Growing a JM in an Apartment

I love to try to grow anything and everything in my apartment. I my next thing is the Japenese Maple. Its due to arrive next weekend. I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what kind of soil this kind of tree likes.

Thanks
Tonja

It'll make it indoors contrary to what anyone will tell you about chilling/dormancy requirements because my mother has kept alive two I gave her for at least four years now. They do look rather scraggly, but they're still alive.

Just thought I should tell you.

Dax

If you have a balcony or roof it would be preferable and dax's comments on his moms scraggly plants should give you pause.I wouls expect yours to look the same in time..I would guess she keeps them inside cause her son gave them to her as a mother should do ....David

I'll have to call her for the !@#$#%^ TIME and ask!

During leaf stages it's often that people bring them in for I believe two weeks at a time, but no longer. Soil suggestion: it's a maple and prefers to be on the acidic side, but plain old "potting soil" is fine.

Dax

Wow.. thanks for the replies. My cutie pie arrived last night. I will try to upload a picture of her. She is in big pot with a special blend of soil from the local nursery and some mulch. Yep.. I swore I would not let mulch come indoors but for this cute tree .. anything she wants. I will try to post a picture of her this weekend. SoonerGardens.com told me it would be 2 feet. It's a heck of lot bigger than that but for the low price of $10 bucks who can be upset? Because of the number of plants I am growing my apartment is more a greenhouse than an apartment. Great air circulation and awesome grow lights. I don't think her leaves will look scraggly but I will let you know for sure.

Tonja

Good luck Tonja,
From your DG name it seems as if anyone could grow a JM in an apartment, you could. My houseplants are all silk and it's for a very good reason. It's cheaper to buy really good silk plants than to replace all of the real indoor plants I kill.

Doss

I too am indoor garden challenged...my house was a "energy crises" house ( early 70's) with NO west windows ONE east window only upstairs and a big porch on the south... lots of north windows ;>)...in addition trees surround the house ...as a said it was the oil crises.... I would have to use grow lights and as I have found out that is not a perfect solution so our inside is virtually plantless...but then I do not live in an apt and have mucho land to plant in ...well much less now with my additive JM CURSE!! david

Thanks for the support guys. There is a hunk of guy who works at the Nursery I shop at (Ronnie) and he is worried that my JM will not know its winter and the leaves will not fall off. He wants me to keep him updated about its progress. (Heck yah I will….he is to cute) I guess the question now is, do the leaves have to fall off? Hmmm... much research needs to be done. I promised a picture and here it is. Sorry I used my cell phone. I seem to be spending too much time with my plants so I have not had a chance to figure out how my digital camera works. As for the leaf question I think I will write my favorite TV garden man "Paul James". He loves JM also.

Tonja

They'll fall off, become scraggly with time and most-likely die at some point. Like I said my mother has had two indoors for years now, a lot of dead occurs, but some (good) still remains.

I know what I'm talking about.

Take care -

Dax

Even my indoor JM bonsai paperwork suggests as much time outside in the warmer months as possible. So, I had placed a thermometer in my JM space outside, and will bring them in once temps hit the 40F's.

Dax you are scaring me a little. I hate that word scraggly. I swear if she gets to that point I will plant her in my mom’s yard. (Which is what she wants)
I spoke with the "Tree Guy" at Merrifield Nursery. He thinks I should put it outside for a couple of months every winter and then bring it back in. Hmmmm... I have a better idea. Since no one including the Tree Guy knows if the leaves have to fall off, I have decided to make it think its fall in my apartment. I am happy to say its working. Even my Chocolate Mimosa and Leonard Messel are responding. (That’s right I have a jungle going in here) It's very cold in here but its working. Matter of fact I was happy to spend all day outside because it's so cold inside. The things I do for my plants. Oh yeah one other thing….. I spoke with the cute guy again, Ronnie, after speaking with the Tree Guy. Ronnie gave me his cell phone number and said keep him up to date on what is going on with my tree. The question is, is the tree he wants to know about or me. Hmmmm…..

I'd say cute guy#1 doesn't know much of anything, (yet)!

Chilling requirements (by the way zone 9 is I believe the warmest zone Acer palmatum can be grown in) mean the plants need to be outdoors for at least a month. I can relate that to grafting because my plants are kept outdoors until December at which time they've been 'tricked' and they think winter is over. Then, by bringing them in the greenhouse and allowing them to start growing again/come out of dormancy, they're good to go, won't become scraggly or anything else we've been discussing. I'm no scientist, in fact I have a degree in Swedish Language and also, certainly don't know the exact temperature required for a succesful dormancy, nor do I know the 'exact' amount of of time a plant needs that's not "tropical", but dormancy can definitely be shortened. I will say that zone 8a/b (I forget), has just enough coldness for fruit trees, especially Apple to be grown in the Willamette Valley. And that's not indoors. I'd take the information and run.

I'm outta this thread.

Good luck with your love life and your plant. I feel like I've been talking to a wall.

I think JM leaves are supposed to fall off. That's why they have gorgeous new buds beneath the old leaves. Even in Japan they fall off. If they did not, they would not have such a gorgeous fall display. They are decidious! I don't believe JMs are meant to live indoors. Can you post some pics IndoorGardner of your jungle inside?

Conifers, you are not talking to a wall, since some day someone may benefit from your experiences posted here. Please continue!

IndoorGardner, don't listen to everything the cute guy says about plants, although you never know he may know what he is talking about. Go with your gut. Good luck with him by the way.
Love, FreeBird...


This message was edited Sep 17, 2006 9:44 PM

This message was edited Sep 18, 2006 11:55 AM

The plant is staying inside. I am doing exactly what you are doing conifer. I am tricking it. It’s working so far. Everyday she is getting redder. If you ever interested in her progress I keep a diary about her here on Dave’s Garden. Who knows, it may turn out that it’s not so scraggly after all.

By the way, I am curious to know something. What does your mom do to her plant? Where does she keep it, what does she feed it, how is it pruned, etc .etc….

This will help me with my research. Also I only paid 10 dollars (on sale) to get her. It won’t kill me to give this a try. And I promise it won’t kill her also.

Good luck IndoorGardner, keep us posted! I'd love a JM inside.
Love, FreeBird...

Ok I asked an expert on about.com. (His resume will make you blush) This man knows trees :) Anyway he says this:
Do not worry about it--it will drop its leaves. even IF it did not it would no effect the health of the tree. This process is more due to the shortening day light hours than to temperature. The tree starts to produce less chorophyll and the leaves turn colors.

The rest of the info and a nice link will be put into my diary. I see brighter days ahead for my JM.

If you grow under light ...you must adjust for the shortened days .... I still stand by Dax's comments it will most likely NOT do well but knock yourself out and I hope I am wrong...( if trees were ment to be grown inside houses and apts. and did well when so grown... why ARN'T they by everyone instead of hardly ANYONE at least no one that I know????) ...David