I am really guessing here, but, if this tree is winter hardy in it's USDA hardiness zone, zone 7 maybe? I would THINK you should plant it in your yard? I am not really sure Yoshino cherry is zone 7 hardy, but if it ISN"T, find out it's minimum temperature hardiness info, and figure out if you will grow it in a greenhouse heated, or if it will stand your local winter low temps etc.Good luck.

It is supposed to be zones 5-8 so it should be able to weather the winter. Based on some info I got through another site I do plan to try to plant it in a few weeks (we are still experiencing high 90s temperatures right now). Should I put it in a bigger pot till then? The roots are starting to come back up out of the soil because there is no room. That way they have some time to expand and not get quite so root bound before planting. Or should I leave it alone till I plant it in the ground?

That mini pot may drain constantly so you might have to water pretty often. My thoughts are transplanting it twice in a week or two only ads to the stress. You COULD set that pot inside a larger one. Don't bury it under soil but put the soil in the larger pot up to about an inch from the mini pot's top. Might help stabilize the mini pot temperature and make watering easier.

Then plant it as soon as temps go normal.

My thought is plant it outside in it's final destination now. I understand October is a perfectly good time to plant potted trees in Zone 7. In Zone 6 I find I have the best success rate planting in early October. Typically a wetter month, less risk of sun scald, but still plenty of time for the roots to grow before the ground freezes. The thing I like about potted trees is they give you more flexibility about when you plant them then bare root.

That's an awfully big tree without a lot of roots, so I wouldn't want to leave it like that.

Am I missing something? What are temperatures like around there?

if it is YC ... its fully MI hardy in z5 ...

so out it goes ... see link on planting ... it is not a houseplant.. and wont thrive as such

i would plant it.. outside NOW ... maybe in a few weeks in your zone.. would defer to others on that ... and until planting.. i would keep it outdoors in full bright shade ....

if the media is moist.. do NOT water it again .... until it dries ... or is planted ...

i would not be surprised if it doesnt lose all its leaves after transplant.. being deciduous and all ... and as such.. hardening off is a minor concern ....

i dont see a graft ... and wonder if it is a real YC .. if it is rooted??? .. did you get it from a reputable nursery???

follow ALL directions at the link ... and protect from deer if any ...

it is not a baby ... and with trees... odds are higher that you will kill it with too much love ... rather than proper planting and watering .... which is not love.. but reality ..

ken

ps: if you insist on repotting it... your media will be the #1 issue

Here is a link that might be useful: link

This post was edited by ken_adrian on Thu, Oct 2, 14 at 10:14

How should I go about hardening it? I have a porch that is wind protected and gets 'bright shade' that I left it out in for a couple hours today. My main concern is the planting location is full sun. How do I go about adjusting it to full sun?

What are your nighttime temperatures around there? What state is the grower you purchased it from in?

If it's zone 5 hardy and you are zone 7, I wouldn't bother hardening it off this time of year...really, just put it in the ground.

Hardening things off is more of an issue if you are purchasing plants in late Fall that were grown in zones substantially warmer then yours, or which were grown inside. These plants may not be dormant even though similar plants growing outside in your area would be dormant. Or if you buy plants that were kept inside in Home Depot during the winter. Would a Yoshino Cherry growing outside in your area have shed it's leaves yet? If not, hardening off isn't likely to be super important.

As far as getting it used to the sun...if it were August I'd tell you to water it a lot and use a "tree tube". In October that's less of an issue...that's one of the big reasons to plant trees this time of year.

We are getting a cold snap tomorrow night (43 is the low) but after that 50s and 60s for at least the extended day. I will get it in the ground this weekend. My only concern is that I don't want it to get leaf burn and the trauma be enough to kill it.

It is perfectly fine to plant it out now, even if you were a zone or two colder. We just installed about a dozen peach trees to our orchard in the last few weeks and I'm not at all concerned about their survival. They have a much better chance of surviving in the ground that they would in the pot, and certain better than inside, even inside a greenhouse like I can. It will be losing leaves soon anyway. Please pay attention to the roots when planting. Spread them and prepare your site properly (plenty of info on the web). Yes, you most definitely will want to water it in very well when you put it in the ground so the roots make excellent contact with soil and then don't overwater it when you do, nor let it get bone dry if you don't get enough fall rains. When I worked with a nursery who did landscaping, we successfully installed and guaranteed trees we put in on jobs, and we planted until the ground was frozen.