That is an interesting experiment. How do you initiate the dormant period in winter? I don't see how you would get a cold enough temperature indoors, or do you put them elsewhere in winter?

In the winter temps drop to around 35- 45 f in an old Trailer behind my house with no central heat and cut outs for added light. Some have plexy majority are just a large cut square tho. I take them and a few hardy orchids, peonies, rare rose bushes and other ferns etc, to free up space out back and just utilize natural light. Although this year I'm thinkin of installing HID lighting for that and other purposes. One thing that's odd to me atleast my other outdoor maples drop leaves normal towards end of fall. Well my indoor maples don't drop until early December. I dunno it hasn't shown any problems. I basically have a much better leaf color too on my indoor maples so it's a big plus too me. Before I realized the old trailer I used my boys club house the first year for dormancy. ( he got mad tho) I'm no expert nor claiming to be I'm
just telling my story I'd consider
myself and expert on other things flowering plants before maples. I was told I couldn't do this so I tried it and it's worked fine. Ya kno I have had 3 of my maples die outdoors none of the 5 indoors have died as far as Im concerned it's much better for me. Yeah it may require more care but when you grow some 200 orchids this is norm to me they are much more dependant then maples anyways. Thanks for your ? Sorry I didn't include that in first but I ran out of room. I had to cut many sentences short.

With the language you used, I'd be very surprised if you'll be able to reply to this for very much longer but hopefully you can answer one question that I have. What happens when the tree needs to get some shut-eye? Meaning go dormant? And how does it come out of dormancy?
I've seen some temperate trees (bald cypress, sabal palmetto) growing completely indoors at the gaylord palms hotel in orlando fl. They didn't look especially good compared to the vast indoor gardens of tropical trees but they were alive. I assumed they were just replacing them as needed. Why don't you post your pictures to a photo album site like imageshack, flikr or photobucket.

Also FYI, apparently using the term "jap" as an abbreviation is offensive to some.

I missed that bit about the trailer.
I'd actually be more intersted in seeing pics of the trailer and the cutouts.

you can grow pretty much anything indoors as long as you provide the right environment.

i first found gardenweb for info on orchids. there are a lot of orchid growers growing theirs indoor. i lived in a dorm room at the time and used some pvc pipes and built a stand to hang my CFLs, which were plugged into timers.

I apologize if I offended people with my term my local nursery labels and calls the Japanese maples (jap maps) ha soo sorry if I offends you or anyone. Also I'm at a weeding as soon as I get back i will be posting pics on photobucket my daughter taught me how to use it I'm
new to the whole Internet thing I think of myself as old school but quite frankly I don't see how the term is offensive whatever. Every1 needs something to gripe about.

Growing maples indoors is easy if you grow them outside in a cold trailer or garage during the winter.

Technically, you're NOT growing your maples indoors. At least not in any contemporary sense of the word.

Josh

Thank you gardengal48. Well said.

@Jodyblond Van Kinda weird saying "Thanks" to an 11 year old post, especially as this is your only comment on anything ever.

rwood24, "but quite frankly I don't see how the term is offensive whatever."

You don't get to decide what others feel is offensive,

JM is a better term and It's easier to type.

Really wish this thread would be deleted. Not only is it pejorative and offensive, it is misleading and inaccurate and gives those new to gardening the wrong ideas. You can grow anything indoors for a limited period of time but you will not be able to maintain long term productivity and success without acknowledging some basic botanical facts of life, which the OP chose to ignore.

btw, the OP has not been seen or heard of on these forums since this posting.