Is this an ok time of year to buy & pot an acer?

I have always really liked Acer Trees, but have not yet had one. Then when I was at the garden centre yesterday I saw a stunning one which I really want. Though I plan to buy a smaller one which will hopefully be a lot cheaper!

What I wondered though was whether this is a suitable time of year to buy one and pot into a repot into a big pot (its future home)?

This is the one I'm wanting, Acer Palmatum 'Garnet'.

 

Its going to shed its leaves soon, and maybe get knocked about by the Frost (an earthenware pot is liable to crack / crumble), so you might want to wait until the Spring and avoid at least one winter's damage! unless you have somewhere sheltered you can overwinter it - cold greenhouse / conservatory or somewhere next to the house that is very sheltered (but last winter we had pots with ornate bits that crumbled just outside our front door)

I don't think a pot-grown Acer is going to mind being re-potted at any time really, so long as you don't disturb the roots in the process

 

I think you actually should tease out the roots a little when planting into a larger pot
However, it should only be potted up by one size. Transferring to too large a pot at one go will mean that the plant will in all probability be heavily overwatered as the roots have not moved out into the surrounding soil to use up the available moisture. This would eventually mean that the plant would die from drowning (they do NOT like their feet in the wet ... need good drainage)
The roots CAN continue to develop over winter, but frosts can hurt a plant in a pot badly, and the pot would need to be suitably protected
You CAN get the plants a bit cheaper at this time of year, so if you have somewhere where it can be overwintered then maybe it would be fine. The choice is your own
Garnet is a very beautiful tree and a good choice.
You can see my own 'Garnet' here:
http://www.fujiyamagarden.com/page17g1.html

 

Thanks for both replies. This is what I had in mind to start me off. The 3 litre version here.

I have a cold greenhouse, one of those plastic ones, like this, would that help until spring, and until the frosts are gone?

Interesting comment about not putting it into too big a pot to early, I was planning on one of those half cask type pots. But would you suggest just a 10 litre type pot or something for now?

I was planning on putting gravel stones in the container first to aid drainage, then work out which compost would be best for the tree. I've seen John Innes No.3 mentioned in a few places, but would need to look into that.

I've never grown anything like this yet, a fairly inexperienced gardener so far.

I like your picture, it doesn't look quite the same as the oen I saw in the garden centre though. Theirs was less low slung, a good few feet high of tree before the leaves billowed out.

The main thing I liked about the Garnet was the style of the leaves, thin and wispy, but an awesome bright red. After looking a bit more, there were a couple more I was considering, any thoughts?

Baldsmith
Red Dragon
Osakazuki

Sorry for so many questions, thanks for your help.

 

"I think you actually should tease out the roots a little when planting into a larger pot"

I agree, particularly if the plant is somewhat / very potbound already. A little bit of root manipulation like that probably won't annoy the plant at any time of year though, the main rootball isn't going to be disturbed (I mean compared to digging the thing up in a field!!), but that maybe depends a bit on the confidence / experience of the person repotting it.

 

"work out which compost would be best for the tree. I've seen John Innes No.3 mentioned in a few places"

It would be my choice. No 3 is suited to long-term life in a pot, and if it dries out will be easier to get wet again (compared to a peat-only compost), and it won't shrink like peat does when it dries.

I like to use "hundreds and thousands" in my long-term-pots - the sort of granular feed that lasts for 6 months or more, and then mostly I just water them.

If you are growing an Acer which is basically of spreading habit then train the main steam up a cane so it gets some height - otherwise it will only ever be a runty-low-thing.

 

Yes, acers respond well to training. I like to achieve the "dome shape" like the small one in my avatar. Strategically placed bamboo canes with wires attached to the branches for a few weeks, will encourage them to grow either up or down, whichever is necessary.

 

I wonder how long it will be before the seeds of Snazzy Looking Purple-leaved Acers I am about to sow will take to get to a decent size?

 

What is the growing rate like for Acers from seed?
And is it a option for a beginner?

 

You could put some in a pot of sand outside and abandon them for the Winter and if they germinate in the Spring you are started! But I don't know how fast they grow, but you can get a packet of seeds off eBay for about £1 for 5 seeds.

The youngest plant you will see in a nursery (probably around £10 each?) I would guess are at least 3 years old.

Having said that I have grown things like Judas Trees from seed and they were 6' tall in the first year from seed - and I don't regard them as being a large, or fast, tree.

 

They grow very slowly
I have a number from seed which are still only about 12 inches high after 3 or 4 years. They grow a little quicker if planted out. If you check out the 'from seed' mapes on my website you might get some idea of what I mean. And, then again, some grow quicker than others I have two beside each other ... (both planted out 6 or 7 years ago) .... one is about 4 feet and other about 2 and a half
Baldsmith is one I have never encountered
Osakasuki is green and is the most spectacular crimson in autumn. BUT it is better suited to planting out rather than a pot. I think the laceleafs are a better bet for pots. Red Dragon is in fact rather similar to Garnet or Crimson Queen. Again, you can see most of these as rather mature plants on my own website

 

Just been reading your page (http://www.fujiyamagarden.com/page19.html) on sowing Acer seed. Very helpful, thanks very much, just starting to think about stratifying the seed I have bought (wonder if I bought it a little early, and whether it might be last years seed as it arrived in early October, and the eBay auction would have had to be set up a week or so before that ...)

I seed "sphagnum peat moss" mentioned for seed stratification (mixed 50:50 with vermiculite, and various other recipes). Is it important that sphagnum peat moss is used, or could it be substituted with multi-purpose compost?

 

I prefer spring planting. Like Kristen I prefer to avoid the risk of getting plants through the first winter.

In my last garden I had lots of acers. I bought them from the people on the link below. They came as maybe 12" saplings and the price was excellent. You might want to have a look.
http://www.barthelemymaples.co.uk/

 

I think any peat based compost is fine. The whole idea is to keep the seed moist and you will often find that, if the seed is viable, it will start to shoot whilst in the bottom of the fridge, and can be planted out at that stage
I also think that a good soaking in hot (not boiling) water before stratifying is helpful to success
I have had considerable success ssowing out into seed trays and leaving outside over winter to allow Mother Nature to stratify naturally
Incidentally I have quite a lot of seed this year, particularly from Bloodgood and Okagami. You can have some free of charge if you want any. Just let me know. I will be picking next month when the leaves have dropped

 

I'd love some, thank you. If you PM me your address I'll send you an SAE. It will be reassuring to know that the seed is fresh