Hello.. my first post.. I'd like suggestions on planting a dwarf maple (green leaf) in concrete outdoor containers ( approx 3' high, 2' diameter ) North facing but receives hot summer sun from 2 pm - 5:50 pm .. Any suggestions on variety and also what type of soil to use in pots.. Orchid Mix? Feeding scheduale ? Is Fish emulsion a good choice? One a month ? I'd like the plants to stay at a max height of 3-4' with same spread.. Thank you in advance Joe
Unfortunately, I just don't think that you will be happy with the result. The spot sounds too hot for your maple. The leaves will be heavily scorched and the tree will look very sickly by the end of summer. But, if that's not a huge deal for you then go for it. For soil the bark is a great plan, but don't buy "orchid bark", buy conifer bark mulch as it will cost 1/30th the price. Same stuff. Mix it about 2 parts bark to 1 part gravel/perlite, etc. As for feeding... I don't know.
Joe, If you want your specimen to be 4 ft tall, don't you think our cement pot is oversized? Maples in the ground do best in sandy soil, maybe due to good drainage or the abundance of Ca. I suspect you are below the equator so you need the plants suited to full sun or partial shade. All my potted maples get Sunshine No1 soiless mix and nothing else, and they don't appear worse off. I fertilize mine sparingly with whatever I can lay my hands on, be it chemical or organic.
