no pic ...

root pruning is way old school.. and is no longer the recommended practice..

besides the fact that it should have been done last year.. or the year before..

z5 tells us little.. where are you ...

its really NBD ... no big deal ... but TIMING IS IMPERATIVE ... and most likely it should be done in april ... 6 to 8 weeks BEFORE leaves come out.. to lessen stress..

pic and location.. and we can go from there ...

review the link .. and then you can ask specific questions ..

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Living in Western MA.
I can wait till Fall/winter if it would be best.

I've tried posting pic again.

L

first.. are you positive.. there are no utilities???

next.. what is your soil type .??? will it form a ball of soil.. when you dig it ..???

conifers are trees .... link to 'how to transpalnt a conifer/tree -- huge pix post'

you will just be doing it on a slightly larger scale ... i would work for a 2 foot root ball ... which means start digging 3 to 3.5 feet out ...

before i waste time with a narrative.. check out the link. and ask specific questions ...

TIMING IS IMPERATIVE .... in my z5.. april is the time.. 6 to 8weeks before it flushes leaves ... time to get the roots pumping.. no need to wait until fall ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Little confused ken, Japanese maples are conifers?

Thx,
L

did you look at my link???

tree... conifer.. digging them up is all the same ...

ken

Newbie here. Wasn't sure I'd it made a difference.

L

Dig carefully and move it.

A faster growing, less expensive tree I would say go to the store and get a new one
Oh, dig your new hole first, read Ken's link.

Some years ago now in Sacramento, there was a rash of JM thefts. 6-7-8 ft tall, middle of the night, cheaper than buying one at the nursery. Seemingly every week there was a story in The Bee where some homeowner went out to get the paper and found a huge hole in the yard.

That is: easy to transplant.

Newbie here. Wasn't sure I'd it made a difference.

==>> i know.. i am really trying to help ... forgive me if you 'read into' my reply.. and though it was snarky ... it wasnt intended as such ...

whats your soil like.. can you dig a ball of soil???

if you look at my linked thingee.. phone just rang -- distracted ..... my soil is sand.. for all that digging i did.. to make the pictoral ..... the sand all fell off.. when i lifted the burlap ... so i barely bother with all that and bare root plants ....

if your soil holds together.. well enough.. you wont even need the burlap ... but you wont know that.. until you start digging ...

ask more questions..

ken

FWIW, root pruning before transplanting is NOT passe' or old school - still has very useful and warranted applications but maybe not so appropriate in this case.

I agree - just dig now and transplant before it leafs out. You may disturb or damage some of the root system but that is not much of a concern while the tree is still mostly dormant.

Perhaps it is your location that escalates the price but a 1G Japanese maple (most varieties) around here goes for around $25-40......one the size of yours is only about $125 :-) Not the cheapest little trees on the planet but not break-the-bank expensive either. I would not overlook replacement as an option as well.

And finally, small laceleaf maples such as yours are frequently planted close to structures, typically as focal points for a front entry. That doesn't look like the ideal setting as far as I can see but the tree will not get substantially taller in height and they are often pruned to guide and/or limit the spread. It could be left in place with minimal issues.

I'm in KY, and a regular 'dissectum' Japanese maple the size of the one in that photo would NOT be thousands; maybe a couple of hundred.

What's the driving motivation to move it? Don't like the look there? Blocking access to a water hydrant? Worried the roots might mess with the foundation?

Richard.

Ideally it would b another foot or two away from athe house.
But since I've followed up on some resources recommended here, I read that they are not supposed to b in full sun. Where I was going to put them, they Would b in full sun, so it looks like its staying there a least for a little while!

i also work smart.. rather than hard.. and would probably go for a small cheap replacement ... but these days budget does reign supreme ....

but why not try moving them .. and then.. if you fail .. and they die.. THEN get a replacement ..

i was not aware that JM do NOT like sun.. they are trees.. and you arent in the deep south.. MA should be full sun ...

i do think they TOLERATE shade somewhat ...

sounds like you are making excuses.. just move them ASAP ...

BTW... sam had a post yesterday.. some guy digging up a tree on youtube.. that ought to motivate you ... see link ... dig new hole first ... so one you have it out of the ground.. it can go right back in .... and aftercare.. is 99% of success ...

and dont forget about making sure about underground utilities ....

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Japanese maples, like dogwoods and a number of other species, are understory trees in nature, growing at the edges of forests or in the shadow/under the canopies of bigger trees. As such they are very comfortable in shade -- some cultivars with light colored or very delicate foliage even require it. So it is more accurate to say they prefer shade, at least afternoon shade in most parts of the country, and only tolerate full sun. And even that tolerance is restricted by cultivar.

It is a bit of an overly broad generalization to say that because the plant under discussion is a tree, it wants or needs full sun. There are shade loving trees just as there are shade loving shrubs and perennials.

Ok, so that is settled. Now, what are you going to do about that arb that is about to ruin your gutter...and window? ;-)

tj

GardenGal48, 40-50$ for a 1 gal dwarf Japanese red maple!
wow,
at the local HD last spring, a 1 gal dawrf japanse red maple was $195!!!

Thats a pretty big difference.

tsugajunkie,
that pick is about a year old. I trimmed about a ft off ea one.

I want to move those too, but those are not so much about the cost, its that they're doing really well and I almost feel bad cutting them!
Just cutting them and planting new ones would be the fastest, and the fact that I have VERY little time to do these things, makes it very difficult to go through the process of transplanting.

I get a couple of days of bad weather, and the proper season for (insert your outdoor project here) is gone!

L

Ken, as for the ability to dig a ball, it should be easy bc the soil in those beds is good, now anywhere else in the yard, including where I was planning on putting them, sucks!

I got about 4in of good soil, the rest is a bunch of stones with soil. Almost like a gravel pit.

Try looking online or at your favorite nursery/.garden center rather than a box store for a better deal :-) You can find JM's on ebay or etsy or at a number of mail order nurseries that specialize in them. In most cases, prices range from around $40 to $55 or so for a one gallon plant. At one of the better west coast mail order sources, $195 will get you a 3' tall five gallon red leafed dissectum.

Shop around!!

growingadvice wrote @ the local HD last Spring a one gallon dwarf Jap Red Maple was $195!!!
You're way off on that, check link to Weston Nursery in your state. 'Crimson Queen' JM in 10 gal container retails for $295 according to current availability list. I can't think of any JM in one gallons that sells for $195 HD or anywhere else.

Here is a link that might be useful: Weston Nursery