If the tree is in a seven gallon pot, is it 5-7 feet tall?

I have seen reports that claims this tree grows fast up to reaching 6-7 feet tall. After that it grows slowly and matures at the height of up to 25 feet and a width of up to 20 feet. But I also have seen reported that, while the trunks and branches are still thin, they break easily. This is less of a problem as the trunks and branches get thicker. Such breakage would slow the spreading rate accordingly.

Planting the tree in acid soil enhances the leaf and bark coloring. The tree is reported to tolerate a range of soil types including sand and heavy clay. Once the roots are well established the tree is also reported to be drought tolerant.

All the above information applies to the Coral bark Japanes maple - Acer palmatum - Sango-kaku

There are lots of slower and shorter growing Japanese maple cultivars that I would say do not worry about root damage from them to house foundations. Not so with this cultivar.

Since the tree is reported to spread 20 feet, I would not want to plant it closer than 10 feet to my house. After all, maples in general are considered to have shallow growing roots. Even though this tree will most likely take a very long time to reach 25 feet tall and almost as wide, I still would not want to take a chance with planting the tree closer to the house foundation.

Of course I have heard of people intalling root barriers to protect their foundations. You would most likely need to get help from a tree expert to know exactly what you should do to protect the foundation if you want to plant the tree closer than 10 feet away from the house.

The tree will tollerate sun, but prefers bright shade or partial shade.

In real cold zones the limbs are prone to dieback. That is one of the reasons why the tree is harmed by winter desicating winds. I am sure another reason would be due to the brittle nature of the wood that gets stronger once the trunks and branches thicken as mentioned above.

There are lots of web sites that list this tree as tolerant of USDA zones 6-8. They also say that zones 7-8 are the best for the tree. Maybe the one you purchased has been acclimated to tollerate your zone 5 temperature conditions. Even if that is true it might be best to plant the tree where it will be sheltered from the cold winds, and where it can get some warmth during the colder times of the year.

It was about 5ft tall when I got it. I like to put it in the corner where I circled it below. I am probably looking at 6-8 from the house... Would I be living dangerously if I put it about 6-8 ft?

{{gwi:1042961}}

I can see your point about wanting to plant it where you circled. It looks like there is some protection by other shrubs or trees near the area where you circled. Is that the darker shapes shown near that circle?

Since 10 feet away from the foundation is best, I can also understand why you might want to try and 8 feet space away from the house. It is interesting that the loss Rocky took from winter kill was all replace by one growing season, but that could be due to the fact that his tree is so short. Until the tree gets about 6 feet tall this JM cultivar grows fast.

It sounds like your tree is almost at the point where it will slow down in its growth rate each year. I guess that might make it more reasonable if you planted the tree in the circled area you grew as long as the current canopy of the tree was 8 feet away from the house.

In the circled location, will the tree be protected from strong winds. Also is there some passive heat source that will help warm the tree even in the coldest part of winter?

The tree's soft wood, which is easily broken by winds, and the trees vunerability to die back problems from bitterly cold winter winds is a concern. Even though Rocky described how he protected his tree from the wind which prevented limb breakage, he still lost much of his tree due to die back from not protecting the tree from the cold. since straw did not work for him, maybe for the first winter putting 6 inches of mulch over the root ball, installing a cage of chicken wire around the tree and mulch, and them filling the space between the branches, trunk and chicken wire with crumbles newspapers might help. Then when the temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing, wrap the chicken wire and over the top of the entire tree with a secured insulated blanket type material. If you have times in the coldes parts of winter when the temperatures rise above freezing or when the sun's radiant heat can get to the tree take off the insulating blanket. Also be sure to water the tree in the winter just prior to the ground freezing. If there is a long time before the ground freezes water the tree at least every one to two weeks. A soaking hose placed under the mulch is good for this purpose, but be sure to unhook the hose from the faucet prior to any freeze event.

I know this all sounds like a lot of work, but if you can protect the tree this way until the trunk and some of the branches thicken up enough to endure the sever cold weather it might become less important to go to such lengths to protect the tree in the winter.

If the tree is planted in a warm sheltering spot out of the winter wind than maybe the tree will not need such extensive winter protection as described above.

In OK there are winter temps that drop into the teens and below sometimes, and the local people who grow Windmill Palm trees do a good job protecting them the same way that I described you might find success protecting your tree.

Please take note that I cannot give you first hand experience advice, since I do not live in your climate.

If anyone in your colder winter conditions has done it a different or easier way and has found success, I hope they submit on this forum their advice and description of that better way for you.

Thanks for all the advice..

Here is my tree.. Does it look okay?

{{gwi:1042962}}
{{gwi:1042963}}
{{gwi:1042964}}
{{gwi:1042965}}

Yes. I do plan to stake it and plan in next to some shrubs.

What Sam's Club did you get this at? I didn't know that they had Japanese Maples.

They were clearing them out. I got this at the Naperville, IL location.

