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japanese maple seedlings

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by timmy on June 04, 2004 03:33 AM
we just sold our house, and we have a beautiful japanese maple, that we unfortunately cannot take with us...

this spring, i saw four saplings that i have transferred into flower pots...

it has been about a month and they are still alive (that's good, i guess!)...

does anyone have any suggestions as to what i should do to ensure that they stay alive? what do i do with them in the winter? should i bring them inside? when would it be safe to transplant them back to a permanent location?

any help would be greatly appreciated...

thanks!

tim
by weezie13 on June 04, 2004 02:56 PM
Timmy,
When are you moving?
And where are you moving to? *Not being nosey*
but, curious, are you moving to same climate?
A house, an appartment???

Weezie

P.S. Welcome to The Garden Helper's Forum by the way! We're very glad you found us!

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2

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by timmy on June 04, 2004 05:01 PM
we are moving this week... the seedlings are already in plant pots...

same climate... it actually the same city... we live in toronto, canada...

the japanese maples will eventually be planted in the garden of a house...

i'm not sure how long i have to baby them until i can do that though...
by Newt on June 05, 2004 02:40 AM
Hi Timmy,
You can just sink the pots right into the ground and leave it there for the winter. I did with 500 potted plants and shrubs and all was fine.

Good luck in your new home!
Newt

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When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
by Bess of the Piedmont on June 05, 2004 06:00 PM
Welcome!

Japanese maples are really pretty hardy. But they do take a long time to get to a good height.

My suggestion would be to harden them off when you get to your new location. That is, set them outside, but in a protected location and still in their pots for a few weeks. That will acclimate them. during the waiting period, I would prepare the holes for each sapling, making them very generous in size (at least a foot in diameter and a foot deep, even if the saplings are tiny), and filling them back in with a mix of the native dirt and some good compost. This will make a nice, loose soil for their little roots to spread out quickly in. Once hardened off, plant them in their holes and water them in well. Keep them watered during their first few years. That is, water them weekly. If there is a dry spell you may even want to water them more often. If it rains and the soil stays moist, then nature has done the watering for you.

I have two Japanese maples that came as saplings from my mom's Japanese garden. The oldest one, (to the best of my recollection, it's been here maybe eight years ) is about eight feet high. It is still fairly small for a tree, but I know it will be here for a long, long time.

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by timmy on June 12, 2004 05:41 PM
the pots are plastic though...

won't that hinder the roots from spreading?

quote:
Originally posted by Newt:
Hi Timmy,
You can just sink the pots right into the ground and leave it there for the winter. I did with 500 potted plants and shrubs and all was fine.
Newt

by Newt on June 12, 2004 05:47 PM
Timmy,
If you're only leaving them in the ground for a year and there is room in the pot for the roots to grow, no harm done. Do be sure the pots have drainage holes and they aren't blocked with anything. I have a plant that has a long tap root and I can't seem to find a permanent home for it. If I plant it and want to move it I'm out of luck as it will not transplant. I have been putting it in larger pots for 4 years now and keep sinking the pot back in the ground. I hope to find it a permanent home this year. I use the plastic pots from the nursery and have even used the hard plastic ones you use indoors when I potted up the 500. I started to run out of pots.

Newt

* * * *
When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
by Eugene Carroll on June 18, 2004 04:48 AM
If you put them in the ground, i would recommend using tree shelters (my personal preference, but not the only solution). Maple seedlings do best when they are about 2-3 years old. Harding them off as the other poster said is a good idea.

I use this brand of tree shelter, but there are others:

http://www.growtube.com/shelters.html

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