Repotting Japanese Maples

A good plan would be to promote your tree to a larger pot every 2-3 years. Repotting is best done in early spring before leafing out. You can pull the root system out of its pot and quickly determine if the roots have completely filled the container. If they have it’s time to go up a size. If not, you can slip the tree back into the pot and check it again next spring.

Remember, a bigger pot is not necessarily better. A good analogy is to think about buying shoes for growing children: you want to go up one size at a time - - maybe two sizes at most. If the pot is too large, the roots can’t drink up the water quickly enough, and the soil may stay too wet. Soggy soil can lead to fungal disease and root rot.

Japanese maples work really well in containers/pots providing great flexibility for growing trees on porches, patios, or in small gardens.