I live in an apartment and have my japanese maple in a pot on my balcony. It is probably about seven feet tall. I live in a zone 4 so obviously just leaving it in the pot on the balcony isn't an option. I have no garage to over winter it in.... Any suggestions? Can I mulch the heck out of the top of the soil and wrap it in burlap or some other insulating material? As long as the roots don't freeze will it be ok?
2006-08-16 07:48:14 · 8 answers · asked by cowboy'swife 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
This is kind of a pain in the neck, but it will work. Get a container, with drainage holes, that is much larger than the one it's in. You'll need about 6" all around. Put Styrofoam packing peanuts 6" deep at the bottom, and then fill the sides and cover the soil. Then wrap the whole larger pot with opaque (white, that you can't see through) plastic, and secure with duct tape. Do this no earlier than the first of Nov., and no later than Thanksgiving. Leave the top of the tree uncovered, but protect from wind, if necessary with a burlap screen. Good luck! I do my larger bonsai like this with 100% success.
2006-08-16 13:18:01 · answer #1 · answered by hardy_rose 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your Japanese Maple or any other plants for that matter run the extreme risk of not surviving the winter in a pot no matter what type or insulatioin it may have.. It is natural for any plant to grow in the soil of a garden. If you have a friend with a yard, you could remove the tree and place it a semi-planted position such as a trench, but firmly placed. I would recommend preferably in a sheltered location. Cover base of tree with mulch.
When frost has left the ground in the spring, re-pot and place on balcony. Fertilize with regular tree and evergreen fertilizer.
2006-08-16 08:39:18 · answer #2 · answered by busyfingers 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mulching and wrapping it would work if your maple was set in the ground. Because it is in a pot, it may not survive. It might work if you keep clearing the snow all around it. It would be ideal if you could bring it indoors for the winter and put it in a sunny window. Good luck. The link below will help a great deal.
2006-08-16 08:20:17 · answer #3 · answered by makawao_kane 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depending on how critical the need may be, you may want to investigate something like a Grow-Mat. While they are meant to start seedlings, they would provide heat for your tree (first link below). Or, if you have a large balcony with more plants, you might look into a tabletop or patio heater (second link) to keep everybody happy -- maybe even you!! Good luck.
2006-08-16 08:22:04 · answer #4 · answered by Yahzmin ♥♥ 4ever 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My best suggestion to to go to the USDA map, http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html
And if you are closer to a zone 3 than a 5, Zone 4a, ten you may wanna consider bringing it inside during the colder months, specifically from when you get the first frost until the last frost.
Read this article from Paul James on HGTV. Iswear by everything he says. Trust me, this man is the gospel as far as I'm concerned.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_trees_shrubs_deciduous/article/0,,HGTV_3644_1377137,00.html
2006-08-16 08:01:35 · answer #5 · answered by jeff the drunk 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It sounds to me like the tree has had too plenty stress. particular keep it watered. i do no longer think of which you've transplanted it. wood do no longer hibernate they pass dormant in cooler temps. while wood pass dormant they nevertheless want water, Your tree would have yet another situation yet i think of stress is a #a million ingredient. unit
2016-09-29 08:23:48 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just take it inside during the dormant period, but keep it cool otherwise it will revive and start sprouting leaves.
2006-08-16 10:45:53 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
rent a climatized storage place
2006-08-16 07:53:24 · answer #8 · answered by The Foosaaaah 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