Tell me how to graft them! Been trying for 3 years to graft and all have failed. I am going to try air layer grafting next.
It worked for my citrus after I failed at trying to graft them.
Take spagum moss, the real stuff not tree moss most garden centers are selling the whole not ground up kind that you use to line hanging baskets with. Take a young one year old branch, not one that is older and the bark has gotten brown with age. Take a sharp knife and slice diagonally along the branch about half way thru the branch. dust with the root hormone powder in the cut. Important, put something plastic like a toothpick or a stirring stick you get from a Macdonalds in the cut to hold it open or it might grow back together. Next wrap with the moss and tie it in place with a thin pc of string. Also the moss needs to be Damp. you can try wetting it before wrapping or after. I did it later..
Anyway the next step is to put a piece of plastic over the whole thing. I prefer a white or black garbage bag that I rip the bottom corner off of and cut a hole in the tip so I can slide the pc down branch and over the moss. I then tie bottom side off first and then top. I don't use clear bag beause too much light promotes leaf not root growth and be careful of using black if it gets too hot it might cook the graft. try also cutting off tip of branch so it forces it not to continue putting energy into the branch growing longer. About once a week check bag to make sure moss is not drying out and add water until it runs out bottom. Hope fully after 2 to 3 months you will see roots in bag. If you get it to take, cut off below bag and take plastic off and plant, moss and all. This is best done in spring because plant is growing but doesn't hurt to try now just pick a branch that you don't mind losing if it doesn't work.
Charles

Thanks for the info Charles! I have never grafted before. I always wanted to though. WHat is air layering? how do you do it? Good luck!

thanks!!!

!Nathaniel

Hey Ace,

Some of the Japanese maple cultivars can be propagated from cuttings, some can't. 'Bloodgood' are easy to root. I did over 1,500 last year, this year not so many because I lost a lot of my scion wood due to the Easter freeze. You are too late this year try them in June next year.

Nervous

cuttings are hard to root. buy some PRE-STRATIFIED seed. grafting is ok only if you want more than one plant

I don't normally post here, but I can tell you that air layering is what Charles described. It is a way to get another plant, but it's not grafting.
-Jmcat

Late as usual with my post but keeping up with all the information available is time intensive. I know this web page is trying to hype their program but there might be some useful stuff here.
http://www.freeplants.com/japanese_red_maple_trees.htm

my 2 cents

I've a garden club friend who has a mature Jap. maple, it's leaves are green and only turn red in late fall. It drops seeds everywhere, and the maple seedlings grow like weeds. She hands out seedlings to everyone. I wonder if other varieties seed as easily.

Dumb question .... what do the seedlings look like? I have one that is in the worst possible location but it's too large to move so I have to take it down. I'd like one in another location though but how do I identify the seedlings? Just not mow around the tree for a while and watch? Is it only fall? How can I make sure that's what it is?

I read that besides bloodgood, one can get cuttings from ACER ARAKAWA and they too are easy to propagate from cuttings.

I have some cuttings now from my arakawa and would like to know where I should keep them. Should I leave them outside in shade or should I bring them in my covered patio where the temp. is 65 degrees?

I bought a very affordable Japanese Maple from EBAY. Very small but healthy looking. It had been bud grafted. I'm anxious for Spring to see if it made it through the winter ok.