I am new at this, but I have an Acer Palmatum Dissectum. In Feb, I moved from Victoria to Edmonton. The tree is in a large pot. It was outside in Victoria but is now inside. It is very healthy and has tons of new growth. The only problem is that the leaves are green. I thought that they were supposed to be red. It gets lots of morning sun and afternoon shade. Can someone explain this to me?
It absolutely will not survive indoors. It's losing color because while the available light might look bright to you, it's dim to a tree, and that's only the beginning. It's too cold in Ed. to live outside either, and maybe it just wasn't a very good idea to get it and bring it home. If you know anyone with a good, environmentally controlled greenhouse, maybe they could use a gift.
As far as I know 'Dissectum' is green. There are various dissected cultivars though and often some confusion about the name. If it was red before, then you have something a little different than you think. I don't know why you couldn't have it outside during the summer, so long as you can bring the pot inside for the winter, or stick it in a basement somewhere. In any case it's not a good house plant in my view either.
It appears that Edmonton is in USDA zone 3, http://nlwis-snite1.agr.gc.ca/plant00/index.phtml#, and Acer palmatum is typically thought to be hardy to zone 5. I do know some people who bring their maples into the basement for the winter, but they do not live in zone 3. The Kurimoto Japanese Garden is at the Devonian Botanic Garden at the University of Alberta, so there must be someone there who can assist you. Check the wonderful resources available at: http://www.devonian.ualberta.ca/dbg.html. There is also a Master Gardener program on the education link. I agree with Rima regarding the lack of red in the leaf; it will darken to red when you put the pot outside. I also agree with Emery that the tree was mislabeled as it is likely one of the red dissectum cultivars and not an indoor plant. Good luck with your tree.
