Hello, As you will be able to know I am a novice. I went to Home Depot and saw a very nice 5ft tall Red Japanese Maple and bought it because it was a really good price. I believe it is in a 10# plastic container. It looks pretty nice, I have many questions but I will not bore you too much. I am in Meriden CT, which I think is Zone 6. Our temps now in the last week of August: days as high as 83 F and night as low as 58 F....and getting cooler I want to move the tree from the pot that came in to the ground. Can I do it now? In terms of placing.....i read a lot about the sun and sunburn leaves, but in some sites I read there is no bad place to place it as long as I give it plenty of water during the hot days of summer...is that true?? Of course I dont want to shock the tree, so, should I add different soil or should I just keep the soil that it came with? Thank you for help....is very appreciated. AV
Even here in our cool and dull area some shade produces a better summer appearance of red-leaved forms on sites not otherwise unusully favorable. It being later in summer timing should be good for planting out your new tree. As long as it is mulched well and kept well watered through the remaining hot weather it should be in a good position to root out into the new site and start to become established before the cold weather of the coming winter and spring. Most elongation of existing roots occurs in fall, after the overwintering terminal buds are formed at the ends of the branches. If you plant your tree without disturbing the roots the existing tips will penetrate the soil of the new site for some distance, probably soon after planting. Note however that root deformities (circling around the inside of pot walls etc.) are common with containerized nursery stock. If you find this to be the case when planting your new tree the top priority is to pull the roots open or even cut them back a bit if needed in order to start the tree out with correctly oriented, outward-facing roots that do not cross over one another.
Working in landscaping, I have seen too many trees and shrubs fail from not following Ron B's advice. Only thought I have to add is what hole size. Not much deeper than pot depth, and about 1 1/2 to 2 times as wide. When I do this personally, I use a mixture of potting soil, top soil, and compost, adjusting it to a soil mixture suited for the plant. After filling the hole half full, I do an extremely light fertilizer watering to help pack the soil and give the plant a bit of a 'bost' before the normal fertilizing cycle.
