How to avoid killing Japanese maples without ever making a single harmful mistake

Japanese maples with their characteristic red, weeping, lacy leaves are a popular choice among gardening enthusiasts. However, to stay healthy, owners need to know a few things about these stunning trees.

There has been a noticeable increase in Japanese maple fatalities in recent years, leaving many green-fingered enthusiasts scratching their heads as to the possible causes. Insights from gardening enthusiasts have shed light on some of the common factors leading to the decline of these delicate trees.

Gardening advocate Mike McGroarty of Mike’s Backyard Nursery said fertilizer can be disastrous for Japanese maples and should “never” be used regularly, if at all, pointing out: “Garden fertilizers are a serious problem because they kill Japanese maples and other plants. “

He also revealed the brutal truth, noting, “It’s true. The typical garden fertilizer you buy for your vegetable garden will destroy ornamental plants like no other.”

In a warning to anyone considering using standard garden fertilizer on their Japanese maples, he said: “If you plan on using regular garden fertilizer on your Japanese maple tree, you might as well write ‘serial killer’ on the bag.”

Mike explained why garden fertilizers pose such a risk, stating: “A bag of 14-14-14 garden fertilizer contains 14 percent nitrogen, 14 percent phosphorus and 14 percent potassium. As soon as you apply it and it gets wet, a full 14 percent of the nitrogen is immediately released.

Elaborating on the harmful effects this has on plants, he described how “nitrogen drives the highest growth, the vegetative growth of plants,” and most ornamental plants physically cannot grow fast enough to use that much nitrogen – “nitrogen overload will kill them almost instantly.”

Gardening expert Mark Bennett of Gardener Report also talked about the dangers of over-fertilizing Japanese maples. He warned: “Japanese maples are not difficult to digest and do not require additional fertilizer if planted in good soil amended with compost.”

He further highlighted the risk of leaf scorch, saying, “Too much fertilizer also causes leaf scorch, which causes brown or yellowing leaves, and excessive growth and soft stems that may fall off.”

He advised that when an overdose of fertilizer hits a maple tree, the only cure is patience: “When too much fertilizer is applied, there is nothing to do but give it time to recover.”

In the rare cases where fertilizer is needed, such as for maples grown in pots or in sandy areas, Mark advised: “Fertilizer is only necessary when growing Japanese maples if they are planted in a pot or in sandy soil. But in this case, gardeners should only use half-strength all-purpose fertilizers.”

So what fertilizer should you use? Well, Mike argued that organic matter should always take priority over regular fertilizer.

He stated, “What Japanese maple really needs is good, rich soil with a significant amount of organic matter. Really good topsoil is organic matter.

“That’s what made it topsoil. Over the years, vegetation falls to the ground, rots and becomes topsoil. This is what all plants need, especially Japanese maples.”

But what about gardeners who don’t have good soil? The expert suggested using the fertilizer in combination with something organic, such as fish emulsion fertilizer, Millorganite or another organic fertilizer.