Flowering Maple ????

I hope this is the right forum to ask this:

I have a Flowering Maple, a couple years old-labeled only as "Pink". It is currently about 8 feet tall. The first four feet or so have no leaves-cause I'm bad at watering, but near the top there are a couple of braches.

Is there anyway to make it "bushier" without killing it?
I am awful with cuttings-but sure could get an awful lot from the thing!

I'm thinking about planting it outside and leaving it there cause it's too big for the house. It is already small tree size.

It can easily be done:
Mix a very light miracle grow only 1/3 and 2/3 perlite in whatever size pots you want. Make sure that you have at least two nodes on each cutting...stick them in one to a pot.....leave at the base in the ground about 12" tall and it will come back beautifully. Don't forget to dampen your mix BEFORE you stick the cuttings......put them all together in the shade and make a tent from a dry cleaning bag or anything to act as a tent to raise the humidity until they start rooting......It probably will take a good month or more to get good rootings and don't let each pot dry out completely but also don't keep them drenched with water
good luck
I love flowering maples...I am finding it unbelievable that a flowering mple has survived in the ground in zone 7b....I hope we are talking about the same tender tropical plant.
gail

No-I haven't put it in the ground yet!lol Was just saying that cause it is sooo big.

Think I could just do the cuttings in my greenhouse on one of the bottom shadier shelves?-I am really bad at rooting things. I kinda wish it was smaller so I could ship it to someone that could care for it, I just can't seem to quite kill it either!

ship it to me....I love them and love to propagate also....then i will send it back to you!!!!!
gail
If you take the extra soil off at the bottom and wrap in wet paper towels with foil over that....it will ship well with newspaper around her...then take however many cuttings you want to and put them in a big zip lock bag with wet paper towels around them with a rubber band...
You can do it!!!! But I will be happy to get a lot of cuttings, get them going and send them back to you....whatever you wish..

gail-I think this is a good idea, actually!

The thing is so big and lanky that it's blooms go unnoticed. I am trying to get rid of some of my bigger houseplants-but I would want you to keep it, no sending back, I'll already have something in it's place in a week.-lol Do you trade ever for outside plants?

You have a dmail

hopefully my reply makes sense-lol

Oh, I would love to see a photo of that Flowering Maple, I bet it's Beautiful! The photo's of the ones in Plant Files are sooooo Lovely:

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1012/

Just noticed these will grow in my area ... I might just have to get one of these, or maybe 2 - one for the yard and 1 for a container! I love that variegated foliage!

I just took a couple of really bad pics-poor thing is so lanky. Hopefully I can get my SO to lad the pics so you can see. No flowers yet, and mine's not variegated. They sell the variegated ones at the greenhouse I bought the pink one. They are pretty plants, I just am not the best at taking care of them-lol

I'm so sorry about the quality (and the mess) , my hands aren't the steadiest and the camera doesn't help much with the delay..this is the best one I got, the plant is all limped over, and actually only has one offset. I put it outside on the porch after this, poor thing.

Lin, Tropicana and i were going to trade, but i am too busy.....you ought to make a trade with her.........flowering maples are the best and she has a giant one!!! They are very tender and have to be overwintered....but well worth it!!!!
I have never seen one that big!!!

Tropicanna....I'd have never thought of it in the past, but in 1999, a plant trading friend had sent me a flowering maple and she insisted that I needed to plant in in the ground for the summer (cuttings do root easily and they will re-branch if you cut the top off) I did, and I tell you, it was spectacular!!!!
It wasn't the happiest during the hottest weeks of the summer, but when the cool nights returned it was one happy plant and bloomed like crazy!
I don't know why I haven't done it again since.....maybe because I traded away my 3-4 plants a few years back?? lol!
I did buy a non-variegated Abutilon at a nearby greenhouse a few weeks ago....the flowers are amazing...orange with red venation.....I'll try to get a photo.

