I have a japanese laceleaf that I purchased last summer. Its still in the 3gal pot that I bought it in. As I live in Zone 5 (Twinfalls Id) area I brought the tree indoors for the winter. I want to plant it outside in a whiskey barrel container. The reason for the barrel is that we are doing major rennovations inside and out and need to be able to move it. Plus that fact that we may move within the year and do not want to leave the tree behind. The laceleaf faired well enough through the winter although with our dry climate winters the leaves show telltale signs of dryness. Our average tempature has been running between slightly above freezing to a balmy 60 degrees with lots of wind. What is a good time to put the laceleaf outside. And suggestions for soil etc for the whisky barrel container appreciated. Thanks...
Being a deciduous hardwood it should have lost the leaves in the fall and received a period of winter dormancy. Sometimes the old dead leaves cling to the branches for awhile, perhaps that is what you are describing. The current issue is if the tree has received enough chilling hours to break bud and resume normal growth this spring. Perhaps not. If it does bud out soon you will have to wait until frosts are over to move it out. What kind of environment did you store it in over the winter?
Probably the wrong enviroment. I kept it in the front room. Big bay picture window lots of light. Its heaven for all my indoor plants. But I think I am finding out I did not do my laceleaf any favors by not letting it go totally dormant.
Interesting that it stayed in leaf the whole time. All you can do is plant it outside after frosts are definitely over and hope it keeps growing. It will require full shade as any leaves formed indoors will not be suitable for bright outdoor light. In addition this kind of tree would require a shaded position in your climate anyway, even if it had been outdoors the whole time. Don't let the tub freeze up sold in winter as this may kill part or all of the roots. Use a cart or dolly to move it into a protected yet cool area like a garage during severe weather. You can even attach casters to the bottom of the tub before filling it will potting medium and planting it, to make it portable.
Thanks RonB I appreciate your info and it is very helpful. I also thought about when potting the laceleaf in the whisky barrel doing a method I read about by cutting out the bottom of the original 3gal container and potting the tree in the barrel that way. Any pros or cons you could share along those lines? And a local store has nursery potting soil (not really suitable for indoor plants) that is very inexpensive but thought it may work well for my tree?
Take out of the original pot, you don't want to confine the roots anymore than necessary. Suitability of potting medium you are looking at depends on what is in it etc. One thing you might try is to see if you have a retailer near there that also does their own growing, using a potting mix that they themselves also sell to the public. Can't beat an endorsement like that.
