Japanese Maple Questions

Hello all! I really want a Japanese Maple. They are by far my favorite tree. However.......I had ruled planting one at my new house because we will only be living here for about 3 years because my husband is in the military and we move a lot. I was at Home Depot today, and they have some 7 gallon upright Japanese Maples that are fairly large for a great price ($133). So I am once again considering it but I have a few questions....

The tag on the trees at Home Depot says "Upright Japanese Maple", 15-25 feet tall by 15-20 feet wide. What species is an "upright japanese maple?" I have no idea how to treat the tree once it is planted with that type of information except that after looking at the leave it is not a laceleaf cultivar. Does that mean it will be hardier? Also, we live in zone 6b-7. Can this be planted where it will get afternoon sun? Sorry for all of the questions, but I have found that Home Depot and Lowes are not very knowledgable about their plants, and often tend to just mark the tags that they are cold/hot hardy for whatever zone that store is located in.

There are 2 locations that I am considering for this tree. I have attached a picture of my home, and the area that the tree will go will be on the left hand side just in front of the end of the house.....if that makes any sense. In the picture, the weeping cherry will be moved to the location with the purple x. The spots that I would like to put the Japanese maple are marked in red and pink.

If it were your home, where would you place it. The red X would be more sheltered and provide better protection as we have really high winds.

First of all you are likely buying a non grafted standerd generic JM called an A.P Atropurpureum...not that there is anything wrong with that ...but you could be getting a green treev basic generic JM I assume it has leafed and it is red so the Atro stands. I personally think that is a bit much for a basic tree like that but it is of size so thats a personal call .
If you are planning on moving in 3 years I'd keep it containerised ( you WILL become attached and NOT want to leave it!!) which would involve getting a large pot ( DO NOT leave it in the Home Derpot pot!!) and proper medium as well as weekly watering. If it were me that is what I would do but perhaps go with a 3-5 gal max tree that would be easier to move around etc...this also gives you a chance to site it properly if you ever decide to plant it out and move to garage if you have a cold spring and early leafing like we just had. Over all in your 3 year plan this seems best to me!!...
Now you must decide whether to go with a smaller tree ( if you decide NOT to plant out but containerize) and whether you want something special or generic ...personally for a first JM I think the Atro is great it will likely be MUCH easier to care for and they are usually a really beautiful tree. I have several and love 'em a great way to get started In Jm's cause they are less expensive and easy to grow ..David


This message was edited Apr 23, 2007 1:03 PM

Thanks for the fast response David, You know the thought never crossed my mind to leave it in a container and plant the entire container in the ground! That is why I love this website so much.........great ideas! If I were to get a big pot, and plant it in the container, why type of container would you recommend? Would I need to cut the bottom off? I am just afraid that by planting it in a container that I would inhibit its growth.

you definitly need a pot with a hole)s) in bottom...and YES you do want to inhibit it's growth or in three years you may nee a "crew" to move it ;>) here's mine probably 12 years old basically a 3 foot lighly branched whip when I bought it and had some severe die backl in the eary 90's so in terms of tree age, taking into consideration the die back I'd say a 10year old would be about right. David

Your JM is beautiful! I think I am going to search around and find a plain large plastic pot, and just use the drill to cut holes in it. Do the holes need to be large, or are they mainly used for drainage?

just dranaige several medium holes the medium is more important I think there are some threads here or at the garden web or someone else can take that one. If you do bury the pot ...be sure the bottom soil ion the hole is not clay or muck or anything else to cause a draniage problem for your potted tree above gound that is not as much of a problem ...but you'd have to find a nice large ceramic pot many sales on those going on now just be sure it has a drainage hole(s) many don't for some unknown ignorant reason since most are for planting...the stupidity in merchandising never fails to amaze me ;>)...David

So just to verify, I need a ceramic pot, and not just a plastic one?

no only if you leave it on the surface if you bury it it doesn't matter but on the surface you can use either but plastic tends to look a little lets say cheapo especially since it will be a centerpiece tree and you aint gots much a growing there now from your pic.... it will look more like its at home in a ceramic pot with drainage hole(s) if above ground.sorry for the confusion or you can use cedar planters I use soley the hex cedar planters they come in a few sizes and arn't expensive the large ones I get are probably at least 5 gallons and cost about 21$$!! The trees seem to love 'em and the drain nicely ...may be trouble getting them out over time ( roots may work out between runngs and at bottom but if you get three years out of a large one ( and three - five is not pushing it IMHO ) you can just tear it apart and take out ..your only out 21 bucks . David

