Planting a Japanese Maple

• Purchase a healthy young tree at a reputable nursery. Generally, nurseries will carry varieties that are well adapted to your part of the country. Keep in mind the amount of space you have available, the amount of sun your yard receives and your soil's drainage capability. Fall is a good time to plant a young tree. Add compost to the planting area (one part compost to four parts soil) and set your tree into a hole four times larger than its root system. Backfill with the soil mixture you dug out and then run a sprinkler for 20 to 30 minutes to saturate the soil thoroughly.
  
  

Water Needs

• All Japanese maple trees need adequate water throughout their lives, but especially when they are newly planted. Water your young tree throughout the year, until the ground freezes in winter. If it does, stop watering until the ground thaws in spring. Then continue watering at least twice every week. Give your new tree approximately 5 gallons of water with each application, making certain that standing water does not remain but that the soil remains constantly moist. If a Japanese maple dries out too much, twigs can die back and the edges of leaves can become brown.
  
  

Mulch Can Help

• Japanese maple trees benefit from an application of mulch around their growing area. Use about 3 inches of shredded bark, but keep it several inches away from the trunk to improve air circulation. Mulch will help to retain soil moisture and will also keep the roots a bit warmer in winter.
  
  

Protect from Frost

• If you plant a young Japanese maple tree in fall and you live in an area where hard freezes occur, protect your tree from frost all winter until after your final spring frost. Never plant your young tree in an area where snow might slide from a roof or other structure onto the tree. You can cover your tree with a tarp, blanket, floating row cover or clear plastic to keep frost away from it. It's wise to support your cover material on a frame or hang it from a nearby tree or building so it does not touch the tree: Frost will burn the leaves through the protective material if it rests directly on the tree.