Japanese red maples (Acer palmatum) are characterized by their burgundy to red leaf which emerges in April and also their crimson blooms. The red maples are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8, climb from 8 to 10 feet in height and have a spread ranging from 10 to 12 feet. Grown mainly for cosmetic purposes, the red maple keeps its color throughout the growing season and also is more prone to damage from late frosts. An perfect way of planting Japanese red maples is to grow them from seed indoors and transplant them outdoors when growing season begins.
Assemble red Japanese maple seeds when they mature in spring or early summer. You may also purchase Japanese red maple seeds in garden shops and by mail order.
Eliminate the fibrous wings from the seeds and then discard them. Fill a food-storage container using tepid purified water and place the seeds in it. Allow the seeds to soak for 24 hours.
Mix with 1 part peat moss and 1 part clean horticultural mud in a backyard bucket having a garden trowel.
Fill out a sealable 1-quart food-storage container three-quarters full of the growing medium you mixed. Add enough cool purified water to moisten the developing medium.
Dig 1-inch deep depressions from the expanding medium and place a seed in each. Backfill that the depressions with the expanding medium.
Cover the container and place it in a fridge place between 33 degrees and 39 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to 3 months.
Remove the seeds in the refrigerator as soon as they start germinating. Move them into a place with a temperature of 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit till you find the speed of germination increase, about four weeks after you have eliminated them in the refrigerator.
Eliminate the seedlings in the container and place the seedlings apart. Transfer the growing medium in the container into your developing tray and space the seeds 1-inch apart on top.
Cover the seedlings completely with 1/4 inch of potting soil and place the tray in a place which receives six to seven hours of sunlight each day, like a south- or west-facing window. Transplant the seedlings when they reach a height of 4 to 6 inches. Between late-February and early-March is the perfect time to transplant the young trees.
Dig a hole for each seedling on your garden 4 to 5 inches wide with a depth equal to the depth of the developing tray. Put the seedlings from the holes and then backfill with the dirt you dug. Red Japanese maples do best when grown in sandy, slightly acidic loam, and in a sheltered area of your yard.
Scatter 4 inches of mulch around the base of each red maple. Don’t allow the mulch to come within 1 to 2 inches of the trunk or base of the tree to stop bark decay. Water the ground to a depth of 2 inches. Keep watering the ground to a depth of 2 inches per week during the initial year of growth.