Transplanting and moving japanese maples

[Treestruck]

I have 3 japanese maple trees, 2 with feathery leaves, and 1 with smooth leaves. they are all about 3.5 feet tall and about as wide. I want to transplant them all and move them with me from Maryland to Massachusetts. I want them to survive and i need help. I am moving in less than 2 weeks and need advice:

Can I dig them up NOW and burlap them making sure I keep the roots intact of course? What is the best way to care for them while in this burlappesd state? How wide of a root ball do I need to maintain when digging them up? Since the trees are rather wide, is it o.k. to prune the branches back so as not to break them as they are? How much can I prune without a problem? I plan to tow them in a little u-haul attached to my car -- any advice on how best to preserve them while transporting them? Thanks so much for your help!

 

[Darin]

If you can wait to harvest this will be best. If you do harvest 2 weeks before it is very tough on the tree. It is already hard on them if you do it quickly. If try to harvest them now put them in an area where you can mulch around the root balls and irrigate. If they are only 3.5 feet tall the diameter of the tree is not too big so I would say maybe a little bigger than the drip line of the tree or at least double the size (width) of a 5 gallon bucket, but not necessarily as deep (2feet). Do not prune the trees as they will have a tough enough time with the harvest. Try to make it as unstressful (for them) as possible. Tie the top of the tree when shipping to reduce the space taken instead of pruning. Even in normal situations 25% of transplanted trees on average dont make it. Good luck and hope this helps.

 

[didgeridoo]

transplanting trees

when replanting your maples, consider a mychorrizae root treatment to aid re-rooting and help reduce transplant stress.