First, Steve W (Hi Steve!) asked if there was a problem with landscape
japanese maples on Long Island. Well, yes. The problem is that
everyone plants them in full sun in the front yard, and then hits them
with the lawnmower. They do fine for years, until a cold winter or a
hot summer stresses them, and then they drop branches. The best
solution is frequent fertilization and good watering in hot summer
months with a soaker hose. Japanese maples are trees of the lower
canopy in the mountains of Japan, and really won't thrive in the
center of a lawn.

The Anil asked:

Coming back again on the fertilizing a freshly root-pruned plant, I
will request Nina to throw some light on this point. Please Nina!

Everything I know about fertilization I learned from Brent Walston,
who actually raises trees for a living. Me, I just have book
learnin'. Brent once wrote an extensive post on this subject, the
point being that a tree will take up only as much fertilizer as it has
the roots to take up, so the strength of the fertilizer after
transplanting is completely immaterial (assuming, of course, that you
aren't over-fertilizing to the point of toxicity). I will point out
that roots aren't intelligent; they don't grow out "looking" for
nutrients, they just grow out. The main factor influencing root
development is soil structure. A dense soil impedes root growth, and
anything that inhibits growth (dryness, lack of nutrients) will cause
poor root growth.

Nina