Waterfall Japanese Maple for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by John Haryasz | Horticulture Writer and Landscape Designer – last update on October 20, 2022

Planting instructions

The Waterfall Japanese Maple Tree survives throughout hardiness zones five through nine. If you live in a cooler part of that range, you should plant this tree in a full sun location. If you live where it’s a bit warmer, you should grow in partial shade. Find soils that are slightly acidic with good drainage, then dig a hole that is as deep as the root ball is tall and about twice as wide or more. Place your tree in the hole and backfill it with nutrient-rich soil while providing plenty of water.

Watering and nutrients

After planting a Waterfall Japanese Maple Tree, you should water it a few times per week during the first few growing seasons. Following the first few growing seasons, your tree should be established and will perform best when it receives water about once per week. During heatwaves and drought, you can increase your watering frequency as needed. You can feed this plant with a balanced fertilizer or one that is low in nitrogen in the early spring—about once per year or less.

Pollination

The Waterfall Japanese Maple Tree is a self-fertile tree which means that you need only one to conduct pollination. In spring, this tree will bloom with a small set of purplish flowers that will attract several types of pollinator insects. As those insects feed on the nectar, they will move pollen from the male flower structures to the female ones. Once that transfer is successful, the Waterfall Japanese Maple Tree will produce a set of winged samara fruits—as all maple trees do.

Pruning

In most cases, the pruning you’ll need to perform for your Waterfall Japanese Maple Tree will be minimal. During this plant’s establishment period, you should not prune it at all. Once the tree is established, you can prune this plant lightly during its dormant phase, at which time you should remove broken, dead and diseased branches. Generally, you will not need to do any significant shaping for this tree as it grows with a beautiful form naturally.

Pests, diseases and animals

Although the Waterfall Japanese Maple is one of the more disease-resistant Japanese maple varieties, it remains possible for it to run into some issues. Most of these problems will affect the foliage of this plant with tip blight and leaf spots being common. Also, if you grow this plant in a hotter climate in full sunlight, leaf scorch is also possible. Occasionally, pests may threaten the Waterfall Japanese Maple Tree as well with Japanese beetles being one of the most common to cause an infestation.

Achieving maximum results

While the natural shape and size of the Waterfall Japanese Maple Tree are impressive without heaving shaping, some light shaping can allow you to emphasize this tree’s beautiful form fully. By trimming the outermost stems and foliage of this tree, you can easily create neatly rounded canopy shapes. However, you should not shear this plant as you would for a hedge. Instead, you should use pruners to remove stems and leaves individually to keep this tree’s lovely foliage intact.

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