You can cut it back now if you wish. After you cut off the top, there will be a branch opposite your new leader choice. Cut that branch back to a stub. You're going to get a lot of back-budding, so plan on learning how to manage the energy - I'll help with that. Basically, it includes pruning progressively harder toward the top of the tree. If the plant is very root bound now, you should at least pot up. Then, next spring you can repot it and go back down (considerably) in container size. Here are some plants I chopped back. They are all prebonsai, so you can see the scar and how it's healing. Some of these cuts were very significant, given the trunk caliper and how far they were cut back. mulberry: Aeonium: Ficus: The following pics were taken a few minutes ago. Virtually all my trees, except those grown in literati style, go through several taper-building chops, so 95% of my trees have been or are waiting to be chopped. It's an every day occurrence, so you can see how I can be so nonchalant about it. ;-) little leaf linden: Cotoneaster: Acer P (Jap maple) chopped twice so far: Acer buergerianum (trident maple) - the next chop is already planned - just above the really thin branch: another Acer b - this one will eventually have the center of the 3 trunks carved out of it (I think ...... it may well have other ideas about what it wants to be when it grows up. It will let me know & I'll act according to what it says. ;-) . For you guys that like Japanese maples, and don't mind green foliage, I highly recommend trident maples, as well as A. ginnala (amur maple). The later is extremely hardy, and both are nearly care free, other than regular root work if it's in a container - not as fussy as most A palmatums. Al

put it in full shade... until its roots can start pumping water .... be sure not give it too much water ... peat based potting mediums MIGHT stay too wet for a happy TREE ....insert finger and do not water until you can tell it is drying out ... but first.. see if it is damp down in the root zone ... in a month or 2 ... you can start moving it slowly toward sun ... the plant was severely stressed when you bought it.. hence the brown leaves.. you stressed it again while transplanting it to the new barrel ... think of it as a really old person who need to recuperate in the shade for a while with a lemonade ... after a good rest.. and some root reestablishment.... it should be all set.. if you don't drown it ... i hope there are some big holes in the bottom of the barrel ... good luck ken

I took a good look at the tree today-hard to call a 8" plant a tree. It's in the back of several plants so it's not easy to get to. The two remaining leaves have fallen off and upon closer inspection the graft was wilted and dead. The bark of the stock is still green but I noticed a lot of sow bugs/pill bugs at the base of the plant. Looking closer, the bark, right where it meets the dirt was pulled back-I don't understand why the stock is still green since about 1/8" of the bark is completely gone all around the stem at the base of the tree. Essentially the tree is girdled and dead. I made sure to plant the tree at the same depth as in the pot so the dirt would not contact the bark so I don't know why the tree died. Your tree looks so great I may try to get another one next spring but from a different source and maybe a larger tree. When my tree arrived the color of the leaves were a mustard brown with darker veins and non of the red edging. It didn't look like your tree at all. Maybe it was ailing before I received it? Or maybe they sent me the wrong tree. Your tree looks bigger than 15". All the other seven small trees I bought this spring are doing well and four are really thriving putting out new leaves even now. The ones that are thriving are: a. japonicum "Otake" (not a. palmatum beni otaki), "beni kawa", "oridono nishiki", "sango kaku". I really wanted the "tsumagaki" because it was so unusual looking with the yellow-green leaves and reddish tint to the leaf edges. Well it's not to be this year. Thanks for all your help. Please post a picture of your tree in it's fall colors which I understand is supposed to be golden-yellow with a crimson border.

Magpie, thank you for the additional pics! Just love all that transitional colour! So Grateful for all your tips and experience...and suggestion re the appropriate forum. I will certainly do that! H. 'Praying Hands' is exceptional - so healthy. I have a new appreciation for it since I can see it up close, rather than in photos. Last year I was saying how it does nothing for me, that I was in no hurry to acquire it, but acquire it I would eventually as I am collecting all HOTYs. BKay, they were all the same - all tall, so dark green, so commanding of attention....I actually took a double-take! It's growing on me :-). Magpie, I have no experience with the PH hosta's mature size but .... another customer saw mine at the nursery and was astounded by the size. She commented she's been growing one for 3 years already and "it is nowhere near that size"! I usually do the research on new hostas after I bring them home....to familiarize myself...its origin, leaf size, vein count etc.. I have some homework to do. I appreciate the interest in this thread and the great advice you so willingly offered based on your own experience. It helps tremendously! Thank you all!!!