Japanese Maple (grafted) PLEASE HELP ME

Now I have really done it - I went to Aldi's today because they had JM (crimson red) for $12.99 in a one gallon pot. The looked pretty wilted but figured it would come out of it with some TLC. On closer inspection, they have been grafted and the graft looks fairly fresh to me. Any idea how to take care of them? I got two for me and one for my BF - the price was right! Should have known better than to buy a tree at a discount grocery store!!

I have absolutely no idea what to do with these trees. Any advise would be sincerely appreciated.

Well, first of all, relax. You have already purchased them. Just because the graft is fresh does not mean it will not "take". Someone here will hopefully tell you how to plant the grafted tree. I believe with roses you leave the graft above the ground. Watch the tree and see if it turns out to be a nice Japanese Maple. My dad grafted a lot of trees and they turned out really nice. Or, Aldi's would probably take the tree back. Good luck.

Sounds like a great deal. If it's a thriving 1-gallon plant, you can plant directly into your yard.
It it's still pretty small, can keep in container for a year or two.
JM's aren't fussy - just moderate sun - avoid baking afternoon sun. Consistent moisture.
And prune for shape as years go by. Could turn out to be a beautiful tree.

Shoo, I have discovered that a grafted JM is not at all uncommon. That makes me feel much better. Hopefully a big drink and some love will make these trees all better. The leaves are crisp this evening - do you think I should take the leaves off? Either way it will look pretty awful for awhile.

Most JM's (the named cultivars at least) are grafted so I wouldn't worry about that part. I'd just baby it a bit and hopefully it should come back for you. Keep in mind that a plant that has mostly dead leaves isn't going to go through water nearly as fast as one that's filled out with nice healthy leaves, so make sure you don't love it too much! For the leaves--if they're clearly dead (brown/crispy) then there's no harm in removing them, but if they're crispy around the edges but still have some life in them I'd leave them for the time being until it starts to put out new leaves.

Thank you so much - I really thought I had made a major error buying grafted trees.

No worries. I bought a small JM when I was inexperienced with them because it was cheap. I was worried I would kill it. That was 9 years ago. Here it is today.

The graft is just under the moss. This tree stays out in it's pot all year here and gets covered in ice every winter and comes back beautifully. Very tough little tree.

Wow, and it is still small. I had in my mind the Crimson Red that I bought would eventually be between 10 and 15' tall. I would love to have one that stayed that small - I have the perfect spot for it.

These a grafted a lot higher up - maybe 1/3 of the way up the trunk. I will keep my fingers crossed, maybe it will do good.

Yes, about 3' tall. I've given it a bonsai appearnace by trimming it once. Nature did the rest. This was last year.

And I lied. The graft is in that last pic below the leaves. Is that about where yours is?

Yep, that is about where it is. Thanks tons - I feel better about the whole thing. Guess we will know how this all worked out next year about this time.

Please let us know. I'm excited to find out how it works for you.

I will keep you posted!

Enidcandles, there is a whole forum on Japanese Maples here at Dave's Garden--very smart people out there, a great place to visit. Japanese Maples want good drainage and appreciate a little afternoon shade. Most are grafted trees. I haven't had mine for very many years, but I got good advice on soil mix and watering on the container forums and the JM forum and everything has been fine.

Haha. Better watch out. It could become a serious addiction when you see how beautiful it is in a few years.

Oh no - I don't need any more addictions!

I will check out the JM forum - thank you