Japanese maples will bloom brilliantly in the heat if you pour 1 simple item onto the soil

Japanese maples are one of the most vibrant trees to have in your in May as their bright red leaves will have fully matured, but now is a critical time to protect them. The experts at have waned that Japanese maple foliage can dry up and even burn if they do not get enough moisture at this time of year.

They said: "These trees originate in Japan, and there the summer climate is very damp, with high humidity and frequent rain. If you live where summers are dry, the soil and root-ball can dry out, quickly causing the leaves to brown and scorch."

Japanese maples have delicate leaves and shallow roots that struggle to retain water, and once the weather heats up any moisture on the plant can quickly evaporate.

This can overheat the roots, cause the leaves to shrivel up, and the tree will become greatly stressed, which can result in a bare tree that struggle to regrow any lost foliage.

If you wish to keep your Japanese maple tree looking its best without having to stand over it with a watering can then make sure to add a rich organic soil to its pot or soil.

The expert said: "To protect your tree from drying, add plenty of rich organic material to the soil when planting. Dig deeply, and mix that material well into the ground.

"Digging deeply will allow your tree's roots to get into the damper soil down below. Add a layer of that organic material over all the roots, to conserve the moisture (and prevent weeds growing too)."

Mulching is a simple technique where gardeners cover the topsoil of a plant with material to protect it, but using organic matter will also feed the soil.

Natural mulches act like a sponge to absorb water and slowly release it over time to help keep the soil most and reduce the rate of evaporation.

This helps slow down the loss of water from a Japanese maple so your tree will stay healthy with thick and vibrant leaves even in the hot weather.

The best mulches for Japanese maples are any that are fantastic at holding water naturally often found on the bottom of forest floors like shredded bark, leafy mould made from decaying leaves, and pine needles.

Do not use fresh woods chips, stone, gravel as they repel water as well as heat up too quickly which will burn the roots of a Japanese maple to greatly damage it.

Make sure also not to use fresh grass clippings as it can quickly become matted and create make it more difficult for water to trickle down to the roots.

If you water your Japanese maple deeply once or twice a week and have it mulched, then it should thrive in the hot sunny months instead of burning up.