Hello All,
This is the first time I am using this forum. Seen very helpfull advise so far. My wife really likes the Japanese Maple we saw at Lowes here in the Detroit area(Zone 5), Michigan. We live in a loft and we have access to a roof top deck, so unfortunately all our plants are container plants. The gardner at lowes recommened the Japanese Maple to be planted in a container. Since our arborvities didnt survive 3 winters (we cant bring these plants indoors during the winter), I was a lil leary about purchasing the maple without researching it myself. So,
1) can these plants live in a 20 inch plastic pot?
2) can they stay outside in the winter?
thanks
-sam
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detroitsam
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Gnome
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Sam,
Hello and welcome to the forum. The short answer to both of your questions is yes. Japanese Maples are a traditional bonsai specimen so they adapt to pot culture. How does this one look?
[img]https://www.artofbonsai.org/critiques/images/pall_maple/c_pall_maple_001.jpg[/img]
And yes they can survive winter temperatures, in fact it is a must, they require winter dormancy. So this is possible.
But, you knew that there was a but didn't you, you must provide some sort of protection. The location you describe sounds pretty harsh. The rule of thumb in the bonsai community is to consider a tree in a pot to be one zone less hardy than a full sized counterpart in the ground. How big is the tree you are considering?
Is there a wall or some other structure to serve as a windbreak? Would you be permitted to build some sort of temporary structure, perhaps a frame and plastic lean-to of some sort? Depending on how big it is perhaps a cheap Styrofoam cooler to protect the roots and, lacking a sheltered spot, some structure on top to protect from drying winds.
Give this a look.
[url]https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/overwint.htm[/url]
Norm
P.S. Also, These plants can be, depending upon which cultivar you choose, damaged by harsh sun and drying winds even in the summer. You really need to evaluate the possibilities with your specific location. Is there any sort of shade?
Hello and welcome to the forum. The short answer to both of your questions is yes. Japanese Maples are a traditional bonsai specimen so they adapt to pot culture. How does this one look?
[img]https://www.artofbonsai.org/critiques/images/pall_maple/c_pall_maple_001.jpg[/img]
And yes they can survive winter temperatures, in fact it is a must, they require winter dormancy. So this is possible.
But, you knew that there was a but didn't you, you must provide some sort of protection. The location you describe sounds pretty harsh. The rule of thumb in the bonsai community is to consider a tree in a pot to be one zone less hardy than a full sized counterpart in the ground. How big is the tree you are considering?
Is there a wall or some other structure to serve as a windbreak? Would you be permitted to build some sort of temporary structure, perhaps a frame and plastic lean-to of some sort? Depending on how big it is perhaps a cheap Styrofoam cooler to protect the roots and, lacking a sheltered spot, some structure on top to protect from drying winds.
Give this a look.
[url]https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/overwint.htm[/url]
Norm
P.S. Also, These plants can be, depending upon which cultivar you choose, damaged by harsh sun and drying winds even in the summer. You really need to evaluate the possibilities with your specific location. Is there any sort of shade?
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detroitsam
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