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Moving a Japanese Maple

18 years ago

I have a small JM with fern-like leaves (sorry, don't know the exact name - see pic) that has been growing for about 5 years undisturbed. I am thinking of moving it to a different location. When is the best time to move this in zone 5? I have read some suggestions of moving after the leaves fall off - but I'm afraid that will not give it enough time to re-establish before frost sets in here in NH (ground usually freezes solid sometime mid-late November). Also, what kind of root system am I dealing with? Is it a ball or sprawling roots. I would like to leave as much of the roots intact as possible. Please help!! My husband has finally agreed to let me move it, but he says he won't forgive me if it doesn't survive the move :o) He's kidding, of course, but the tree IS special to us - it's just in the wrong place.

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Comments (4)

Ron_B
18 years ago
In USDA 5 you would probably be best doing it at end of winter/earliest spring, after coldest weather but before bud break.
kckuhns
18 years ago
From the photo it appears that you have a small Acer palmatum dissectum. It is true that you will do minimum damage to the plant by moving it after the leaves have dropped, in the Fall, when it is dormant. At this point, the plant's energy reserves/food supply for its Spring flush is stored in the root structure.

By the size of the plant I would suggest digging a root ball about 1 ft in radius [two feet across] and at least 1 ft deep. Prepare the new hole first, a bit larger, with some fine filling soil on the side. Once you dig the tree, move the root ball quickly, minutes count, to the new location. Make sure it is a snug fit in the new hole by adding filler soil around the perimeter, then light pess into place with your foot. Give it a single watering just to settle loose soil and remove any large air gaps.
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Wow! That sounds like a rough trip, and a very HOT time of the year to move it. Any chance of sending it out early (like now!)? If it were me, and depending on the size, I would put the whole thing in a huge insulated box and overnight it to its new home. Take most of the soil off the roots and put that moisture-retentive gel on them and seal the root ball tightly in plastic. Wrap the branches carefully in foam and tape down - just enough to keep them from flopping about. Then suspend the tree well in the center of the box and fill with "peanuts". I would use DHL or someone who is an expert at shipping larger sizes and things that need special handling. Then, when it got to CA, I would repot it the minute it arrived and water the stink out of it for the rest of the summer! I know how you feel about your tree. Its become part of the family! I would take mine too, although I would have to dig it up out of the garden. In fact, if I ever do have to move (and I hope not), I'm afraid I would have to hire some commercial nursery people to dig up all my Japanese Maples so I could take them with me. How could I leave them behind, at the risk that the new owner would not take care of them!? It would be like leaving your dog behind! Good luck, and let us know how you do it! :-) K4
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Large specimen trees - and mature, well grown Japanese maples are definitely included in this grouping - DO have a value that is sometimes considerable. We sell large, specimen-sized JM's at my nursery that have very large price tags (multiple K's) associated with them and I am aware of several landscape nurseries in my area that deal primarily in similarly sized product and larger. Large, high-end landscape installations often call for trees of this size, as do a good number of commercial installations. I recall a very large and extremely sculptural JM that was included in a display by such a landscape nursery at our regional flower and garden show that was offered for sale with a $40K plus price tag on it - it subsequently did find a home, so there IS a market for these monsters. As noted above, there is a considerable cost in moving and planting such items, often more than the cost of the tree itself, and is something best left to professional tree movers. David's first sentence is very true - the value only exists if one is willing to pay for it - so I'd take what your landscaper said with a grain of salt. Often statements like that are made with respect to replacement value if the tree is somehow damaged or killed by human hands.
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I have two maples that look the same right now, along with many other plants in my yard. I spoke with someone at the nursery about it and was told we had a moth infestation that occurred due to a warm spring (happens about once every 17 years or so). They told me they're fine and next year everything will look great. I can't say for certain it's the same thing, but you may want to talk to someone at your local nursery about it, they'll probably have a better idea about what is going on in your area.
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They were planted 21/2 years ago. So I guess I should wait til dormant. Do you think moving them set them back? They have done so well after the first year since becoming established. Thanks for your response.
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Snaz
18 years ago
I would follow Ron`s advice and do it in the early spring. Kuhn`s advice in cutting around the root ball now would also be good to do and let it sit till spring.
Sna
metromaples
18 years ago
I like to transplant them as soon as the sap is going down and with the leaves. For me this is about 2 weeks before you expect fall color. I have dug them at that time and within 2 weeks I get dozens and dozens of new white roots that are already 5 inches long.

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