名媛直播

I purchased this Fireglow Japanese Maple from a nursery yesterday outside of Chicago. It was severely discounted due to frost damage from last winter. It was about 15 foot tall before I chopped it down. The root sack is about 26" across 20 inches deep. I can not find any green buds on the tree and after the chop, there was no sap blood present at all.
I was going to put the tree in this wood box I made for it (22" x 19" x 10") (after I add some wheels to the box) with a potting soil, bagged compost and perlite mixture plus a tree fertilizer. I was also going to angle cut the remainder of the trunk stub with the wound facing away and then apply wound sealant. Making the third large branch up the new top of the tree. OR carve a big jin spike out of the stub and still use that third branch as the top.
I though it may be a good idea to leave the rest of the branches alone for the remainder of the summer since I see no fresh growth.
This is the largest tree I have ever began work on and my first Japanese Maple. I would appreciate all the help and advise you may have. Your experience will no doubt outshine my own. I will be ecstatic if it actually survives at all.

Here are some more images.

Next steps?

Nice find. I have no doubt this will survive. Why not just pop it in the garden for the rest of the year, and leav everything there is, on it.. Then next spring, lift it once you see swelling of the buds, ready to break for spring, and do a proper cleaning of the rootball, and pot it up in bonsai substrate? I think you might hurt it too much if you do a proper substrate change now.

It would have a better chance in the ground over winter. Good point. Should I chop it down further at the stump or just deal with the eyesore sticking up for 9 months? I just put some wound sealer over it pending further decisions. I just used the box to shade the rootball today. I am Hoping for more feedback or just confirmation. I am really excited about this trunk and its hard to deny the urge to see it in a container or even better, a shallow pot.

I guess it would not hurt to reduce the cut area to the nearest side-branch. Do you already know how tall you want the tree to be?

I have once heard someone say a very clever thing, I think. The more patience you have with a tree, the faster it develops. And what was meant was: Take small steps, letting the tree be very healthy before doing anything major. The tree will recover much quicker after each step that way, and therefor, but doing less things in a year, the tree eventually develops faster. I have seen on some Juniper that I overworked how true this can be.

As this tree is clearly unhappy, I would focus on health over anything else.

leatherback wrote: Do you already know how tall you want the tree to be?

Somewhere around this height would be Ideal

I put the tree in the garden and mulched with mushroom compost. I am planning on keeping it there until at least the spring. Perhaps until the following spring. I planted it last week and it has started to produce new fresh buds and growth. mostly close to the trunk. I will leave the top portion of the trunk until the spring as well hoping for back budding there as well.

good move. Looking forward to some growth!

Maybe in the spring, dig it up, reduce the rootball , especially the depth. And replant it on a stone slab for another year, then put in a bonsai pot. It should have three sections of ramification by then. Hopefully It will continue. Chicago gets brutally cold. I will cover on very cold nights. But My neighbor has one in her yard that survives fine (But is also established)

Thank you,

Back Budding!!!
I was so excited to finally see some new life on this tree. It started a week or two ago. Here are some pictures.