Japanese Maple??

[morlyn1]

I just bought a 4 ft. jap. Maple and planted it in a large terra cotta pot on my balcony and it seemed to be adapting pretty well. This moring i went to water it and my other plants and i notices all the new growth at the top of the tree had brown around the edges and had wilted slightly. Curious as to waht might be the prob and if it's ok to keep this tree in the pot for awhile...(waiting to get a house with yard to plant it in..)...
Thanks

 

[treeclimber165]

If the leaves are dry and crispy, it is too dry. If the leaves are soft and mushy, it is too wet. (crispy brown vs. mushy brown) Other than that, have you sprayed anything on it? did it get left in the sun on a particularly hot day without water? Trees in pots cannot adapt as well as trees in the ground. Only YOU can control its environment.
If the tree has enough root space, it should be fine until you get a house. For that size tree I would guess a 10 gal pot minimum.
P.S.- Good luck house hunting, I finally bought my own house 2 years ago and there is nothing like it!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Could be transplant shock, Acer palmatum can be touchey here in Milwaukee.

With the watering, keep the soil moist but well drained. that is you don't need to water daily, wait for it to dry out. Is there drainage in the pot? Does the soil down low smell like dirt or septic?

 

[morlyn1]

Smells like dirt.