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Plant care

Full Moon Maple care

Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum'

Also called golden full moon maple.

RHS H6USDA 5-7Pet-safeIndoor Typically 4-6 m tall and 3-5 m wide over many years

Watering rhythm

Bright indirect light (just back from a sunny window)

When the top 3-5 cm of soil is dry, roughly weekly in summer

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Light

Bright indirect light (just back from a sunny window)

Soil

Moist, humus-rich, free-draining acidic to neutral loam

Humidity

40-70%

Temp

-20 to 30°C

Pet safety

Pet-safe

Mature size

Typically 4-6 m tall and 3-5 m wide over many years

Care at a glance

Light

Bright but filtered. Full Moon Maple burns within days in unfiltered south-facing summer sun, and stops growing within months in deep shade. Dappled or light shade keeps the golden leaves glowing without burning. Full sun bleaches and scorches the soft yellow foliage, while deep shade turns it green and lax. Morning sun with afternoon shade is the ideal balance. If you only have a south window, set the plant back 1.5 m or hang a sheer curtain — both knock the intensity down into the right range.

Watering

Watering full moon maple: when the top 3-5 cm of soil is dry, roughly weekly in summer. The number that matters isn't the day of the week — it's how dry the top 2-3 cm of the pot feels. A finger in the soil tells you more than a watering app. After every watering, tip the saucer. Maintain consistent, even soil moisture without waterlogging; the pale foliage scorches readily under drought stress. Water deeply during heat and while establishing, and never let container specimens dry out. Mulch helps hold moisture around the roots.

Soil and pot

Full Moon Maple grows best in moist, humus-rich, free-draining acidic to neutral loam. Wants fertile, moisture-retentive yet free-draining soil that is slightly acidic. Avoid heavy waterlogged clay and shallow chalky ground; improve with leaf mould or composted bark. Use an ericaceous loam mix for pots. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Full Moon Maple sits happiest at around 40-70% humidity and -20 to 30°C (-4 to 86°F). Prefers ambient temperate humidity in a sheltered spot. Hot, dry, windy positions with low humidity scorch the delicate golden leaves quickly, so a cool, lightly humid microclimate keeps colour and leaf quality at their best. If you keep the room above year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed full moon maple sparingly. Feed sparingly in early spring with a balanced slow-release or ericaceous fertiliser. Avoid high-nitrogen and late feeds, which cause soft growth that scorches and frosts. A leaf-mould mulch usually meets the tree's modest nutrient needs in decent soil. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on full moon maple in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

  • Sun scorch and bleaching — The golden leaves burn and fade in strong sun. Plant in dappled shade with shelter from wind, and keep soil evenly moist to reduce stress.
  • Verticillium wilt — Soil-borne fungal disease causing branch dieback and wood streaking. Prune out infected limbs, disinfect tools, and avoid replanting maples in affected soil.
  • Slow establishment — Grafted full moon maples are slow and resent root disturbance. Plant in autumn or spring, water consistently, and be patient through the first few seasons.
  • Leaf-edge browning in containers — Pots dry and overheat faster than open ground, browning the pale foliage. Use a large container, mulch the surface, and protect roots from extreme heat and freezing.

Propagation

Grafted onto Acer palmatum or A. shirasawanum seedling rootstock to retain the golden cultivar; seed does not come true and cuttings root poorly. Layering is a slow amateur alternative. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Full Moon Maple is pet-safe. Acer shirasawanum belongs to the maple genus, which the ASPCA does not list as toxic to dogs or cats and which carries no recognised toxic principle, so it is treated as non-toxic. As with all maples, ingested leaves or twigs may cause mild gastrointestinal upset or choking; wilted red maple foliage is specifically dangerous to horses. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Full Moon Maple care — frequently asked questions

What is Full Moon Maple?

Full Moon Maple (Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum') is a flowering plant with a slow-growing, rounded to broadly spreading deciduous small tree with horizontally layered branches and distinctive circular, pleated leaves. growth habit, reaching typically 4-6 m tall and 3-5 m wide over many years; compact and slow, especially in containers. at maturity. Golden full moon maple is a slow, refined deciduous tree with rounded, fan-pleated chartreuse-gold leaves that glow through summer and flush orange-red in autumn. Unlike palmate Japanese maples its foliage holds bright golden colour well, but only in dappled light.

How much light does full moon maple need?

Full Moon Maple grows best in bright indirect light (just back from a sunny window). Dappled or light shade keeps the golden leaves glowing without burning. Full sun bleaches and scorches the soft yellow foliage, while deep shade turns it green and lax. Morning sun with afternoon shade is the ideal balance.

How often should I water full moon maple?

Water full moon maple when the top 3-5 cm of soil is dry, roughly weekly in summer. Maintain consistent, even soil moisture without waterlogging; the pale foliage scorches readily under drought stress. Water deeply during heat and while establishing, and never let container specimens dry out. Mulch helps hold moisture around the roots. The finger-test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) beats a fixed weekly calendar because pot size, light, and season all change how fast the soil dries.

Is full moon maple toxic to cats and dogs?

Full Moon Maple is pet-safe. Acer shirasawanum belongs to the maple genus, which the ASPCA does not list as toxic to dogs or cats and which carries no recognised toxic principle, so it is treated as non-toxic. As with all maples, ingested leaves or twigs may cause mild gastrointestinal upset or choking; wilted red maple foliage is specifically dangerous to horses.

What USDA hardiness zone does full moon maple grow in?

Full Moon Maple is rated for USDA zone 5-7 and RHS hardiness H6. Outside that range, grow it as a container plant that overwinters indoors before the first hard frost.

Full Moon Maple deep-dive guides

Every aspect of full moon maple care, each with its own calibrated guide:

Featured in these plant shortlists

Full Moon Maple qualifies for 11 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

Related guides

Full Moon Maple is also commonly called golden full moon maple.