Moving 13yr old Japanese Maple (Acer)

[Ines]

Hello Specialists,

 

I have a 13 year old Japanese Maple tree (the split leaves type) which has to be moved from where it currently is located - in a flower bed close to a house wall.

 

Due to the age of the tree, I am concerned that chances of survival are limited, is this correct? 
 

Is there a realistic chance that the tree will be able to withstand a transfer? If yes, would mid-January be a good time to move it, when the tree sleeps and has no leaves?

 

I am very grateful for any advice. With many thanks and kindest regards,

 

Ines 

[Bunzena]

Just following up on your questions:

 

How deep to dig?  As said - probably 18 - 30 inches.  Acer roots are pretty fibrous so you can be fairly brutal.
 

Prune the day before?  That would work. 

Whether you need to prune or not is debatable.  Personally I would, just to lessen the stress on the tree once it comes into leaf.  The tree looks like Acer palmatum dissectum Seiryu to me - and they are pretty robust in my experience and relatively fast growing.  It will probably stall for a year or two and then [hopefully] grow back rapidly.

 

One alternative to heavy pruning we've used in the past is to erect a wooden 'cage' around a tree and use shade netting to reduce wind and sun-stress.

That time last year it already had buds which started to open. Would that still be okay or too late?  It needs to be moved before bud-break.  Two weeks before would be about right.

 

If we have a wet and cold spring, then delay a bit - if it's mild and dry - I'd move early.  So your local ground/soil conditions matter most.

 

Watering?  It may rain a lot where you are but it will still need to be kept moist.  Especially in summer.  As already said - make sure it's in a rich loamy soil with plenty of drainage.

 

Worth bearing in mind that a containerised tree this size from a nursery would cost a pretty packet so it's worth a bit of TLC.  😉

 

[Badgerland]

3 hours ago, Ines said:

Hi Badgerland,

 

thank you very much for sharing this story. Every little piece of information helps. I will ensure there are no air pockets in the roots/soil when re-planting the tree in its new location. 

 

What is the fungi for?

 

Thank you for those details.

 

I think we have to dig the root ball as carefully as possible in the area that we can access, as for the part that is at the house side, some roots might break or tear anyway, so I am afraid there will be some damage.

 

I think reducing the crown size will help the tree as it won't have well established roots in the new place and hence nourishing a smaller crown area with the reduced root area makes sense to me?

 

Thank you for your help!

As far as I am aware, the mycorrhizal fungi sets up a symbiotic relationship with the tree, helping the tree to take on more nutrients. It’s why it’s a good idea to reuse some of the original soil if you’re transplanting a tree into a larger container. The naturally occurring fungi is already in that soil, so all you doing is transplanting some of it with the tree. I’ve found it really helps with the shock of moving the tree or other garden plants as well.

[Ines]

On 02/11/2023 at 17:27, Bunzena said:

As said - probably 18 - 30 inches.  Acer roots are pretty fibrous so you can be fairly brutal.

Thank you Bunzena, I must have missed that.

 

It said to cut the rootball 4-5ft wide - is that in total or each direction from the trunk, ie diameter is double?

 

On 02/11/2023 at 17:27, Bunzena said:

It needs to be moved before bud-break.  Two weeks before would be about right.

Thank you. It'll have to be mid-late January so as the buds came out in February last year. Hopefully the weather is on our side!

 

On 02/11/2023 at 17:27, Bunzena said:

It may rain a lot where you are but it will still need to be kept moist.  Especially in summer.  As already said - make sure it's in a rich loamy soil with plenty of drainage.

No idea how it survived until now, I watered it once a week in the summer! But there's a stream running alongside the house - unless the ground is so moist, it got water from there.

 

On 02/11/2023 at 17:27, Bunzena said:

 

Worth bearing in mind that a containerised tree this size from a nursery would cost a pretty packet

How much would a tree this size cost?

 

On 02/11/2023 at 17:27, Bunzena said:

so it's worth a bit of TLC.  😉

I'm on the field daily to check the animals, I will incorporate it into my routine to check up on my tree and give it some TLC  I planted it shortly after moving here and I cannot imagine not seeing it every day. 

