I'm looking to plant some Moonrise Maples (6' tall) into large containers - has anyone tried this? Have they been happy? Is there an idea of how large these trees will get? I've read that they grow to 8' on some sites, and up to 20-30' on other sites. Do you have any experience with this tree or Full Moon Maple? Thanks!
You can call Munn's Nursery down in Brooks, Or and find out if they sell to any retail stores up in BC. I have several of them but I think it is an issue getting them across the boarder, then again in the back of a pick up on the ferry might work. I have found the tree does grow to size, my tallest is about 12' tall. it was a little taller when i bought it but i pruned the top for a more even shape.
Moonrise and Autumn Moon both grow well in containers. They both are easy to maintain the size you want with annual maintenance pruning in early summer. If you prune too early, you cut off the bright colored new growth that these varieties are know for, so I opt to wait until the colors fade a bit for the best show. This sets the tree up for another show of new growth in mid summer. It's an easy tree to maintain and its on the slower side of slow growing maples, not aggressive at all, and growing them in containers will slow them down even further.
JT - Thanks! That's great advice and information. I haven't completed maintenance pruning to keep a tree's size before - is there a guide you would recommend?
I do not know of a guide to recommend. A simple way to maintenance prune is to prune off any upward or downward growing stems of new growth from the bottom half of the canopy. Remove any dead branches (brittle grey in color). Remove any rubbing branches, study both before removing one of them, so that you remove the one that makes the most sense for the tree. Prune back any new growth to around the second leaf pair out from last years growth. Pay close attention to the leaf orientation where you make your cut. For example if the branch is growing horizontal, then make your cut at a pair of leaves that are horizontally positioned on the stem. This will keep the direction of new growth going horizontally. Sometimes people prune at a vertical set of leaves on a horizontal growing branch, this only causes problems later, when the new growth is going upwards and downwards, which will conflict with surrounding branches. Prolonged pruning ignoring leaf orientation on the branch will eventually ruin the form of the tree and lead to a lot of conflicting branches. Always consider the direction of the branch and the orientation of leaf pairs when deciding where to make your pruning cut. It takes a little more time and attention, but it will help keep your trees looking good long term.
Hi John, You made it sounds like we can prune JM almost at any time of the year. I was told the best time to prune them is in the early Spring when the sap is starting to flow which helps to heal any cut a bit quicker plus you can see the tree form better w/o leaves. Your additional thought please. Thanks, Steven
There are many theory's out there on when is the best time to prune. Many have their advantages and disadvantages. I like to prune 'Moonrise' and 'Autumn Moon' in early summer. If you prune too early, you cut off the bright colored new growth that these varieties are know for, so I opt to wait until the colors fade a bit for the best show. This sets the tree up for another show of new growth in mid summer. Many other varieties do not hold on to their spring color for as long. So for just about everything else, I prefer to prune mid spring. I find in my climate, my trees are at their healthiest during this time. The climate is still very forgiving too, with adequate moisture and comfortable temperatures. I also feel it gives the tree time to form wound wood to start the process of closing the cut, before the heat of summer moves upon the area. In general, this is also a time where disease is not a problem either (unless we are having unseasonal weather, that is why I choose to use the term "In general"). I don't like to prune during seasonal extremes. For my area that would be Summer and Winter. I believe drying winds dry out the cambium layer, causing the cut to die back further; I also find that it weakens the branch or tree. In the Summer, the tree tends to be in survival mode and moisture is at a premium. Pruning cuts cause too much moisture loss during the extremes of Summer and Winter in my opinion. With late season pruning, I feel the tree is putting energy into root development. We do not want to divert that energy into the canopy through pruning. We also run risk of new growth sprouting, in response to pruning, and it may not have time to harden off for winter. When this happens, the tree has wasted energy in something that has now failed and this die back opens up opportunities for early spring infections. It does not make sense to me to invite bacterial infections by having open wounds going into winter and early spring. Through experience I find that Winter pruning can contribute to bacterial infections and black tips. Generally the worse time for bacterial outbreaks is late winter and very early Spring in my climate. In some areas trees are very prone to late season infections too, which is another reason not to prune in the fall, these infections become an outbreak in late winter and early spring. Also, it's a good idea not to prune after rain when the tree is still wet. The rain water can carry bacteria that can enter the fresh wound of a pruning cut. Sometimes wet branches scream prune me as they are hanging low, but it's not worth the risk. Winter is a good time to take a look at the overall form of the tree and maybe cut out any dead twigs (grey in color), but I am careful not to cut all the way back into live wood. By looking at the tree in winter without leaves, you can plan pruning strategies for the growing season. But I do not like to make any cuts. One reason, is sometimes the tree does not leaf out like you planned. What I mean is that maybe you decide to keep one branch and remove another in the same area of the canopy. Come to find out in the Spring that the branch you kept was the weaker of the two and maybe it fails in Spring or many of the buds fail to leaf out. Now you are forced to remove that branch too and are left with a big hole in your canopy. The other reason why I don't like to make pruning cuts in winter is because of the bacterial disease outbreaks it can cause or lead to in late winter and early spring. Of course my thoughts of not pruning during seasonal extremes as mentioned earlier in this response still applies to Winter pruning. With all this being said, I am sure there are some that disagree and in some areas of the world, the climate is different, and my logic does not apply. It's always good to become very familiar with your climate and how your maples respond to the seasons. At the end of the day, it's best to stick with what works for you.
