half way to the center of the earth????

ken

yes.. it was a joke..

i have no direct experience..

why dont you ask about your bathtub idea here???

something tells me.. it is not as aggressive as the plain old green one .... but i bet it hasnt been on the market long enough for anyone to give you a long term forecast of such ...

ken

OK, my concern is the possiblity of rampant spread, because I don't know HOW it suckers? If I were to take a large(bottomless)metal or plastic tub and bury into the ground about a foot, would that be sufficient to control it??? and no Ken, I don't have a bathtub.

Will probably contain for a couple seasons, but this thing wants to spread out! As soon as the roots leave the bottom of the pot and begin growing up just outside the pot, it is only a matter of time before you get some identical siblings.

John

It will spread -- Long runners, but on the top of the soil. I have been able to control mine by using a sharp shovel to cut runners, or just yank out of the ground. It is not much of a problem to do each year. Not like bamboo
I have had it growing for about 5 years. I also cut it back hard each year

It is a great plant, fantastic color. Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Design Ideas

WOW ... OK, so there's a possibility of it suckering from roots BELOW the level of the pot AS WELL AS spreading from roots running along the top of the soil !?!

Once out of the pot, the spreading roots will return to near the soil surface then start suckering I would think. I don't have experience with this particular tree, but suckering has kept me from purchasing this plant locally. We have a lot of sumac around the house and on the sides of roads and I have seen the dense thick colonies they form. I do not want to deal with that.

John

Yes suckering from roots along surface. Each year you must do some sucker prunning. Give it some room and the prunning is not a problem. I am not sure how it would do in your zone. I have it on the east side of the house in a large 7-8' wide bed.
I like the color and the fact that it requires little care except for the root prunning.

To your original question, I dont think a bottomless pot will work - I bet the roots would just find a way around the bottom of the pot.

well, i just planted one last summer. just started to break dormancy a couple weeks ago---and, i have spotted no less than 3 areas of suckering. i plan on digging one up and putting it in a corner area of my yard. it's ok by me, my plant was gorgeous over the summer/fall!

i have read comments where some gardeners claim to not have a problem with suckering. guess my experience is different. i just plan on dealing with it one way or the other. it may be a little work, but, i just find it such a neat plant---will just have to see how it goes.

btw, i read a couple articles that stated if one is to transplant a sucker, to dig it up when the plant is dormant. wondered if anyone had success in transplanting a sucker anytime during the summer/fall?

once you cut the sucker from momma.. it has a limited root capacity ...

so it would be best to cut it off when dormant.. either leafless if possible.. or in the cold season with evergreens ...

ken