advice on collecting a japanese maple from my garden

[adamc]

I was given a Japanese Maple when I bought my first house a few years ago. It was a small (and expensive!) little thing, but I planted it in my garden, watered, fertilized etc. It grew quite nicely, though it tends to get burned a little every summer (I planted it in direct, unfiltered sun...oops). Last year I began pruning it carefully, trying to follow some of the instructions I have read about on here and other sources, trying to inch it towards an eventual bonsai-type material. It was getting a little leggy, so I gave it a shot. I haven't done anything drastic, because I am not very experienced yet. Just tried to get my feet wet. I managed to prune it back nicely, all while maintaining the look I wanted for my front yard.

I am going to be moving in the next few months. I would LOVE to take the tree with me. The base is thickening up nicely and I have been working branches lower and lower on the trunk. There are a few within the first 6 or 8 nches. Obviously it is still big up top. I know I have a long way to go towards a bonsai, and I may never decide to start training it. All I know is I want to keep it.

Can someone direct me, or at least give me some advice about transplanting the maple out of the ground, into a (large?) pot, and across the country? I am in SE Georgia now, and moving to Massachusetts. I am worried winter isn't the best time, but I don't think I have a choice.

I will post a picture a little later.

Thanks in advance, everyone.

 

[Dav4]

You could collect the maple now, or any time in the near future until the buds open and foliage develops. If you don't need to collect immediately, then wait until the buds on the tree start to swell (March). Once collected, you don't want the rootball to freeze, which could still happen here in GA or up in MA, where they get freezes into May. If you are planning on replanting it in your new yard after the move, I would simply dig a large rootball at collection, place in a plastic nursery can and top off with potting soil as needed. If you are planning to keep the tree potted long term, either as pre-bonsai stock or simply as a potted maple, I would hose away ALL of the native soil from the roots and plant in a good bonsai soil. By the way, I did just the opposite as you are about to do, moving from MA to N. GA, 3 years ago...filled up a 26' moving truck with my bonsai as well as 10 Acer palmatums of various types that I dug from my yard. Good luck,

Dave

 

[Bill S]

I agree with Dave on this, do the dig as close to move time as possible, if the ball is large you can wrap it tightly in a tarp for the transfer, although a large plastic pot may keep the root ball together better. What area you coming to? It is possible that you won't be able to dig right away without machinery, depending on when you get here and how bad the end of winter is.

 

[adamc]

Meant to answer a while ago. I am moving to Boston and will be buying a large pot to put the maple in this weekend. I love the tree, I hope it survives. I am going to make every effort to make it work. Hopefully the moving company won't screw up all of my work.

It will stay in a pot for a few years (I plan to rent for a while). I may keep it in a pot forever, but I am not 100% positive. Since I have the chance to change things now, I am going to make up some nice bonsai-type soil. I am willing to put some money into this tree, as it was a gift and I want to give it the best chance possible. It is basically in a clay hole with some bag potting soil placed around it right now. I live in SE Georgia and I didn't really know what I was doing when I planted it. So I guess anything would be better

Thanks, everyone.

 

[adamc]

I removed the maple successfully. It wasn't too hard. The root ball was a lot larger than it used to be, but still relatively small. I rinsed most of the native soil off, and planted it in a large pot.

I didn't have access (or time) to good bonsai soil, so I did my best making it with soil from my vegetable garden, vermiculite and peat moss. It worked really well. Thing is, it doesn't seem to drain that well. It drain okay, probably as well as the ground did. I have 5 large holes in the bottom of the pot. It just seems really slow. I am afraid of standing water.

I think I should try again. Does anyone have any idea of something (readily available at Lowe's) I can get to add to my current soil so it will drain more readily?

Should I do this? Seems risky considering I just pulled it out.

Maybe I am just worrying myself.

HELP!

 

[evmibo]

have you searched for turface? here's a link where you can search for distributors in your state - hopefully you find one close by. I mix my turface with composted pine - which I usually order online. But perhaps peat moss could be substituted if you already have that?

 

[seth ellwood]

This is what myself and a few others use when we are developing prebonsai.I only switch to a bonsai like mix when I am finished growing the roots and branches and move in to the selection and branch ramification phase
.http://www.fafard.com/Products/MiddleWeightMixes.aspx
The specific mix is the 3b it holds moisture well in the south drains freely like a bonsai mix but has a little more organic in it to promote rapid growth of roots and branches witch in turn helps aid in rapid large wound healing.And can be found at a ton of garden and landscape stores all over the us. I use turface to mix in with my bonsai mix it is a little more pricey than the 3b.