Constantly moving potted trees

Scrogdor

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Quick summary, my balcony is top floor north/west facing so most of it gets about 3ish
hours of sun in the morning. There is part of it that gets sun for 5-6 hours though.

Question is, would moving a trident maple to that spot every day to get a couple more hours of sun do more harm than good by moving it all the time? It’s only a few feet and I can do it carefully.

How well do trees in standard pots handle being moved around in general? I’d assume it’s similar to a strong breeze when they are moved, but some others may know more. I’m mostly referring to vibrations felt by the tree, and changing angle/ light exposure daily.

(Also) Apologies if this seems like a dumb question.
 
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It should be totally fine. Probably gets worse wind up there than the movement from the chasing-the-sun shuffle across a few feet.
 
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ShadyStump

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It's often suggested to go through and give trees a gentle shake as you're watering, especially when kept indoors. It helps the limbs build strength the same sort of way muscles do. Tiny amounts of insignificant damage at a time spur repairs that build the tissue up.
That's the theory anyway.

And it's good to routinely turn your plants so they get even lighting across the foliage in stead of just on one side.

So I think you'll be alright.
 

Shibui

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The actual movement won't hurt the tree unless you are extremely rough or the tree has just been root pruned (in which case tiny new roots can break if the trunk moves too much). As already mentioned trees get more trunk movement from wind than you are likely to give by moving the pot.
Leaves gradually acclimatize to the amount of sun they get. Moving a tree adjusted to shade straight into sun will cause burnt leaves but if the tree gets some sun most days it will adjust to that light level. Changing for the first time can cause leaf burn but changing every day (or most days) should not be a problem.

The only thing to be aware of is that maples do not like strong afternoon sun so I would just be careful if the extra sun is hot afternoon.
 
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It's often suggested to go through and give trees a gentle shake as you're watering, especially when kept indoors. It helps the limbs build strength the same sort of way muscles do. Tiny amounts of insignificant damage at a time spur repairs that build the tissue up.
That's the theory anyway.

And it's good to routinely turn your plants so they get even lighting across the foliage in stead of just on one side.

So I think you'll be alright.
This is actually the exact reason arborists give in regards to a staked landscape tree. The stakes shouldn’t be used for over a year. The stakes prevent the necessary movement that helps the trunk build strength as well as the roots within the soil

The stakes cause the same issue like atrophy of muscles. It may cause the roots and trunk to become weak as they rely on the stakes for support

An issue comes up with really windy places. They can be blown over. In cases of areas like that, you can untie them, leave the stakes in, and tie them back during a wind event. Or you can leave them in for a little longer

That’s my issue with my tree. It’s pulled out of it’s ties twice and was pushed over a bit. I’ll leave it staked until next winter since we do get wind often
 

penumbra

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This is actually the exact reason arborists give in regards to a staked landscape tree. The stakes shouldn’t be used for over a year. The stakes prevent the necessary movement that helps the trunk build strength as well as the roots within the soil

The stakes cause the same issue like atrophy of muscles. It may cause the roots and trunk to become weak as they rely on the stakes for support

An issue comes up with really windy places. They can be blown over. In cases of areas like that, you can untie them, leave the stakes in, and tie them back during a wind event. Or you can leave them in for a little longer

That’s my issue with my tree. It’s pulled out of it’s ties twice and was pushed over a bit. I’ll leave it staked until next winter since we do get wind often
Stakes left on too long also ruin the taper of the trunk.
 

Scrogdor

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I guess my trees will be very strong then haha.
Also something I’ve taken notice of is the change in sunlight. The weird northwest angle of my deck used to get some quality morning sun from 7-11. Now its cut to only about 10:00am for most trees.

I won’t feel so bad when they drop their leaves
 
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dbonsaiw

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Trees develop a certain fiber in response to movement and these fibers are particularly strong. Because of wind conditions and the like many trees are growing on seemingly impossible angles. In fact, some folks will gently brush their saplings to create movement in the trunk and these fibers. I doubt moving the plants around do anything harmful. It's typically my daily exercise following the sun around my yard especially as the days get shorter.
 
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