Mark,

You might consider repotting next year into a better draining soil in a
shallower pot - i.e. closer to what it will go into once you have trained it
but large enough for continued growth. You can use the same plastic nursery
pot - pull the tree and mulch it in the shade for a couple of hours. Cut
the pot off about 10" above the base and cut vertical slits about 2" long to
make tabs about 1.5" wide around the bottom. Cut a disk of 3/4" thick
exterior grade plywood that will slide down into the pot and fit fairly
tightly just at the top of the tabs. Drill drainage holes in the plywood
staying 2" away from the - I use about 12 1" diameter holes in this pot.
Install the plywood and turn the pot over and nail the bent over tabs to the
bottom of the pot using 3/4" roofing nails. I have had these hold up for at
least 4 - 5 years. You can treat the plywood for rot resistance, but you
will need to wait a few days for the preservative to dry before repotting
the tree. Hey, this might make it small and light enough to haul over to
Jim Doyle's place.

Marty


-----Original Message-----
snip

From your comments on pot size, it's currently in a large round plastic pot
about 18 inches in diameter and 24 inches deep. I checked the roots earlier
this summer and found them slightly more than half way down the pot, all
happy and white. I'm concerned about drainage because of the typical garden
soil it's growing in. The pot only has a few holes in the bottom. Maybe I'll
drill a bunch more to improve drainage.

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