Drought Tolerance

• With a drought tolerance classified as moderate, it is possible to water the Japanese maple tree, Acer palmatum, to excess. Additionally, heavy rainfall and flooding may damage the tree. "Be sure drainage is maintained and never allow water to stand around the roots," advises the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
  
  

Uniform Watering

• The Japanese maple tree does not possess any exceptional hydration requirements and thrives nicely with an average amount of watering. In the book "Japanese Maples," author J. D. Vertrees asserts that the principal water requirement for the tree is uniform watering. A constant water supply -- regardless of the amount -- is the important element.
  
  

Leaf Scorch

• Vertrees suggests that wet periods followed by extremely dry periods are injurious to the health of the Japanese maple, contributing to the condition known as leaf scorch. Watering the tree during the full sun of the hot summer months is also ill-advised, as leaf scorch causes the leaves to begin drying, turning brown, and eventually prematurely falling from the Japanese maple.