Moving a Japanese Maple

[KRibik]

I need some advise on relocating a J. Maple that has a trunk diameter of about 8" and a canopy that stretches about 13' across. It's beautiful and it HAS to be moved or cut down. I'm afraid to attempt this. I don't want to kill it. Is this the right time to move it? The leaves are just starting to show growth. Are these roots very shallow and how wide to I try to dig it out. Or....don't try and hire someone. The problem is that I keep getting different answers from different landscapers. Can it be dug out with a tree digger or does it have to be by hand? Can it be left in burlap for a few weeks or right in the ground? KRibik

 

[Boa07]

Japanese maple are notoriously delicate and difficult to transplant. Many years ago I helped my father in the UK move 3 Acer palmatum from one side of his property to the other. We waited till the trees were in their winter dormancy and retained as much root system as physically possible. Now would not be a good time to move your trees, but if you had no choice in the timing it would still be possible to transplant after a fair bit of preparation work.

Strongly advise you get help with this project, the sheer physical effort required lifting even a moderately sized root ball is too much for one person. Get in touch with qualified, preferrably certified ISA Arborist in your locality to help. Go here http://www.isa-arbor.com/findArborist/findarborist.aspx enter the state your in and look for the Arborist closest to your location.

 

[treeseer]

if you had no choice in the timing it would still be possible to transplant after a fair bit of preparation work.

Strongly advise you get help with this project, the sheer physical effort required lifting even a moderately sized root ball is too much for one person. Get in touch with qualified, preferrably certified ISA Arborist in your locality to help. Go here http://www.isa-arbor.com/findArborist/findarborist.aspx enter the state your in and look for the Arborist closest to your location.

Right, and use a machine like a backhoe if one is available and accessible. Posting a picture would help explore fesibility.

 

[Dixie1]

get a quote on someone to use a tree spade to transplant it. i would advise you to wait until fall when there are no leaves on the tree. i had a 7" diameter live oak transplanted this past fall and it has done really well. it was the same situation, move it, or it has to go. they only charged us $200. pretty reasonable for the size of the tree. i made sure they used a spade that was large enough to get as many roots as possible. it was watered throughout the fall and winter and so far so good.

 

[Newt*]

You might also find this info helpful.
http://www.mountainmaples.com/WS4D_Cookie=5.24.04_17,39,13_15/ART_plant_landscape.html

Newt

 

[Highclimber OR]

Yes I have done exactly what you are talking about. Today it is doing very well and is about 97 years old and 9" on the base. Very similar in size to yours. I did it by hand and took a very, very, large rootball. The rootball barely fit in the old garbage truck, but man that beautiful tree was worth every ounce of labor that was put in to it. If you ever come to Portland,OR I would be glad to show it as it is one of my favorite specimens. I do not live where I left it, I figured one major move was enough.

 

[Highclimber OR]

Oh yeah, I would not recommend doing what I did. A tree spade sounds like your best bet, just make sure it is someone who specializes in this type of thing.

 

[osb_mail]

what type of jap maple

Depending on the type jap. maple it might be hard to move with a tree spade . If it it a cut leaf maple with crown of 13ft a spade would probably break alot of branches due to there weeping habit .If it is a bloodgood are similar the move with a spade would be easy .

 

[Newt*]

Osb makes a good point. The crown would need to be GENTLY well wrapped.

Newt

 

[Dixie1]

Agree for sure. you hate to go the expense and trouble for the crown to get damaged. with a second live oak we attempted to move, that was probably too big to move with the spade, we had to cut a limb (well, a good sized branch) in order for the spade to actually get around the tree to pick it up. we lost this live oak. i think the combo of the size and the branch that we cut and the move was just too much for the tree to recover from. it was definitely worth a try though. it would have been torn down anyway.