Watchmeshove-WatchMeShove wrote:You would probably want to leave it in ground for not less than a year, but you could leave it in the ground all the way up to five years. You could even dig up the tree and do some root pruning in that time, then stick it back into the ground. With some species you can get a 5 or 6 inch trunk within 5 years. A good thing to do is dig up the tree and adjust the roots to make a good nebari, then replant it with top roots exposed so they grow nice and fat. The tree's growth all depends on the type of tree it is. Another thing I've been trying is tile planting. People say they have used 4" tiles but I have been trying 12" tiles which have worked well so far, and 12" tiles are needed for larger specimens anyway. What I do is plant the trees on top of the tile so the roots grow outwards rather than down, creating a great nebari. Also when you are digging the tree up all you need to do is dig around it and not under it. I don't know if you have ever tried to dig a tree up before, the taproot can be multiple feet under the surface. This is the benefit to tile planting, the tree's roots can only be as deep as you let them get.
Do you know if Acer Palmatums will respond well to planting like this? I'm going to try this technique. I like the idea alot. I never thought of planting the tree on top of a tile . . . . brilliant.
What do you think about the depth of the tile. . . . . 1 to 3 inches maybe? Also, would you use the same type of potting mix as you would for a bonsai in a pot when planting in the ground?
Jason