I for one am not an advocate of bare rooting Japanese maples at any time other than when fully dormant. Their roots are extremely sensitive to disturbance and the trauma of bare rooting, shipping and replanting at this time of the season is sufficient to send any JM into shock. My preference would have been to pot it up and baby it for awhile before planting out in the ground in full-on sun, specially in mid June. My nursery advocates extreme care when planting even well-established containerized or B&B maples at this time of year and our summers are notoriously late to start and NOT hot when they do arrive, if rather dry. I think David's advice is sound. Without seeing your soil and planting conditions firsthand, it is only speculation but the amending you have done in "heavy clay" soil may be creating a poor drainage situation - too much moisture remaining in close contact with the roots and not percolating down through the soil level. Generally, if working with a heavy soil it is recommended to dig a very wide but shallow planting hole adding no amendments. Plant the tree high, backfill with the soil you removed and add the amendments as a mulch to smooth out to the top of the roots. This wide, dished planting hole will allow for adequate drainage without creating a bathtub effect of a deeper, amended hole. Personally, after such a short period of time in the ground, I'd be inclined to lift the tree and pot up into a container where you are able to more closely monitor the amount of sun and water it will receive and give some much needed TLC. Forget the fertilizer - stressed plants are unable to metabolize much anyway. And you can add me to the list of those who think that SuperThrive (or SuperJive, as a friend refers to it) is pretty much just very well-marketed snake oil. The active ingredient (primarily B1) is present in such an infinitesimal amount and then is further diluted by water that it is providing virtually no measurable benefit to the plant.

I moved it today, it is in the garden area next to the house now facing East/Southeast. The south side of our house is too shady for most plants including the palm. I dug a huge hole and filled it with at least 6 inches of sand. I mixed Dr. Earth organic palm fertilizer into some potting soil and I think that will make a really big difference as well. If we have a winter like last year, I won't have to worry about the temperature too much. It has practically been spring since November! No snow at all! And I don't think the temps dropped below 19 or 20 degrees (I am a weather geek too). Now the palm is next to the walkway, also visible from the office window which is really nice. It also looks way bigger because I am seeing it up close rather than from a distance. I think it has a better chance now, and I didn't realize how much I would enjoy it being so much closer to us! Thanks for your help, I will come back to let you know how it is doing. Maybe even post a picture! Becky

Not usually a good idea to plant any plant deeper than it was in its previous position, however up to a couple of inches should be ok. As to removing the fronds, if I were doing the job, and if I removed the plants from a previous garden site, yeah, I'd remove all but a few of the smaller top fronds. Doing this reduces the stress on the plant and allows for it to adapt to the new site.

Hi Mike. Just had to respond to your thread about Areca palms. I have always loved them even tho I never owned or planted one,..or dug one up,..only saw photos of them, until I relocated to South Florida. I finally ran up against them nose-to-nose when I moved here 8 yrs ago. A previous owner planted a 22 ft long " hedge " of Arecas many years ago, ( multiplied over the yrs to maybe 70 + trunks in 4 huge, round clusters ), right along the outside wall of the screened lanai. They were in dismal shape then, so I naively fertilized and watered them and soon they bounced back with a vengeance ! Finally after 7 years I realized I had blundered, big time. They were in the wrong spot, should have dug 'em up when I had the chance. I love planting " my stuff ", but only if they are low maintenance. These guys were growing so fast I needed to aggressively prune them back 5, 6 times a year, otherwise they were banging up under the 8 ft tall metal roof overhang and punching holes in the adjacent screens only inches away. Six weeks ago I finally decided it was time to dig 'em up and plant a softer, slower growing, smaller hedge that required less maintenance. When I first dug my shovel into the soil under them 10 - 12 foot clusters, it was like trying to dig up concrete. These guys were tough ! Their stringy roots defied removal. However, they CAN BE KILLED,...with patience and dogged determination ! It took me almost 6 weeks of hot, sweaty work to complete the entire elimination job and then plant the new hedge. Am impressed you were able to transplant 9 of them by yourself, - how long did it take ? Will add a photo of the healthy arecas prior to the work,..then a photo of my just completed ( yesterday ) 6 small new hedge plants that will top out at 6 - 8 feet and only need trimming once a year, starting 5 yrs from now ! ( smile ) All's well that ends well,..the result has turned out OK,... according to my neighbors. ( smile ) Only advise, the Areca Palms are very attractive, - just be careful where you plant them !