 

 

I read Doug's thread about the Rowan also (great work!). So far I think we should:

 

1) Dig the hole in the new location and prune the canopy before starting to dig out the tree

 

2) Cut root ball 18-30 inches deep and 4-5ft wide -->  what about the house-side, is it best to 'pull' on the roots, hoping they come out or better try to get in and cut some?

 

3) How do we lift the tree??????? 3.5t digger available and big tractor with front loader (guess the front loader would do the trick?) --> How do I prepare for the lift? How do I get the hessian (?) and pig wire under/around the root ball? 

 

4) Slings under the root ball? Are there any YouTube videos you can recommend where it shows how to safely lift and move a tree?

 

5) I have fence posts here, would I put some around the tree and secure the trunk with slings?

 

6) Can it be planted on a slope or does it have to be level ground?? The slope is well drained but there are two springs for water supply.

 

On 02/11/2023 at 19:41, Badgerland said:

As far as I am aware, the mycorrhizal fungi sets up a symbiotic relationship with the tree, helping the tree to take on more nutrients.

So these are 'good' fungi? Where do I get those? 

 

Thank you all so much for your help!!!

 

[Badgerland]

On 04/11/2023 at 11:45, Ines said:

Thank you Bunzena, I must have missed that.

 

It said to cut the rootball 4-5ft wide - is that in total or each direction from the trunk, ie diameter is double?

 

Thank you. It'll have to be mid-late January so as the buds came out in February last year. Hopefully the weather is on our side!

 

No idea how it survived until now, I watered it once a week in the summer! But there's a stream running alongside the house - unless the ground is so moist, it got water from there.

 

How much would a tree this size cost?

 

I'm on the field daily to check the animals, I will incorporate it into my routine to check up on my tree and give it some TLC  I planted it shortly after moving here and I cannot imagine not seeing it every day. 

 

 

I read Doug's thread about the Rowan also (great work!). So far I think we should:

 

1) Dig the hole in the new location and prune the canopy before starting to dig out the tree

 

2) Cut root ball 18-30 inches deep and 4-5ft wide -->  what about the house-side, is it best to 'pull' on the roots, hoping they come out or better try to get in and cut some?

 

3) How do we lift the tree??????? 3.5t digger available and big tractor with front loader (guess the front loader would do the trick?) --> How do I prepare for the lift? How do I get the hessian (?) and pig wire under/around the root ball? 

 

4) Slings under the root ball? Are there any YouTube videos you can recommend where it shows how to safely lift and move a tree?

 

5) I have fence posts here, would I put some around the tree and secure the trunk with slings?

 

6) Can it be planted on a slope or does it have to be level ground?? The slope is well drained but there are two springs for water supply.

 

So these are 'good' fungi? Where do I get those? 

 

Thank you all so much for your help!!!

 

You can get them from most decent garden centres or on line. Usually get 2 types: one lot comes as a powder, which you can just dust over the roots with. The other sort is soluble and you water it on. I tend to use the powder.

[Ines]

On 05/11/2023 at 20:42, Badgerland said:

You can get them from most decent garden centres or on line. Usually get 2 types: one lot comes as a powder, which you can just dust over the roots with. The other sort is soluble and you water it on. I tend to use the powder.

Thank you very much Badgerland. I'll make sure to have this bought before I move the tree.

[Ines]

Hi everyone,

 

we are having a very mild winter with temperatures up to 14 degrees Celsius. My tree starts to grow little buds; I've attached two photos, apologies for the poor quality, it was difficult to capture. Am I right that we better move the tree asap??? I was going to order all the recommended items over Christmas and had originally planned to move the tree some time in January, but I might go to a garden centre today and see what I can get so that we can make faster progress. I didn't expect this to be happening so soon as last winter it didn't grow buds until early February this year...

 

So I need:

Hessian to wrap

Slings to lift

Good compost

A watering pipe

Fungi

 

Did I forget anything?

Thank you for all your help and Happy Christmas!

[judastreefairy]

Pollard it !!!

[Ines]

On 23/12/2023 at 22:05, judastreefairy said:

Pollard it !!!

Thank you! So put three (?) fence posts around the tree and stabilize with soft slings?