More Acer questions

Jimtheslim

Hello again.

Having decided on a couple of Acers to plant in pots I have a couple of questions before I splash out. 

First, a lot of articles say to plant them with the root flare showing, others say to plant them as deep as they were in the pots you bought them in. As a lot of these don't show the root flare, which should I do?

Second, as it is now November should I put the plant in a pot and then keep it in a North facing greenhouse that gets no sun until it wakes up in Spring, or just leave in it's current pot and then plant it in a bigger pot in Spring?

Ladybird4

I think it would be quite safe to leave it in the pot it is in now as it will be dormant and therefore not doing too much growing. Plant into a bigger pot in spring and I would just place it to the depth it is in its present pot.

Jimtheslim

I was also considering training a smaller weeping variety by staking the main leader shoot to get a bit of extra height. Could I do this when I buy it or should I allow it to grow a couple of years without any pruning/training?

Ladybird4

Hmm you've got me there Jim. I had a lovely Acer purpureum dissectum and a worker putting new windows in for me decapitated it - much to my dismay. However I now have a lovely weeping tree which - despite the bad treatment - is flourishing. I think if you are going to do it then you need to stake early rather than late. Why not try it and let us know if it works or not eventually.

Jimtheslim

Thanks, I will. I was considering a Palamtum Crimson Queen, what I gather to be a fairly popular weeping variety and widely available. I've read a lot about staking and wiring. wiring seems to be used predominantly in Bonsai but I had thought about doing a small amount to the trunk and also staking to get a more desirable height and shape to the trunk

Jimtheslim

Lantana says:

Hi Jim. I'd have thought that if you leave the weeping variety a couple of years then the main stem will have adopted a shape already that will be difficult if not impossible to stake upright.

See original post

Thanks, I had thought about this as one of my local nurseries had some weeping specimens in, however they seemed disproportionately low and widely spread which is why I was considering trying to stake one to give the canopy a bit of extra height and try and encourage the growth of the trunk. I have however since found a couple of nice weeping acers 'Crimson Queen' which look like a lovely little dwarf tree but the trunks are arrow straight like telegraph poles so I was considering buying one of these and wiring the trunk for a couple of years just to try and put a bit of shape and character in the trunk