First Attempt - Container Grown "Sharp's Pygmy" Japanese Maple zone 5b

10 years ago

Hi all,

I've decided to try and make this Acer Palmatum the main stay on my balcony; instead of spending a bunch of money each year on annuals, hanging baskets and such.

I've never owned a deciduous tree before, and I'm concerned about the continuous overwintering of the tree in a container; without a garage or any unheated space.

Since I bought it at the end of this Summer, I've decided to leave it in the nursery pot until Spring, and mulch it as a pot in pot set up with a 3.5mm plastic wind break.

So...... What I've done, is, obtained a rather large pot and some insulation (which I'm not sure will make a difference).

So I insulated the outside of the pot, and put a layer in the center around where the tree will set. Then I put mulch in the center up to where the bottom of the tree will be, then filled the rest of the pot up to the top.

From here, I inserted some garden stakes around the outside of the pot, pushed the tops through holes cut in the plastic, surrounded the tree and secured the ends of the plastic with staples. This way, the plastic can be slid up & down on the stakes.

I'm going to keep it in the corner over by the chimney.

I want to repot it into this same large container next year, I'm just not sure how to maintain it, other than root pruning the tree every 2-3 years; which will be a huge job.

Does anyone have any experience doing this? If so, suggestions welcomed.

Thanks,

Rob

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Comments (2)

Huggorm
10 years ago
I think you have done quite a good job. If you want to take it to the next level you could buy some electric heating cable and wrap around the inner pot. Choose the self regulating type, made for keeping water pipes just above freezing point.
halocline thanked Huggorm
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
10 years ago
I am not very familiar with attempting to overwinter a JM in a container in your cold zone but I would tend to err on the very conservative side. Zone 5 is considered borderline for even inground plantings of JM's so extra caution is certainly warranted. The root systems of Japanese maples are very sensitive to cold - anything below around 25F can cause significant damage. Obviously, a Japanese maple in a container will be exposed to much colder temps than one planted in the ground with a vast insulating soil mass surrounding it and that increases with the elevated exposure of the balcony.

I think huggorm's suggestion of the heating cable is an excellent next step and one that I would most definitely pursue. I truly believe you will need that additional source of heat to keep your little tree safe over winter.
halocline thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
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