Hi all,

Newbie 1st post woo hoo;)

I've been lurking for about a month or so and need some wisdom on my dilemma.

Recently purchased a Japanese Maple (Dissectum-Garnet) a few months ago. It is a 3gallon pot and is @ 24" tall with a classic drooping canopy of 3' wide. Its producing new leaves and appears healthy in a northwestern location in shade.

Through searches, I found that repotting while leafing stage is not a good recommendation ( at least for a first timer w/ JM's). Also have been reading up on Al's gritty mix. We plan to put it in a permanent home in the ground that we feel is a good location, however appears it is root bound. We are considering temporarily repotting into a bigger pot until spring , when we can transfer to the earth.

Is this a good move? Or should we just keep it in the same pot and plan the move to earth in spring-before bud break? i feel that we may need to put it a bigger pot, to avoid being rootbound , but am confused to what medium to use. I've read that it would best to keep the same type structure for a temporary repot while amending the perspective permanent hole. On to the permanent hole, does JM 's need much amendment? Our soil is titled by USDA as Poway conglamerate-heavy silt and or sand, "cemented" together with calcium carbonate (lime) or iron oxide. or clay .

captured here from Gardenguru1950 **********http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/calif/msg1121023821271.html?17

1. No need to test the soil. You have "Poway Conglomerate", pretty much defined as how the USDA describes it except that it's not really "clay" -- it's heavy silt and or sand, "cemented" together with calcium carbonate (lime) or iron oxide. The cementing makes it as hard as concrete (or "clay"). The calcium carbonate situation makes for nutritional deficiencies, not because there are no nutrients in your soil but because they are ionically bound up. Choose the right plants for your kind of soil and you don't have to work on "amending" it. There are thousands of plants that will grow happily in "Poway Conglomerate".

2. Do NOT use amendments unless you're planning on growing annual vegetables, annual flowers or "woodland" plants (camellias, azaleas, ferns, hydrangeas and such). If you're planning on putting in basic landscape plants or fruits trees, simply dig a wide hole, break up the conglomerate, remove the pebbles and stones, plant the plant and mulch well with a nice composted organic material. Also includes roses.

We do have " cement", but with patches of clay like structure about 18" down, and its a PITA to break through during summer. during winter it is easier to break, but experience tells me breaking wet clay is not a good thing in general.

Piccies to show the rootball. some guidance would be appreciated very much !!

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g259/ttonio/Garnet4.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g259/ttonio/1.png

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g259/ttonio/Garnet2.jpg

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g259/ttonio/-2.png

Tony

San Diego, CA