Is it time to move your Japanese Maple? Sometimes you have to face up to the fact that your tree is simply not in the right place. However, the prospect of digging up and moving a maple that’s rooted securely in the ground isn’t very appealing. How can you get it right and ensure that you don’t seriously damage or even kill your prized specimen? The following guide will cover everything you need to know to transplant an established Japanese Maple.
The best time to move your Japanese Maple is in late winter or early spring while it’s still dormant. When you transplant an established tree, you’ll need to dig out a wide root ball that’s at least a foot deep. Plant the tree in a shallow, extra-wide hole, keeping the root flare slightly above ground level.
Avoid mixing in lots of organic matter when transplanting, which could discourage the roots from growing beyond the planting hole. It’s usually better to add compost and mulch on top of the soil instead of mixing it into the backfill. We’ll get into much more detail below about how to care for your Japanese Maple before, during, and after you transplant it.
Are Japanese Maples Hard to Transplant?
Compared to trees like walnut, beech, and oak, Japanese Maples are fairly easy to transplant. While their root systems can spread pretty wide over time, they generally don’t infiltrate foundations and pipes. And these trees don’t form deep taproots. In fact, the vast majority of even a mature Japanese Maple’s roots will be no further than three feet down.
Still, the ease of transplanting obviously depends a great deal on how old, large, and well-established your Japanese Maple is. A dwarf tree that you planted two or three years ago will be simpler to move than a big maple that’s been growing in the same spot for a decade.
Note that when you transplant an established Japanese Maple, the roots must stay packed in soil during transport. This adds considerably to the overall weight of the tree. You can get an idea of how heavy your Japanese Maple and its root ball will be by measuring its caliper, AKA the diameter of the trunk at a height of six inches from the ground.
- Less than one inch: Likely about 50-80 pounds
- One to two inches: 80-150 pounds
- Three to four inches: 150-300 pounds
If your Japanese Maple is taller than seven or eight feet tall, you should consider contacting a professional arborist or landscaper. Very mature trees have a harder time recovering from transplant shock since their root systems tend to be wider. And, of course, a really big Japanese Maple may not be practical to dig up and transport without earthmoving equipment.
Is It a Bad Idea to Transplant an Established Japanese Maple?
Any time you move a large, established tree, you’re putting its life (not to mention your back!) at risk. As such, it’s worth stopping to ask yourself what you’re hoping to accomplish by transplanting your Japanese Maple.
Here are a few decent reasons to move an established Japanese Maple:
- To give it more space. Japanese Maples can make good foundation plantings, but many people underestimate their mature size. If the tree gets too big for its space, it may scrape against the house or tangle with power lines. You can try to keep a Japanese Maple small, but moving it is often a better option.
- For better aesthetics. Maybe the tree’s look isn’t right for what’s around it, or you think it could bring a bare spot in the landscape to life. Transplanting it may take your garden from good to great.
- To improve its growing conditions. If your Japanese Maple was originally planted too low in the landscape, water may pool around its base instead of flowing away as it should. Wet feet can be deadly for these plants, so you may want to raise or re-site your tree. Other possible reasons include moving your tree for more morning sunlight, more afternoon shade, or better shelter from strong winds.
- Because you’re moving. You’ve put years of work into tending a gorgeous Japanese Maple. Now you have to move, but you can’t bear to part with your tree. Assuming the new location has the right growing conditions, you could try to take your maple with you.
When Is the Best Time to Transplant a Japanese Maple?
Assuming you’ve decided you do want to move your maple, the next question to consider is timing. Moving a Japanese Maple at the right time can dramatically improve its odds of survival. You should always transplant an established Japanese Maple when it’s dormant unless you have no other alternative. A tree loses most of its moisture through transpiration — water vapor flowing out of the leaves.
Your Japanese Maple is more susceptible to dehydration if you disturb its roots while it’s covered with living foliage. On top of that, uprooting the tree during its period of active growth could cause a major setback. It might even prevent your Japanese Maple from storing up enough energy to make it through the next winter.
