drrich2, Pull it out. Sometimes it will surprise you. Reason I say this that that sometimes roots are "pruned" in winter due to the outside of the pot being colder than the center. This is NOT ideal, but at the same tie, if you can get it cheap enough I would give it a shot. In fact I did the very same thing at a nursery not too far away, and got away with it. With that said, if you DON'T get it for CHEAP, pass it by IMHO. One option that many people on here will not like, but has served me well it ebay. I've bought several items from "Oregon Grown" and have been very happy with them. They are in tree "tubes" but all have been healthy and exactly as advertised. This includes a Acer triflorum, Acer pseudosieboldianum, and Acer griseum (paperbark). The paperbark was a 3 foot whip. But here is the other thing I need to add. I can't say for you in Ky, but here in NW Arkansas at about 1200' elevation, they are NOT slow growing at all. Ours is planted with mulch in a Bermuda lawn in full sun that is not over fertilized. It's grew about 3 feet last year. Yes three feet, as did the triflorum. And no, I did not fertilize it. I can't claim yours will do that, but they are not as slow growing as advertised if given condition they are happy with. Arktrees

Thanks for the maple images, amazingly with some 230 cultivars in my database I don't have most of those listed! I'll buy a few maples from Topiary Gardens for sure. The graft listed date feature is SUPURB, I wish conifer growers did that. I'd love to be able to lable exactly how old some of my plants are. coniferjoy, thanks for the compliment and the corrections! I always welcome advice, name changes, critisism, etc. as I am just a new conifer 'fish' and learning a lot as I go. The great thing about these lables and plant markers is that I have been able to effortlessly remove lables that are misspelled and make new ones for pennies on the dollar. I am anxiously awaiting spring so I can watch all these little guys start going. Indeed, I have visions of having well meshed vistas of conifers of all shapes, sizes, colors and textures. Walking around Coenosiums gives an amazing perspective on how impressive a mixed conifer garden really is. These three images just put me at a loss of words. Shot this fall at Coenosiums.

"We also learned that the potting mix the JM's arrived in was heavy on the bark side.This is commonplace with all growers and grafters of JM's. It ROTS within 6-12 months, so the bark must be removed from the JM's whenever you up-pot...... Remember this: Growers don't ship plants with sustainable soil. It only lasts 6 months." I am going to disagree with this :-) While I don't do it commercially, I grow all my JM's in containers and have for many years.......my oldest is approaching 30 y.o. And my potting mix is and has always been heavily barked-based as it produces a very freely draining, textural and extremely durable media. With this barked based mix (the 5-1-1 discussed intensively on the Container Gardening forum), I do not need to repot or refresh the soil for 3-5 years depending on the container and the size of the tree. Even at that point the soil is still in reasonably good condition. The location and depth of the perched water table is entirely dependent on the soil media being used, not the size/depth of the container. It is quite possible to maintain a small seedling or 1 year graft in a 4" pot or a larger, 7" deep trade gallon for as long as necessary before up-potting provided you are using a highly textural soil that allows for fast drainage. Due to the vagaries of soil physics and water movement, there will always be a PWT in the base of the container but the better the potting mix, the lower/thinner the PWT will be. The reason growers focus on bark-based mixes is for this very reason. They hold up well long term yet provide the aeration and very necessary fast drainage but the degree of moisture retention JM's are happiest in. And also maintain a low PWT. Although it would not be my first choice, your perlite based mix should offer a similar situation. However, I would encourage you to disavow yourself of the notion that a barked based potting mix deteriorates rapidly. 30+ years of using it and growing a large collection of containerized trees (a variety but primarily JM's) has adequately proven that to be inaccurate :-) I would also encourage you to read this thread on container soils and water movement thoroughly to educate yourself on the many qualities of a bark-based mix.

If you can grow them in ground - they will grow much faster. You need to get the trunk to thicken and become woody. Getting them into a bonsai pot now is not very useful. And while it is growing for the next few years you can start reading and practising. Your first goal is to keep them alive and healthy. And so you need to learn about soil, watering and fertilizing. Head over to container forum and read these two first: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1389927/trees-in-containers-iii http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1403195/container-soils-water-movement-and-retention-xvii?n=160 The above two will get you started on a new journey. There are a ton of good websites on bonsai. bonsaiempire has an introductory video and other online lessons. bonsaiboon also has online courses. I have not really taken the courses myself but they seem like good starting places to get an idea of the art and science of bonsai.