Maples, like many other plants, can be cultivated and propagated under controlled, aseptic conditions in test tubes or Erlenmeyer flasks (so called in vitro conditions).

There are several types of maple cultures, as protoplast, cell, tissue, and organ cultures, however, up to date organ cultures have proved the best choice to achieve in vitro maple propagation through organogenesis. Of course, considerable efforts are also devoted to an alternative developmental pathway, somatic embryogenesis, when somatic cell(e.g. callus cell) assumes a zygotic embryo function and develops into an entire plantlet.

The maple regeneration cycle via organogenesis passes through four main stages: culture establishment from a primary explant; shoot elongation and multiplication; rooting of excised shoots; and transfer of regenerated plantlets into the field.

Up to date only very few maple species are propagated this way.