Transplanted Red Maple

[mikefc]

Hi Everyone, I am new here and new to the world of moving trees! I just transplanted a red maple about a week ago, but it is not looking very happy and I'm wondering what to do about it.

The tree was dug out with about as large a rootball as I could take, about as far out as the branches extend on either side and the tree was out of the ground for maybe 4-5 hours before being replanted. I dug a nice wide hole for it, mixed some of the soil with the soil that was with the tree and packed it all in, watered it in and basically followed whatever directions I could find on the web.

Here is the tree a day or two after being moved:
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g17/a4udi/maple-leaves.jpg

The leaves started to go limp somewhat, but a week later they have all wilted even more and look like they are all but dead and ready to fall off. They haven't fallen off yet though and the tiny branches they're on still seem to be flexible and in good shape. Do I just need to wait it out and see what happens? Should I expect the leaves to fall off this year and not come back until next year possibly? I checked the soil and it's still moist a few inches down, so I don't think water is a problem... branches seem fine, but the tree just looks very sickly at the moment. Any tips/suggestions or advice would be welcome! Thanks.

 

[S Mc]

Mike, welcome to the site.

You transplanted this tree in leaf, so it is inevitable that the current leaves will wilt due to the transplant shock. It (they?) may very well lose these leaves and you may have to wait until next year for more. When a tree is dug, it loses a large percent of its root system, and therefore, suffers water deficit with the accompanying symptoms.

Keep the area moist and hope for the best.

I am curious that there appear to be two trees in the planting hole and that you planted them so close to a fence.

Red maples get big. Over 2 ft in diameter with a good root flare.

Sylvia

 

[mikefc]

Hi, thanks for the quick reply! I figured it was going through transplant shock but didn't know if it was common for it to lose the leaves at this point, although I'm not surprised. I'm not too worried about the aesthetics this year, just want to make sure it's okay and I am not wasting my time taking care of a dead tree.

And yes, there were two trees in the root ball. The reason being that it was the best and healthiest looking tree(s) I could find where I had access to dig one up. There were a couple others but they seemed to have shallower root systems (they were growing near/on rocks) so I tried to pick the one I thought would have the most roots, or a sturdier trunk.

It is somewhat close to the fence, I'd say about 2 feet away but I didn't think it would grow as wide as you mentioned. I moved a silver maple with my dad about 15 years ago and it was maybe a foot and a half off the fence in our backyard. It's about 20-25 feet tall now and still has lots of clearance, probably a foot and then spreads out above the fence line. I figured it would do something similar to that. Or do Red Maples get that much wider than silvers???

For now I've just been checking the soil and trying to keep it watered when it needs to be. The tree gets sun most of the day too, so I could see how the wilting leaves would take even more of a beating right now and make it appear sick/dead.

 

[S Mc]

Silver maples typically have a broader root flare than red maples.

Was this tree in a full or mostly shady environment where you took it from? If so, the sudden full sun could also be an issue.

You will want to make a choice with one of the trees. You can let them go this season and then save the healthy, surviving one. But just cut the other one off at the ground rather than digging it up.

Sylvia

 

[mikefc]

Yes, it was actually in a shadier area. Still a decent amount of sun, but definitely not as much as it gets now. So you are suggesting to cut one of the two, next spring perhaps???

 

[treeseer]

Yes, it was actually in a shadier area. Still a decent amount of sun, but definitely not as much as it gets now. So you are suggesting to cut one of the two, next spring perhaps???

looksd like 2 separate trees, so you could try teasing them apart this fall if you have a use for another tree. cut one down and it will sprout, and sprout...

yess sudden sun is desiccating--shadecloth? antitranspirant?

 

[S Mc]

Ideally, these wouldn't have been planted together, but separated at the time of digging. To redig them and tease them apart in the fall, IMHO, is going to undo a season's worth of establishment.

If regrowth is a strong problem (and I know that Acer rubrum does sprout from stump cuts), then you actually may want to dig them up immediately, separate and replant them/it. They are only a couple of weeks in the ground and this may be less injurious to them than letting them go into the fall and then redigging.

However, that is also going to be hard on them. This is the reason I suggested waiting and see if they or one of them survive and cutting off the weaker or dead one.

If you do redig now, this would also allow you to move the tree out from the fence a bit, double checking to be sure there are no other structures that will compromise this tree's survival in the years ahead.

Treeseer, what do you think here? David is not convinced that digging now would be less injurious than digging in the fall.

Sylvia

 

[mikefc]

They were so close together when I dug it out, I figured trying to separate them would just make a mess of the rootball, that's why I kept them together. I don't really have an issue with cutting one of them... I mean if it regrows, I can just cut it again. I can't imagine it would regrow that quickly that it would be a nuisance to snip it when it tried to grow again.

Anyway, right after I planted this it was pretty hot 80's+ for about 5 straight days, and dry. It's been raining the past couple days and while I thought the leaves were pretty much dead, they are actually looking a little better today, not as shrivelled up as before which I'm guessing is a good sign... better than them falling off which is what I expected

Thanks for all the great help on this site though! I wish I found it before I moved this thing

Oh, and I checked the clearance with the fence again too, and I think the pic is just deceving... I've got about a 50 foot oak behind the fence and looking at it's huge trunk, it would actually fit where the mape is now... so I doubt it would be any sort of problem for a loong time, if at all.

 

[S Mc]

Sounds like things are progressing well, Mike. Good luck.

Sylvia

 

[mikefc]

Sounds like things are progressing well, Mike. Good luck.

Sylvia

Update... Leaves are still dead looking but branches are good and it has actually started growing new leaves at the bottom of the tree. I thought it might come back next year, but wasn't expecting new leaves this season... that is a good sign I'm guessing!