I'm in need of some advice. I tried to move 2 Japanese maples from my mom's place to my own property. One survived the trip quite well and seems to be doing fine in front of my house. The other is a mature cutleaf small tree that didn't go so well. I just wasn't able to get as much of the rootball as I hoped. And on the drive home (an hour) it shifted in the vehicle and much of the rootball was exposed. All the leaves wilted and died off. It was in such bad shape that I didn't try to transplant it but fixed it up in the big plastic pot I transported it in. It did grow a very small number of new leaves and seems to be alive at this point. My question is, at this point, will it cause more stress to transplant it into the ground before winter, or should I leave it in the pot for the winter undisturbed, and replant it in the spring. I am in Kawartha lakes which is about 2 degrees colder even than Toronto where it came from. Any advice is appreciated.
I think the best chance your maple has to recuperate and thrive is to leave it in the pot. To protect it from winter temperatures, you might bury the whole pot in the ground and mulch well with leaves. Otherwise, put the pot in a protected spot and wrap it with burlap or other insulating material. Spring 2020 may still be too early to put the tree in the ground because it is easier to control its growing conditions while it is confined to a pot.
I should add that the pot, if buried, should be dug up again when temperatures warm in the spring. Plants in pots have a habit of growing roots out the holes in the bottom so should be prevented from doing that by raising the pot, even a few inches, above the ground with a couple of bricks or inverted tray. Hopefully your maple will put out new growth next season and you can baby it over the summer, making sure it has adequate water and perhaps giving it a little fertilizer. If it looks healthy enough, you could consider planting it in the ground a year from now. I do hope it survives.
Have you seen established JMs in the KL area ? I ask as it is a full hardiness zone lower than Toronto.
