Bonsai.ch Acer deshojo red green fan maple

Acer palmatum deshojo belongs to the genus of maples. Originally, the fan maple comes from Japan, Korea, and China, but is now also planted in gardens in Europe as an ornamental tree.

The Japanese fan maple as a bonsai captivates with its red foliage in spring and its color-intensive fall foliage.

Care - As a garden bonsai, the fan maple must be outdoors year-round. New shoots in spring are bright red and change to greenish in summer. To keep the red coloration as long as possible into the summer, this maple variety needs a sunny location. Fan maples like a place sheltered from the wind, because with regular and strong wind the tips of the leaves turn brown. In winter, the root ball should be protected from prolonged cold by wrapping the bonsai tray with a coconut mat, for example, and placing the bonsai away from the wind. Water abundantly during the summer months; in winter, keep the soil only slightly moist and water only on frost-free days. For fertilization during the growth period (March to August), an organic fertilizer, which is available in the form of pellets, is suitable and should be placed on the soil in small containers. In summer, it is also possible to alternate with liquid fertilizer. Approximately every two years, in early spring, before leaf sprouting, it is time to repot. A suitable substrate is a home mixture.

Shaping - For fine and well-branched branching, the fan maple should be pinched regularly in the spring during new shoots. The shoots that grow thereafter are allowed to grow out several inches and then cut back to a pair of leaves with bonsai shears. Branches are brought into shape by wiring with anodized aluminum wire. Branches that are thick and difficult to bend can be bent with a screw clamp. Removal of branches and branch stubs is done with concave or budding pliers. Wounds with a diameter of more than half a centimeter can be closed with wound paste.