$25 japanese maple from lowes

[BobbyLane]

the wholesale nursery I work at requires a business license to receive trade discounts

What type of large deciduous trees does your nursery stock? or large shrubs

 

[Deleted member 49943]

Should I plant it or put it in a 15 gallon and baby it?

Advice?

 

[pandacular]

I don't think you've provided either clear enough pictures or a vision of what you're trying to accomplish for anyone to be providing advice.

 

[Deleted member 49943]

I don't think you've provided either clear enough pictures or a vision of what you're trying to accomplish for anyone to be providing advice.

To make it bounce back from the clearance rack.

 

[Relic37]

To make it bounce back from the clearance rack.

I'm an old guy and I am impatient. Obviously, getting into bonsai at this stage of life is a real head-scratcher. But you have a new $25 tree that has perhaps not had the best care over the past few months/years, so in my book I'd spend the rest of this growing season just taking good care of it and studying the tree and more importantly, other JM that you would like to emulate. You've got all winter to stare at the bare branches and the visible roots to see where you want to modify things. Don't rush, just enjoy the adventure. The same advice I got on my honeymoon...

 

[KikurageOtomo]

Advice?

15 Gallon in my estimation would be severely over-potting it. Giving space for a tree to develop is important, yes. But putting it in a potted environment in which its not routinely able to depleate the medium of water is asking for root rot issues in the long run. If your intent is to improve its health and focus on the development of its stature then find a pot thats slightly larger to accommodate slip potting, but not so large its going to take the better part of a week to dry out.

 

[pandacular]

To add to the previous post, nurseries use progressive up-potting (1 to 2 to 3 gallon in successive seasons, for example) to promote growth.

If I were trying to speed this thing up, I'd chop it's height about in half, then in repotting season, check out the top of the roots and see if it may need the upper roots worked and substrate refreshed on top (in other words, a half repot of only the surface roots*) or if water isn't draining through a full repot. Hell, you could go for the chop and root prune as a way to maybe fast track it, as long as you're comfortable with the risk.

* there's a Japanese name for this procedure, but it's name currently escapes me

 

[jradics]

What type of large deciduous trees does your nursery stock? or large shrubs

RED MAPLE, SUGAR MAPLE, NUTALL OAK, WILLOW OAK, WILLOW BALDCYPRESS BLACK GUM BIRCH BUCKEYE CHERRY WE ARE 15 ACRES OF TREES AND SHRUBS TOO MANY TO LIST BUT WE DO NOT SHIP ACROSS THE POND

 

[Deleted member 49943]

RED MAPLE, SUGAR MAPLE, NUTALL OAK, WILLOW OAK, WILLOW BALDCYPRESS BLACK GUM BIRCH BUCKEYE CHERRY WE ARE 15 ACRES OF TREES AND SHRUBS TOO MANY TO LIST BUT WE DO NOT SHIP ACROSS THE POND

Damn.

 

[Deleted member 49943]

Update. Hates this heat like the rest of us but hasn't gotten worse. Minimal afternoon sun