It looks a bit bare, but lets see what happens next spring.

From the pictures it is easy to see why there is a temptation to plant the tree close to the foundation among other foundation shrubs. The tree is very attractive with its tall upright growth and short spreading branches. If the tree stayed like it looks now planting from the tree about 4 foot from the foundation would seem reasonable, but as the tree reaches maturity, it is reported to spread to a width which could allow the supporting roots to begin spreading under the foundation of the house. I do not know if those roots will eventually get large enough to cause damaging forces upon the house foundation like happens with soft-wood, fast growing type maple trees.

Keep in mind that this tree is most likely coming to the end of its rapid growth phase, and once the growth rate has slowed down the tree should begin to fill out with more branches that spread farther. If it is planted in a location and soil which the tree is compatable, sheltered from winter wind caused branch breakage or kill, The tree could fill out enough to need at least 6 foot of clearance from the house.

Yet if that 6 or more feet distance away from the house makes the tree suffer from exposure to cold winds, branch break, and partial tree death, there might be a sense that the tree should be planted closer to the house.

What is one to do? Planted snug and close the tree spreads and overgrows the area: planted to far from the protection of the house, and the tree suffers and never fills the area provided for the mature tree.

If it were my tree, I'd try to find a larger growing area that gave it protection from north winds, but still allowed enough light and winter warmth to prevent winter dieback while also preventing excessive summer heat and direct sun stress. If the tree was to be planted in it's warmer USDA zone tollerances, it would be much easier to find a good location for this tree without so much need to protect the tree from winter kill.

I have a Sango that I have had in a large container for a few years. I want to plant it in my back yard. Would I need to buy special soil or fertilizer? Also, any suggestions on pruning to encourage growth?

Thanks :)

Strong ten year bump!

I don't know where you got your info Katrina on the Sango Kaku Japanese Maple. The Sango Kaku loves the sun,you don't have to water that often. When I lived in Fl. i grew & sold them for a living. I had 47 Sango Kaku at one time. I would sell them when they were in 7-g for 229.00 & they would all be gone in a week to 2 weeks. Never longer than 2 weeks. I also had Bloodgood Japanese Maples. The Bloodgood does not like to be in full sun all the time. I now live in Greer,S.C. & have lived here for 10 years. I still sell Bloodgood & Sango Kaku Japanese Maples. I have no problem with our cold weather,clay & we have hot summers. I myself have 2 each & put them in the ground when they were in 7-g. The Sango Kaku are close to 9 to 10 feet & the Bloodgoods are8 to 9 ft. I water them in the summer maybe every 10 days. I just pruned my Sango Kaku. Not much. I have seen people ruin many types of Beautiful Acer's & especially Crape Myrtles. They cut all the stems the same length. I cut them different sizes. If not watered to much or not enough you can tell by some simple rules. If planting from a container, loosen the root ball before planting.if the rootball is planted the shape of the container,new roots are not encouraged into the soil. 2if the root system is brown & mushy ,the soil did not get enough oxygen. This is caused from over watering.3do not cover the top of the original rootball or the bottom part of the stem, plant will not get enough oxygen.4if leaves droop or turn yellow or brittle &brown,the plant is not getting enough water. When watering,water deeply & less watering just small amounts.soaking the entire root system encourages the root system to go deeper. Not enough water the roots will grow up searching for water.5 Shriveled bark on stems,is a good sign of over watering. The stem tips can also be brown or black or supple brow leaves . Brittleness is caused from dehydration because the root system gets damaged & cannot send water up to the stems. I have grown different types of Acer's & also spent lots of money on books & plants,seeds & grafted many plants.i hope this helps. I also grow many varieties of Bonsai. Good Luck & Have Fun Gardening,To Me It Is The best Way Of Relaxation. , ,

dric516, do you sell grafted Acer p. 'Sango Kaku' or seedlings?

Very old thread here, not sure why there is new discussion this late in the game but let me just say that planting a JM of any variety in zone 5 Chicago is vastly different from planting/growing one in either FL or SC and I would take that advice with a grain of salt :-)) Most will be of marginal winter hardiness and I wouldn't ever consider Sango Kaku for a cold zone. It is a rather fussy selection that is overly prone to Pseudomonas and pseudomonas is known to be encouraged by cold winter weather and damp springs.

edited to add - JM's are never considered as drought tolerant. They come from a climate that is monsoonal in summer and will always require periodic deep watering during dry spells. Drought stress in JM's can lead to a variety of issues, some of them very serious.

We live in the DC metro area and are thinking of planting a Sango Kaku on either side of our door next to the steps. It gets extremely hot summer sun in the morning as the house faces northeast and has no other shade. Any idea how these trees would do in that kind of weather?

I have seen plenty of Sangos in full sun in places further south than DC. I think the tree will do ok in the hot sun as long as its properly watered while being established. I have a Sango among other maples in afternoon sun in zone 6B and have never had any issues with it.