Introduction
Most people, especially east Asians only know Maple trees because Maple leaves are the national symbol of the Canadian flag. Japanese Maple trees and syrups are famous in Canada and Northern America. But, The Japanese Maple Trees are considered a little costlier than the Maple trees from other countries. These plants are called Acer palmatum in botanical names and these plants are great for growing in the grounds or pots. These plants are mostly the size of bonsai trees. These are also taken care of as bonsai plants.
Japanese Maple Trees
There are 250 species in Japanese maple trees. All are differentiated by their color, shrubs, duration to grow, sizes, shapes, flowering and fruits, various adaptations to the different seasons and climates of the year, etc, Nowadays, Japanese Maples are huge in production and they are ruling the other maple producing countries also.
Why They Are So Expensive?
The production of the Japanese Maple trees is quite different and difficult. Particularly some main varieties. Normal plant lovers also can buy Japanese maple seeds Online or in any other place. Which will cost around 5 dollars to 8 dollars. They also grow after some time. But Those seeds are what we can get from markets, In Japan, they use those same seeds only for rootstocks. (Rootstocks are a process where one kind of seeds are planted and later another plant will join with the seed plant and both will be combined and grow together).
There is nothing wrong with the rootstock plants. But, the plant will take more than four years to grow just 40 to 50 centimeters even though it’s not the main variety like Bloodgood or Disectum, Shishi Gashira. For some seeds we buy from the supermarket we can’t guarantee what size it will be or color it will be or what shade it will be in autumn, or what type of flowers and fruits it will produce. But, the main species like Shishi Gashira, Bloodgood, or Okagawa the experts and cultivators can accurately predict what they are going to be.
When it comes to Japanese maple trees, especially unique species they graft the plants. Grafting is a skill that is used to combining two stems in one pot. It is not an easy process it is a skill that should be proceeded with utmost care. This grafting process is what costs money, time and care.
Grafting Process
In the Grafting process, they take a seedling maple plant which is almost eighteen months with a height of 30 centimeters efficiently chop it off near the soil according to the season and the maple plant. There are various methods in Grafting some will chop it and replace the other plant on the previous one or some will plant another sapling near the seedling maple tree plants. It depends on the season of the place. But, the time to get the results are the same.
After one year of the process of Grafting, the plant will grow two or three inches in length. From that stage to grow leaves take three or four years(Just to produce some leaves). After another year it will grow 30 centimeters with some tiny branches and leaves. After another year the Maple plant will grow for 40 centimeters. After six years of the maple plant, it will grow 50 centimeters. After two more years, it will get into a different size more than 80 centimeters. It would start to gather up some momentum. All these evolution and modifications depend on the varieties. Some varieties grow quicker than others are a lot slower in growing. Some medium growth of varieties takes 7 to 8 years to grow as a ready plant to decorate home gardens.
Can we grow Japanese Maple plants for business purposes?
Yes, Maple trees are in demand for the past several years and they will be in the future also. There are more than 250 species in Japanese maple trees, we can’t grow and take care of all of them. But, we can grow some specific maple trees that are good for breeding and higher rate in markets. Plant specialization is one of the difficult processes when it comes to Japanese maple trees.
Some unique varieties in Japanese maple trees:
- Bloodgood Japanese Maple
- Butterfly Variegated Japanese Maple
- Crimson Queen Japanese Maple
- Coral Bank Japanese Maple
- Emperor One Japanese Maple
- Inaba Shidare Lace Leaf Japanese Maple
- Orangeola Japanese Maple
- Red Dragon Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum is also known as Bloodgood. It’s a large deciduous or small rounded tree of great beauty in all seasons in spring it produces small purple flowers which red fruits. Delicate spring foliage some five or seven-pointed lube wine-red to burgundy leaves holds its color in summer and turns vibrant crimson red in fall before shading to the ground as the leaves tall they expose the black hair straight bark adding interest in the winter landscape thereby grows this upright maple tree stands out in the landscape and is suitable as a focal point or perfect foil for a massive grain in the landscape they will grow up to 15 to 20 feet tall and wide 4.5 to 6 meter. You can grow them in full sun and also in the part shade they are easily grown in moist rates slightly acidic well-drained soil it is recommended that you have the malts in the tree because mulching helps retain soil moisture and also keep roots cool. They are so low maintenance thus you need only a little pruning. Prune them during the dormant season and again pruning in spring. You can fertilize in spring. Before the leaves emerge you can grow this plant by propagating seeds or by grafting or by support cuttings they are winter hardy zone 5 to 8. So they are best to grow in the container when you have limited space.
Where does maple trees grow best?
Maple trees grow best in areas where the soil’s texture should be fine to medium. Avoid planting maple trees in dry, sandy, or rocky soil. We have to water them every day twice as much as it requires to the species and the seasons accordingly.
Various advantages to plant maple trees in the landscapes:
- Maple trees are susceptible to damage.
- Most of the maple varieties are regional.
- One of the best benefits of growing maple trees is we can enjoy the flavors of maple syrup.
- They provide ornamental value.
- They provide some fun and nutritional fruits.
- They come in a wide range.
How to Sell Them?
You can sell them anywhere that you want. But, selling at the right place will improve your value and time as well. Using the latest technologies we can find the best customers all around the world. Some of the places and platforms to sell these Japanese maple trees. We can sell them in botanical shops where plant lovers can easily identify and buy these from the vendors. We can use Instagram, Facebook, youtube, Twitter as a basic platform to promote and sell these plants. If you are planning to sell various varieties you can have your own website and people can easily buy from you directly.
Price Range
After 8 years of the Grafting process and the utmost care, the grafters sell those for 40 to 50 Dollars. Some people do not understand that the price range of these varieties is quite higher than other normal and beneficial plants, even if we compare the other maple plants with Japanese maple plants they are really higher in the price range. Because, Japanese maple trees take a lot of energy, raw materials, time as well as money, especially the unique species of Maple plants.
Conclusion
Japanese Maple trees are highly beneficial and decorative in homes. These maple trees are costlier when compared to other maple trees in various countries. This is only because, These varieties are needed to be taken with utmost care and the Grafters have to spend their all energy, money, and years to produce a healthy and beautiful Japanese Maple tree. That is why maple trees are unique, beautiful, and quite expensive.