whole tree

and one more, out of the container.

The roots are all tangled at the bottom, this is the most I could unravel with just a gentle hand. I can just go ahead and plant it like this, right?

Well, re-potting maples in full leaf is typically not advised. Any rootwork / re-potting is best done in late Winter, right before the buds begin to extend.

Your plants are small, though, so they may tolerate it reasonably well. Just be sure to give them some dappled shade while they recover.

Josh

You do need to remove or fix all the congested roots on the lower 3/4 of the root mass, but not now. I wish you would have asked before you bare-rooted. You want to do your repotting after leaf abscission in fall, or in early spring just as buds are starting to move - like Josh mentioned. For now, transplant the plant, as is, in a soil that drains well, making sure to use a wood dowel or chopstick to get enough soil into the root mass to ensure there are no air pockets. I think I'd put the plant in about a quart of soil until I repotted it in spring. Actually, it's going to be set back by the bare-rooting, so it won't go into winter with the energy reserves it would have had, had you not bare-rooted it, so it might be better for the plant to only pot up into a gallon size pot in spring, and plan on doing an actual repotting/ root pruning in spring of '16. That's what I would do.

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Al

DARNIT!!! Even when I think I'm doing "the right thing" I mess up. Sigh.

Well thanks-- both of you-- and I will hope for the best when I repot in 2016. For now they are in 1-gallons with the 5-1-1. I actually really thought, "Look at me! I'm using this great soil made of elusive ingredients that I searched all over God's creation for; my plants are so lucky" Ha. Truly, I was feeling pretty spectacular. Huge bummer. Ah well, better next time.

So, if I buy more little 2year trees like this, I should keep them in the tiny containers they come in? Do I then plant THOSE containers in a bigger one? Or just put those containers directly into the ground?

And come on, Al. You've gotta be kidding me with that tree. uh-MAZE-ing, sheesh.

If you want your plant to grow fast, a very large container is conducive to that goal, but in order to effectively USE a large container, you need to use a soil that won't remain soggy for extended periods. If you don't, the lack of air in the soil will thwart the best of intentions. Growing well is actually pretty simple if you get the basics right and don't try to incorporate everything that SOUNDS good or promises miracles into your growing plan. ;-)

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven", and it's true of plants, too. You can learn to work WITH your plants' natural rhythms, rather than at cross purposes with them. It's better for the plant, and gives you a sense of being harmonious with the plant you would otherwise miss were it not for having a plan that revolves in part around timing that minimizes stress and ensures a quick rebound from the stress that accompanies the work that is in the best interest of the plant over the long term.

Plants are shedding organisms. If the roots are stressed and can't keep up with the water demands of the plant, it will start shedding leaves and branches until it IS able to keep up. The plant will shed its weakest parts - those that use more energy than they produce. The problem with that is, w/o a plan, you have no say in the process, and the plant will almost always shed branches most important to the eye appeal of the composition - just for spite. If you repot in the spring, the plant will pretty much just simply delay activating quiescent buds it can't support until the roots develop enough that it CAN support them, so stress and subsequent shedding of parts would be minimized.

Mother Nature always sides with the hidden flaw, so learn to work with her and avoid providing the opposition (to your plant) you already know she'll side with, given the opportunity. ;-)

If you remember to remind me early enough in the spring, I'll send you some A buergerianum (trident maple) cuttings to start. They look very much like Japanese maples, are genetically very vigorous, and fun to work with. I know you'll enjoy them. Remind me before the vernal equinox if you want some. That and amur maple are two of my favorite maples to work with.

Al

I second the Trident Maple....what a pleasure to grow! I have several of them now, and have started many from cuttings. Fast-growth, cool bark, and excellent Fall color.

With the maples in the original post, I would have simply potted them up (slipped the entire rootball) into larger containers for the rest of this season.

Josh

Thanks again Al and Josh. I just ordered 2 more from the same seller- this time a Fjellheim and a Golden Fullmoon. So when they arrive, I will slip them out of the little sleeve without disrupting the rootball at all and place them directly into a one gallon pot w 5-1-1. Sound good?

And Al, thank you for the offer on the trident seedling! So generous you are to all of us on here, I'm always amazed. I would love to have one in a container to play around with, although there's no chance that I will have any time to practice learning bonsai with it... would that be ok? I do love looking at all the bonsai trees I see on here and around... but just getting my soil weeded and amended and mulched has taken me all summer and into fall, and that's just in the *front* of my house! This entire yard was a mess of weeds when we bought the house last March and with 2 little kiddos running around, I don't get the time to invest that I would like to. It's happening though, slowwwwwwwwly but surely : )

If you don't mind if I keep it in a container, I will definitely take you up on that in spring... like March?

.... when they arrive, I will slip them out of the little sleeve without disrupting the rootball at all and place them directly into a one gallon pot w 5-1-1. Sound good? Yes

I will definitely take you up on that in spring... like March? Yes, remind me in early March. I'll take dormant cuttings and get them rooting on a heat mat. They should be well-rooted by early to mid-May. I'll forget if you don't remind me.

Al

Thanks Al! I will not forget to remind you *\(^o^)/*

Al & Josh

Did you grow any of your Trident maples from seeds?
(I see you mentioned cuttings...)

Rina

Hello, Rina!
My original Trident Maples were collected as first year seedlings in June of 2009. A friend had many of them sprout in his yard, so we dug them up. I slipped them into pots of bark and perlite. Now I start cuttings from them each year.

Josh

Cuttings for me too, Rina.

Al

Nice work Al and Josh. Good stuff.

I've never grown a Trident Maple, and haven't really seen them around here. Maybe they have been for sale in nurseries and I just haven't noticed them. They sure look healthy, and I'm sure the fir bark and perlite are helping a lot.

I'll have to see if I can find some of these in my area to experiment with. Would be fun I think. I've never tried to grow trees from cuttings either. Most of the trees I grow (pine, spruce and fir) are difficult to grow from cuttings, according to what I've read.

Thanks for sharing Al and Josh.

TYG

By the way, just to be clear, that's an old pic from 2009....the evening I dug the seedlings up. The fir bark and perlite was a transition / holding mix. My Tridents are now in mixes of bark, perlite, and grit - some in 5-1-1 and some in Gritty.

Thanks, TYG!

Josh

Thank you Al & Josh;
now I wonder about growing one of those...didn't see any around here either but didn't look for them.
Maybe buying seeds...Rina

Seeds need to stratify for 3 months, so now would be a good time to be thinking about buying them & leaving them in some damp sand in the garage over winter. They're a really vigorous tree & respond well to pruning and root pruning.

Here's one grown in the ground for 2 or 3 years & then chopped at about 2.5 m.

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I use a die grinder with a wood bit to hollow the wound slightly, then trim the edges of the cambium with a grafting knife sharp as a scalpel so they are perfectly smooth .

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Here, I've packed the wound with New Zealand Sphagnum moss to speed up wound closure:
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Al

Al
Thank you for the details/pictorial.
Rina