1) No further fertilizing.....in fact, it is seldom recommended to fertilize ANY newly planted material. Better to wait until the tree becomes established and develops a good root system and then fertilizing is ONLY done in response to specific nutrient requirements or lacks thereof in the soil.

2) Why do you want to wrap the tree? Other than protecting the trunk from sunscald, there is no benefit to wrapping it for winter. Doesn't increase hardiness :-) If it was smaller and a less hardy selection, you might consider offering it the more complete winter protection of building a cage and filling that with straw or leaves, etc. But 'Bloodgood' should be fine in zone 5 and a 6' tree is becoming very ungainly to observe this method with......what would you do next winter with an additional year's growth? If it is not hardy in your climate, then it is better to find out sooner rather than later.

3) A 6' Bloodgood is still a baby and trees need their lower branches while young to satisfy foliage requirements (their energy sources) and to develop correct trunk and root growth. Wait for several growing seasons before you remove any lower branching and then take it slowly, removing only one or two per year. You can remove any shoots that appear below the graft at any time.

Gardengal is the expert here, and I would heed what she says. The only thing I wanted to add is I am going to be wrapping my 5, 5 foot trees newly planted this spring, in burlap teepees.

I read how to do it on here. All my trees are planted on the south side of our property as that is where our back yard is located. I want to protect them the first 3 years from the wind and the sunscald. I read on here how to do it using 3 bamboo sticks and burlap and making a teepee around each tree. I bought the burlap and bamboo really cheap at our local nursery. I read on here to do it LATE fall. I am chomping at the bit to do it now as I see the temps getting cooler and the wind pick up, but you can't very well wrap trees that haven't even changed color yet alone drop their leaves. lol I am waiting for the leaves to drop and for the temps to get and stay down in the 30's. Probably early November.

Thanks Gardengal, especially regarding the fertilizing and pruning.

The 'experts' at the nursery were the ones who told me to wrap for the first winter. Again, two different nurseries and two different recommendations. MY tree is south-east facing, with the house protecting it from the North winds. But I am in the Oak Ridges Moraine and did receive an awful lot of snow last year (front lawn was at least 4 feet deep at the back and 6 feet at the front).

Snow cover is an excellent insulator! With a good thick mulch over the root zone (but well away from the trunk) and if the tree is out of the predominate winds, you should be good to go. With a SE exposure, I would consider wrapping the trunk for sunscald protection, but not with burlap. Burlap will hold moisture against the trunk and that can lead to all sorts of fungal and rot issues. There are specially made plastic tree wraps for this purpose that are perforated to allow a free oxygen exchange and will also allow some spacing between the wrap and the trunk.

They are also pretty effective in preventing deer, rabbit and some rodent damage as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: spiral tree wraps

Thanks again Gardengal. One last question. When you say thick mulch but well away from the trunk, I have approximately 2 inches. Should I add more? Also, why away from the trunk? For viral reasons??

2-3 inches is about right. And piling up any kind of mulch right next to the trunk or woody stems of any plant is just an invitation to fungal and rot problems......essentially the same things that can occur with wrapping the trunk with a fabric like burlap. It just holds too much moisture against the wood. Not a good thing :-) Plus, mulch against the trunk or stems allows invisible access by critters like voles, etc., who find these items tasty winter fare. Keep it several inches away.

Off topic, but related...how much did you purchase this Bloodgood JM for?

I was shocked to see that a local nursery was selling 6' Bloodgood and Emperor I selelctions for $520 and $407 depending on its grade...wow!

They typically have good prices too. My Katsuras and Seven Sons were under $200 a pop for 6 footers.

Multiple opinions always count...everything gardengal mentioned is right on the money. I've used those white plastic wraps with no problems. I wouldn't put them on until late November though.

If critters aren't a concern usually you only have to worry about sunscald with south and west exposures...southeast is debatable. Eitherway inexpensive investment. No need to take the burlap route!...overkill.

The one that I picked up was around $150. I was originally going to purchase a more mature one (around 10 foot tall by 6 foot wide for around $600), but the nursery said that in my area, it is better to go with a smaller one, which would acclimatize better to the environment. Plus, they said that the Bloodgood can put on anywhere from 8 inches to 2 feet in a given year.

I live in north Texas where the temperatures can be well over 100* in the summer. I planted a Japanese Maple this spring and noticed when we returned from a trip that the trunk, closest to the ground, has split. (See photo) I've never grown this breed of tree, and while it's growing with TLC, I'm unsure how to proceed with the extent of the split. It's planted under a huge oak tree where it only gets morning sun.

I have a few japanese maples that look like that, and I know for a fact, it's actually rabbit damage in my case.

I'll also add, only few things can actually survive being planted right under an oak tree IMO. Oak trees deprive everything under them of water.

Thank you for your input, jalcon! We actually DO have rabbits around here! Should I tree wrap it? Paint it with that "bark protecting goo" stuff?

This wrapping only keep the rabit but not the deers.