Ah yes. That looks like an amazingly sharp die back line in the second picture. Let me say I love the leaf coloration on your tree. Do you know what cultivar it is? All the new growth must be a sign the pot didn't cook enough to damage the roots..... It looks to me like the "branches" sprouting up from the base of the trunk have the same leaves as the tallest live remaining portion of the tree. Is this correct? If any are significantly different I'd probably snip them off assuming it was understock of a grafted tree sprouting. Oh, and I'd probably wimp out and make a sharp pruning cut about an inch over the change in the bark in the center of the second picture. Wait for the experts to agree or disagree with me. I'm relatively new to this maple thing in particular.

If you intend to keep the maple in a container, the most important consideration is to protect the roots from severe cold. The small volume of soil in a container will freeze much more deeply than the ground and roots are generally less cold hardy than the wood. If it's possible to store the plant in a cool basement after leaf fall but before severe cold, this would be best. I think survival would be pretty doubtful in an unheated shed. Crimson Queen is quite hardy but Z4/5 doesn't seem realistic for outdoor planting, especially for a young specimen. Leaf filled protective structures can work, but unless the leaves remain dry they will lose their insulation value and invite fungal infection.

RIP for your poor little seedlings, Steve. Next time it will work for you! David, As Digit pointed out to me last year when I brought up Sunshine Mix, it and Black Gold are made by the same company! I had no idea. I use Sunshine Mix because I can get it in bales, and because itÂs what everything was planted in at PaulinoÂsÂall the perennials and bedding plants and veggies. Everything except the water plantsÂwhich are planted in clay! They used Sunshine #1, which is what I use to put swap stuff in and any other outdoor plants IÂm starting or putting in pots for any reason, and I use Sunshine #5 for house plants just because it has finer perlite, and I donÂt like big chunks of perlite in my houseplants! But the primary ingredient in all the Sunshine mixes is Canadian peat. Ball Mix was what the first garden center I worked at used, and what my brother in Illinois usesÂbut I donÂt know of anywhere in Colorado where itÂs available retail in any size, small or bales. But the Ball mixes, from my experience, are virtually the same as the Sunshine mixes. IÂm sorry you didnÂt like it. And when Digit posted about the Sunshine and Black Gold coming from the same place, I got curious and tried to look up Miracle Gro, and couldnÂt find anywhere on their site where they listed the ingredients! And that may very well explain why some people seem very happy with it and others kill everything when they use it. IÂve never used it, but as IÂve heard from other folks who have, apparently if varies widely from batch to batch, and IÂve even heard, at times, that it seems to contain a high volume of sedge peatÂwhich I believe is the primary ingredient in Hyponex. I canÂt imagine trying to grow anything in sedge peat, a/k/a muck, so I strongly recommend staying away from Miracle Gro. Or, to put it in other words, itÂs a Miracle if your stuff GroÂs in Miracle Gro! So maybe you just got a bad batch of potting mix, Steve, and IÂm glad somebody on the other forum had some helpful info for you. Happy trees to you........ Skybird Here is a link that might be useful: Sun Gro Horticultural Products

Hi All - We just bought 3 Japanese maples yesterday (Bloodgood) that we plan to plant tomorrow. While the trees are generally in good shape, I did notice some damage to the leaves, that looks like it has been caused by some sort of bug or pest. I assume this is not good for the tree and in order to give them the best chance at survival and keep them as healthy as possible, I need your help - any thoughts on what specifically caused this damage and what can/should I do to prevent further damage? Any treatment, spray, etc? Unfortunately, the focus of the photos turned out poorly, so I apologize for the blurriness, but you can see little holes in the leaves - not terrible, but there.