Hey guys! I recently received a Japanese Maple I bought from a Canadian bonsai (I live in Canada as well), and just wanna make sure I’m getting started well. So before you ask, yes, the tree is outside and looks pretty healthy so far, I see a lot of leaves growing.

What I’m wondering is, how should I start, I’m aware that I need to let it grow, but how can I help it.

What I’m doing now is letting him grow, making sure the soil is moist. My plan is to wait until it is like half an inch thick and air layer it and let grow branches from the remaining trunk. Does that make sense?

Below is a picture of the tree, it’s no longer in the tilted pot, it’s unright on a table now, still on the original soil it came in.

Thanks!

Hey mate. I had a Japanese maple when I lived in Australia. From the image that I see you need to get a more narrow pot and plant it in that. Also look up a video of how to trim the roots before you plant it in there.
Not sure how harsh the sun is where you are but I would recommend keeping it out of the midday harsh sun as my leaves got got a little burnt on the top because of it.

Also how tall is this? You might want to get some wire and start training it, but as the branch looks pretty thick already you would benefit by adding some protection between the wire and the Branch on those hard bends.

Your tree needs sun and water to grow, thats it. No prunning or root work will benefit to get to your goal. If you want to get more mowement to the trunk you can wire this season.

In Canada I dont think you have to worry about sun scorsing the leafs.

It may benefit from bigger pot. The one in your photo looks good. Ordinary potting soil will do fine in that pot.

Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it.

It’s almost 2 ft (60cm) tall, I also noticed some burnt leaves at the top but it wasn’t super sunny recently, can this be cause by something other than the sun? If not I will check more often during sunny days

I second Tropfrog on that, I think the only thing you can think of at this moment, besides careing it, is to give a movement to the trunk if you wish, just being carefull to wire it loose, and soon, give it a bigger pot...

I'm aiming at a formal upright shape, I don't think I will wire until branches are coming out. What size of pot will you recommend? Is there a rule of thumb of pot size or something?

Well, by the picture, it seems like your pot is around 1L, so next I would go for one around a gallon (3,6L ~ 5L).
About the size of this one you are using as Cachepot I asume...

I think the leafs are burned by frost. It may so happen that it was imported from warmer area and in leaf when it came to you. On the photo it looks like way to early to come into leaf. Many of the trees in the background is bare and acer should come into leaf later than most native trees.

If it survuves it will shed the old leafs and grow new ones.

Maples are fine with wind. However, dry wind, certainly in combination with a small rootball, The leaves dry out.

Formal upright is one of the hardest styles to create convincingly. I would recommend to go for informal upright. You do not need to wire for it though. You can also just let it grow a bit, and trim back later and then wire the new young shoots.

If you repot, it would have been good to work to roots in preparation of the rootspread. But it has leaved out too much already. So, that will be for next year.