Winter care of a Japanese Maple?

I live in an apartment and have my japanese maple in a pot on my balcony. It is probably about seven feet tall. I live in a zone 4 so obviously just leaving it in the pot on the balcony isn't an option. I have no garage to over winter it in.... Any suggestions? Can I mulch the heck out of the top of the soil and wrap it in burlap or some other insulating material? As long as the roots don't freeze will it be ok?

Answers:
This is kind of a pain in the neck, but it will work. Get a container, with drainage holes, that is much larger than the one it's in. You'll need about 6" all around. Put Styrofoam packing peanuts 6" deep at the bottom, and then fill the sides and cover the soil. Then wrap the whole larger pot with opaque (white, that you can't see through) plastic, and secure with duct tape. Do this no earlier than the first of Nov., and no later than Thanksgiving. Leave the top of the tree uncovered, but protect from wind, if necessary with a burlap screen. Good luck! I do my larger bonsai like this with 100% success.

Other answers:
rent a climatized storage place
rent a climatized storage place
My best suggestion to to go to the USDA map, Why are my plants dying, one at a time, half of the bush goes brown & dies then the rest of the bush dies?
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