maple, most of which can be grown as bonsai plants, include:
- Deshojo
- Arakawa
- Seigen
- Kashima
- Shishigashira
No matter which type you choose, you’ll enjoy gorgeous leaves that produce green-yellow flowers in clusters around Mayor June. The bark of a young tree is usually a red or green color that fades to a pale grey or brown as the tree ages.
Japanese Maple Bonsai do really well in sunny and airy locations. The Japanese Maple is frost hardy, even when trained as a Bonsai, but when temperatures drop below 15 °F (-10 °C), it should be protected, for example by being placed in a coldframe.
Trimming shoots and twigs can be done year-round. Strong branches should be pruned in autumn or summer, when callus growth is quick, to prevent excessive bleeding. When pruning thick branches we advise using a cut paste product to prevent fungal diseases that can enter through pruning wounds. New growth should be pruned back to one or two pairs of leaves. Mature Bonsai with a delicate ramification can be pinched in order to keep the twigs thin. After the first leaf pair has unfolded, remove the soft little tip of the shoot between them to prevent the twigs from thickening.
Leaf pruning is the removal of all leaves during the growing season to encourage a second and often finer flush of growth. It should not be done every year because it puts quite a bit of stress on the tree. When pruning, remove all the leaves, but make sure to leave the leaf-stems intact. Partial leaf pruning is a more gentle and less stressful pruning method, so it can be done every year.
The Japanese Maple Bonsai should be repotted every two years. It has strong roots that grow quickly and usually fill the pot in a short time, so be sure to prune the roots efficiently.
Japanese Red Maple bonsai trees can be grown from seeds or cuttings. Ideally, it should be propagated (regardless of the method) in early summer. You can use air-layering to propagate a Japanese Red Maple or you can purchase it as a starter plant from a nursery.
The famous National Geographic tree is actually a Momiji in the Portland Japanese Garden.
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