Hmmmm... if I can't gt anyone to trade for it I will definately try that-I think that was my intent when I bought it, but that was awhile back-it bloomed nicely on the porch ast year, just scraggly looking. I'm not good at cuttings unless I am mound layering..lol...still such a beginner when it comes to propagation :)

I hear ya, Tropicanna.....the best way to propagate, IMHO, is during the most hot and humid parts of the summer.....I just put them on my back deck and let 'em go (well, I do water when dry, of course!) and I swear almost everything I've tried, roots.
UNLIKE trying to propagate indoors other times of the year! LOL!

nan, since I haven't found you something exciting, go for this beauty!!!!!.....Lin doesn't care ......she hasn't been back on this thread.....

hee hee ... I've been lurking, but right now I have no room for it. I'm still dividing and repotting stuff .... hope to someday be done for awhile. So, if Tropicana still wants to get rid of it Nan, I think you should go for it! Then, someday when I find or make room you could trade me a cutting!

Really, any takers??

LOL!!
I would, but as I said I did just buy one at a local GH, and I admit these are tough to get through the winter....too many plants competing for the 'good light'!

Besides...wouldn't that cost a small fortune to mail, since the prices are now based on destination *and* package size?
It would be great for someone seeking a tall Abutilon, though! You'd think there'd be someone out there searching for one?

I'd go ahead and plant it outdoors, Tropicanna, if I were you....and you can go ahead and lop off the top of it, you'll just have 2 main branches instead of one!
Then you can trade cuttings of it in the fall if anyone is interested then?

The new rates at the post office are simply ridiculous......I am finding out that #7 box that you can order on line free is the only way to go.............otherwise people are spending more than 30.00 a box to send priority that used to be about 14.00....makes a plant costs a lot of money..................I am learning to send cuttings, leaves, etc.....

Ridiculous, outrageous, and unbelievable!! I may stop trading!! Or at least pare back or change my
Style(!!) no more large trades with big boxes full of mature plants…it’s just costing me too much!!!
I sent out two boxes recently that used to cost me about twenty bucks together and with the new increases
(which I didn’t even know about!) my PO bill was 43.00 dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hell, for that I could mail order
Some really great stuff!!!!! I couldn’t believe it,(!!) I must have looked pretty dumb for a minute there,
Because when the PO guy said 43.00 I know I just stood there with my mouth open staring and blinking…
( for a few seconds ) I had to shake my head and say ”What” , 43 dollars sir, the guy said again, I had to
Put away my cash and get out my credit card… Well, my trader friend were very happy as usual but that’s
Probably the last large trades we’ll be doing.( Sad!! ) I don’t know if I can stop trading but I’m certainly going
To have to change our methods. Well, sorry for the long “Rant”, just had to get it of my chance! Terry

Hi Tropicana,
I'd be interested, but as has been posted, the postage would be pretty steep. Maybe you could cut it back, mail out cuttings, and plant it outside. Then you'd get your inside space, maybe a great outside plant, and you could share cuttings.

That is why I have stopped sending anything but cuttings, leaves, etc. On two recent occasions I sent out nothing but leaves and cuttings............but because the box was not a priority box (just one of mine) the box plus the cuttings weighed only 2 lbs and a few ounces and costs me ovr 30.00!!!!!! Now I am just using smaller boxes and sending two if I need to (to the same person!!!!!)......the lady at the post office says it is all related to the cost of gasoline...the airlines are now charging them by the size of the box.....in addition to the weight....size seems to be more important in cutting costs than the actual weight..

I find that the most economical way to still do trades (which we still love to do.....admit it *lol*) is to do larger trades and fill the flat rate boxes. These are free from the post office and you can stuff ALOT and I mean ALOT in them. I just keep stuffing and stuffing and stuffing until I can barely close the flap. I took one to the post office and always ask "if that wasn't in a flat rate box how much would it have cost?"...........the last box.........almost $16.00......cost me........Flat Rate....... LOVE it :)

Kim

For now, I am leaving the durn thing in a pot on the porch, until either I have enough time or motivation to do something with it. If anyone lives closeby, please come swipe it. If someone wants to trade, tempt me....lol. I love philos and hardy tropicals to my zone.

I use click and ship on the usps site and carrier pickup, so the boxes are picked up right at the door. You're supposed to put the weight of the item in as well, but I just estimate. Shipping charges have been much lower than normal...lol....not once have I been asked to pay addt'l postage. Go to usps.com and check it out.