Well I fell in love with Japanese maples and bought two this spring, Tamukeyama and Fireglow. They are container planted with Pine bark nuggets, potting soil, some coarse sand and perlite. I drilled holes in the bottoms of the pots (54 qt barrel style) 1/2 inch holes, 3 in each pot. Pine bark along top of about 2 inches but not against the trunk. I have both raised also so they can drain better. Basically I water once a week until it drains out the bottom and I am really looking for any and all help so I dont kill these trees. Moisture meter is hard to really read and I read some people water twice a week. I dont want to over or under water. Maybe I am stressing too much lol. Any tips?