Where are you located Ladebugz?

Tips:

1.) Pick the right place to plant the tree. Morning sun, afternoon shade is best for most varieties.

2.) Pick the right vendor to buy from!!! There are a number of reputable mail-order nurseries mentioned here on these threads.

3.) Pick the right tree for the location you selected! There are hundreds to choose from - all different shapes, sizes, tolerances, etc. With that much selection, you can afford to be picky.

4.) Plant in a raised bed in good soil. Clay is a death sentence.

5.) Water well, but don't make it soggy. JMs are like flowers. They don't like to dry out, but they don't like it too soggy either.

6.) Don't use a lot of fertilizer. One shot of Fish Emulsion in the spring is enough. Or you could use Worm Castings around the roots.

Good luck, and enjoy your Maple!

K4

Thank you Kaitain4 for the info. My home has an 8' wrap-a-round porch that serves as my second home and a great place to put my green children. My new JM will be in a pot on the porch. We dont often freeze here in zone 9, but I wont hesitate to bring in plants that might suffer with our occasional cold. I have tons of organic humus/mulch that I will mix with soil. I understand that JM's like soil high in acid like azaleas do. Happy growing to you!

If you are planting your maple in a container, you do NOT want to use garden soil and compost/mulch/humus. Plants grown in containers have rather specialized drainage issues that garden soil or too much organic matter will not address. Use a quality potting mix formulated for acid loving plants - most better retail nurseries should offer something appropriate. Or you can make your own. Check on the Container Gardening forum for recipes and more info on how to grow plants/trees in containers long term.

And you shouldn't have to worry about winter cold in your area and protecting container-grown maples - they'll be fine.

Gardengal is right. Maples in pots need a completely different soil treatment than those planted in the garden. And learn how to root-prune. You'll need to do this every 2 or 3 years to keep the tree form getting pot-bound.

K4

Also think of getting a fertilizer designed for Japanese Maples.
I do not know if you have Foxfarm products available to you, but that is what we use at our nursery. It is the best I have ever found.
Steven