I'm not specifically familiar with this tree, but they should be fine. How big are they now, and what size pots did you put them in? What were they in before you put them in pots, and did you have to disturb the roots much when you did?

Certainly next spring would not be too soon, and the longer you wait, the longer it will take them to recover when you do transplant. ie, if you wait a couple years, their roots will probably be overcrowded in the pots (unless they are really large), and you will have to tease them apart, or maybe cut some off. They could be spending that time establishing roots in their permanent position.

Alex

As this tree should grow to 30 to 50 feet, I would not want it to get off to a start with a restricted root system. Decide where they are going to live permanently and plant them there as soon as feasible. Do not plant them with the idea that they can be dug and replanted again at a later date. Al

With admittedly totally different species of trees, I find that a year or two in a big (10-25 gallon) pot at a convenent location I can keep an eye on them is desirable. Many plants we get from specialty nurseries just seem too small to go out into a field to fight on their own. But to each his own.

Trees will grow fine in a container with some caveats. Trees in containers should not/cannot grow as large as the same tree in the ground if it is a large tree. This is due to root restrictions.

Imagine a 50' tree in a 16" container and you see the logical absurdity in the proposition.

Having said that a very young tree in a reasonably large pot will do just fine and doesn't require transplanting to the ground until it starts to become root bound. At this point it requires either a larger container, being put into the ground or root pruning which will limit it's size (think bonsai).

One other caveat is that a tree in a container should not be grown in dirt. In the earth (dirt)we have natural processes which continually move water, nutrients and oxygen throughout the soil. In a container we have none of this so the growing medium should be much, much lighter so ample oxygen can reach the roots, watering requirements will be much higher and we will need to fertilize regularly whereas a tree in reasonably fertile ground in an area with good rainfall may never need supplemental water or fertilizer.

If you think you will keep this tree in a container for more than a year please visit the container gardening forum for ideas on how to keep this tree as healthy as possible until you can put it in the ground.

Thanks a bunch for the replies. Right now they are about 10-12 inches tall and are in pots that are also 10-12 inches tall. That's a bit too small, isn't it? I got them bare-root (packed in moist newspaper). At the moment, I can't really get people to agree on the best spot for anything , and since no one looks down around here, they might get trampled, but hopefully by next year I'll have things worked out. I'll hop over to the container forums if it looks like they might be in there longer than a year.

Could letting them become a bit root cramped for a year or so have any long term effects? I don't mind if it cuts their size a bit, I'm concerned only with their overall health.

This fall after the trees have gone dormant, pull the tree's root balls out of the pots. At that time you can wash all the potting soil off the roots, check be certain the root flares are not circling the rootball or tree trunks. Then repot them in a larger pot filled with well draining potting soil which you continue to kept slightly and evenly moist until late winter.

By that late winter, or nearly early spring, you can once again wash away all the potting soil from the roots. Then spread the roots without letting them dry out completely.

Then you should quickly plant the trees in the soil where you want them to establish and grow to maturity.

If at that time the trees are still small, and easily trampled; then, simply protect them with mesh attached to metal "T" stakes which you install around the trees.