trees never stop growing.. all estimates in conifers is at ten years.. expect double in 20 years ...

1 no ... unless the pot is yard sized

2 no .. it will have to constantly be up potted ...

3 no .. too much retained water ...

4 probably

5 only the transplanting itself ....

riddle me this batman ... if you dont have the soil space to plant it.. where are you putting the pot ... i probably know the answer .. lol ..

ken

So you are saying I shouldn't be potting this tree up? And I'm going to put the pot on my front door steps. And what do you mean up potted, like keep pulling the plant up so it doesn't sink on the bottom of the pot??

I would think potted up means a bigger pot as it keeps growing.

You can root and limb prune it and keep it in that pot forever. Think bonsai. But it will be a lot of work, as I noted on the other thread. I have some Picea p. 'Sester Dwarf' that I've had in the same pots for 5-6 years and they grow much more slowly than they would in the ground. I don't fertilize them, although at some point I'm going to have to either root prune them or plant them in the ground. I wouldn't pick your specimen for a potted conifer, due to its growth rate, but if you feel like playing around and having some fun with it, have at it. You'll have to make sure that you can leave it in the pot all winter; some people put the pots on dollies and move them into garages or under eaves in cold weather.

It will need a lot of sun. What direction do your front steps face?

Mike

I grow ALL my conifers in containers and some of them have been
around for more than 10 years. Container culture is much like growing
bonsai as Sara notes, but on a much larger scale. Yes, it slows and
dwarfs the growth of the plant
but is a very manageable practice as long as you familiarize yourself
with the requirements of growing in containers long term. I'd suggest
you review the attached link on growing trees in containers for some excellent advice.

You
do need a high quality, very durable potting medium, something like the
5-1-1 or gritty mix described in detail on the Container Gardening
forum. "Up potting" refers to the practice of moving the plant into a larger sized container periodically
as it grows and the roots fill the current container. And root pruning
will be a requirement if you intend this to be a more or less permanent
situation. And yes, the tree can be left outdoors on a year round basis in your zone.

Wow that is a lot of work just to pot a tree.... I'll take a look at it but now I'm not even sure if I want to do this. But thanks for all the help!