The red X will work if you keep the tree in a pot because it can be moved. It will get too big for that spot if you put it in the ground, and possibly if you leave it in the pot. Because you may take the tree with you, I'd suggest paying a little more for a tree that was a cultivar. I have seedlings (which is what you would be buying) but wish that I had room for more cultivars instead. However if you get really high winds, a seedling is much hardier than a grafted tree in general. A seedling can tolerate full sun. Some of the grafted trees can take sun and some can't. It just depends on the cultivar.

I'm glad that you're replanting the cherry tree. That makes a lot of sense.

If there is a good chance of moving either overseas or to a state in which you cannot bring the tree, then I say go ahead and plant it in the ground and get something not too expensive that you can love and leave as a legacy for the next homeowner. I know with some military specialties, there is a limited number of locations where that job occurs, so you may have an idea of those locations, others have a broader ability.

I do agree that getting a smaller named container tree that you can take with you when you move assuming you go someplace which allows it, would be a great idea. It is hard to move a larger tree, hard enough with a smaller one and they grow faster than you can believe! Pick a slow grower of a dwarf cultivar.

Laura

Thanks Laura. You are absolutly right about going overseas.......once again, I didn't even think if that! My husband is a pilot of the OH-58D, so there are only about 5 places that we can go, and of those 5, 2 are considered overseas........Alaska, and Hawaii. I don't mind spending the money on the tree, just want to get some enjoyment out of it.

The other thing that I have to consider, is the fact that I need something where the red X is to give height to that side of the house. I want something different, it seems everone around my subdivision plant the typical junipers there.

I didn't read the military part ..yes go with a smaller tree....unless you want to keep it well trimmed and smaller. as far as taking it out of state I don't think there would be a problem as long as it's not to big ...who would ever even know??? They don't have tree roadblocks at the border ;>) but a massive tree sitting on top of jed clampets jalopy might HA HA so I agree stay a bit smaller and choose a dwarf or semi dwarf named cultivar...although you will have more trouble with it for a beginner i almost gurantee it ...the other stated option is just plant out an atro and leave it but you will become attached ...but if you need a bigger tree that may be your only solution since a dwarf or semi dwarf is just that!!.and if you trim your atro to stay small it will be so and may not look great either depending on your abilities..Sorry I should read posts a bit slower i never saw the military thing.,you can though still pot up the atro keep it trimed up and likely take it with you no problem ...you have alot of decisions I'm getting confused just posting.David

You posted while I was posting....scratch everything I said if you go overseas even a dwarf will be a hassle and probably not possible just plant it out and leave it take a nice photo!!..David

Thanks David.....so am I.....lol. The only time I would have a problem moving it with me is if we got stationed in Alaska and/or Hawaii. When someone in the military gets stationed overseas, the military MUST move you, and they will not move plants or anything else alive, or valuable. Hmmmmm. Go figure. I went back to HD today and realized they had Crimson Queen in a 5 gallon for $86. That wasn't good enough for me though, I made them price match Lowes to $59. I would have just bought it at Lowes, but HD's looked so much better, it has the "perfect" shape. I was planning on just potting this up and putting it on my back deck.

I think I will purchase the other tree as well, and just put it in the ground. I was looking at putting a tree there anyhow, but just could not decide on one that I could plant 10 feet from the house.

CoryS, I was military too, been there! You are right, you can't take them to Alaska, or Hawaii, also other US states have restrictions, but it depends on the state. Lots of families move their plants themselves, if it isn't too far but the risk of damage is great on a tree as they tend to branch widely. At least you have an idea of where you can go!

You could always leave a potted tree with a trusted relative or friend, and pick it up when you get back. I think you should go for the planted tree, as you will enjoy it and learn from the experience of planting it and keeping it for use in later trees when you get a chance to put down some roots of your own! Likewise, with a containerized tree, if you cannot keep it, you could gift it to a good friend when you relocate as a remembrance.

Laura

Cory - unless you have birch borers, birch trees are very good close to a house to add height. It would be fun to have a planting of three. You could easily plant the seedling you are buying in the spot farther away from the house also. It would be nice to have a big tree there.