Hi all. My family has a 20 year old green that needs to be moved, but we're hoping we can save it. Any advice on how to prep it and dig it up without killing it? Is it even possible? I sure would like to keep it alive.
Japanese maple? They're quite transplantable. I'd check standard methods for larger trees. If at all possible, start with root pruning, then some time later dig the tree. A professional with a tree spade can probably do the job, if that's within your budget. The most prominent maple in Portland, Oregon's Japanese Garden was, if my memory's correct, from a home where the tree had blocked much of the driveway. The owners, recognizing that the house would eventually have to be sold and that a new owner would almost certainly cut the tree, offered it to the Garden.
Yes, it is a maple. I think a professional is out of the question, but I intend to give it a shot. So you're suggesting that I prune the root structure in the first few layers of dirt, and then let the tree sit for a few days (week maybe), then go back to finish the job? Any specifics would be great. A number of years ago I tried to move an old bloodgood and it didn't make it. But in that instance I dug it up all at once.
I'm not expert on tree moving, so I'd suggest looking for advice (state agricultural extension services tend to have how-to-do-it advice on nearly everything). Root pruning would ideally be done well before moving the tree, probably several months. It's also best to move any plant during cool weather.
If you are going to cut the roots you are best doing it 12 months in advance of replanting, and inserting a root barrier so that the new roots stay within the rootball area. It sounds like this may be outside of your timescale. How big is the tree - height, spread, trunk diameter? For a twenty year old Japanese maple, depending on variety, you may not be able to physically manhandle a large enough rootball with soil intact. The roots are more important to keep than the soil, one option when the tree is dormant would be to semi-bareroot it. Retain as many of the major roots undamaged as you can, digging them out individually as they fan out from the base of the maple. The very fine feeding roots are of little importance during the dormant season, but the larger roots contain the store of energy for next season's growth - the more you can save the better. Have a wide enough planting hole ready prepared, and, as it is likely to be a long process, you might need a spray bottle to mist the exposed roots occasionally. You will need to stake the tree (low) when you replant it. It would be a lot of work for a large Japanese maple (and impossible if it is too large and unwieldy) but, other than getting professionals in with mechanical lifting equipment etc, I don't see too many other options. Good luck.
I don't think you will be able to manage such a large tree without professional help, in view of the size and weight of the rootball which will be necessary to move The normal way to move such a large established tree is to dig a trench around the tree about a year in advance (severing the roots and preventing them from growing outwards again) and then lifting the whole rootball with a suitable mechanical digger. As I say, I think it is beyond your scope to do it, and that your tree will not survive if you try Sorry for the unwelcome opinion :(
What methods we may recommend or advise others to do may not be what we end up doing when we ourselves are presented with a similar dilemma. Moving a mature sized Maple is not such a big deal if and when we take into account what we are up against in the actual move and what we may have to do before and after the tree is transplanted. A simple let's dig it out of the ground, free it and move it to a new location is derelict in our planning for such a mature tree. Taking a tree with us to a new location or to another city can be done but thought preparation for both locations is a requirement. When do we want to move the tree? The best time to move a Maple is when it is dormant. Think of when the best times are to bump Maples in containers up to a larger sized can and then realize these are also good times to transplant Maples as well. Winter and Spring are the preferred times to transplant Maples. Generally we do not move a Maple from a one gallon or a two gallon size up to a five gallon around here during the Summer months but we can do it and be successful at it if we feel we need to or have to. Millet gave a real good account a while back of what to do for tree-root preparation in the UBC Citrus forum in advance of the transplant that can be applied to larger sized Maples. A few particulars may be needed to know before we can go into more specifics later as to what is going on with the tree now such as an abundance of surface roots, branch dieback issues and where it is to go next. Seeking out a professional or two in the business of moving large trees and a qualified arborist should be required if you have not had success in the past transplanting trees. The best advice I can give is that if you are afraid of losing the tree don't dig it out of the ground. If you are not overly hesitant or fearful of it then by all means, contact your nearest Cooperative Extension office and ask them to come out and look at your tree and give you some ideas as to what they recommend to do for the tree preparation (root prep, lift prep, move prep and transplant prep) [and if it were me doing it for one of my trees - prune prep also after or right before the transplant] for both locations. Jim