Early spring — after the ground thaws but before your tree sprouts new leaves — is usually the ideal time to transplant. Moving it at this time means it won’t have long to wait before it can start rebuilding its root system. However, it’s also okay to transplant your Japanese Maple in the late fall once the leaves have dried up.
If your Japanese Maple seems sick or stressed, resist the temptation to move it right away. Yes, the current environment may be part of the problem, but you should try to restore it to decent health before transplanting. A maple that’s overwatered, infected, or sunburned will be more likely to succumb to transplant shock.
Estimating Root Ball Size to Transplant a Japanese Maple
You’re almost certainly not going to be able to keep all of your tree’s roots when you move it. They may grow well past the edges of the crown of the tree — moving them all would make for a huge, unwieldy mass of soil. But how much of its root system does the tree need in order to survive?
Once again, we’ll estimate based on the trunk caliper. If it’s an inch or less in diameter, the root ball should be one foot across. If it’s wider, take 10-12 inches of roots for every inch of trunk width. For example, to transplant an established Japanese Maple with a 2.5-inch caliper, plan for a root ball with a diameter of 25-30 inches.
How to Transplant an Established Japanese Maple, Step by Step
Now let’s walk through the process of digging up and transplanting your tree. You may want to start preparing as much as a year in advance unless there’s a reason for urgency. Proper planning makes every step of the process easier. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Step 1: Prune Your Japanese Maple’s Roots
Cutting back your tree’s roots ahead of time will reduce the strain on its system. This spreads out the damage to its roots instead of subjecting them to one big shock.
Root pruning also encourages your Japanese Maple to grow more feeder roots near the trunk. That’s good, because as we noted above, you won’t be able to move the entire root mass. Having lots of feeder roots closer to the center gives the tree more to work with after you transplant it.
Take an edging spade and use it to chop into the soil near the drip line of your Japanese Maple. Sink the blade of your spade into the ground, then stamp it down roughly a foot into the earth.
Repeat until you’ve created a continuous edge all the way around your maple. Many gardeners instinctively carve it out in a circle shape, but more recent research suggests a square is better. This makes the roots more likely to grow out after replanting instead of circling around and girdling the trunk.
If you don’t need to transplant your Japanese Maple right away, you can start this process a year ahead of time. Prune back the roots once in early spring, once in late summer, and then one final time in late autumn. The following spring, you’ll transplant your Japanese Maple. If you don’t have that much lead time, at least try to give it a chop a month or two before moving it.
Step 2: Assemble Your Transplanting Tools
Along with your edging spade, here’s what you’ll need to transplant an established Japanese Maple:
- Digging fork: An all-steel garden fork will help you lever your tree out of the ground.
- Rope or twine: Use this to bind up the branches and keep them out of your face.
- Burlap: This may not be strictly necessary if you’re able to immediately move your Japanese Maple into its new hole. But if it’s going to be above ground for more than a minute or two, you should wrap up the root ball. Get a square of burlap wide enough to completely swaddle the roots and soil, along with some sturdy pins or nails to fasten it.
- Mulch: Helps retain moisture in the soil, reducing the risk of transplant shock. Composted conifer tree bark is a fantastic mulch for Japanese Maples. Avoid using uncomposted wood chips, as these can pull nitrogen out of the soil while decomposing.
- Compost: Some vermicompost can improve the soil and give your tree a bit of nutrition, though it’s also not 100% necessary.
- A cart. Why strain yourself by trying to carry your Japanese Maple all the way to its new spot? Haul it in a garden cart instead. If the root mass is too big to fit, you might need a lawn tractor with a sturdy trailer. For a low-tech alternative, grab a tarp — you can plop your maple on it and drag it over the ground.
- Friends: We’re not trying to say your friends are tools. But they may be a necessary part of the process if you’re moving a large and heavy root ball. We recommend having at least one person to help you move your tree.
Step 3: Dig the Planting Hole
When you transplant an established Japanese Maple, one of the biggest dangers is letting the roots dry out. To minimize the time that your tree is out of the soil, have the new hole ready ahead of time.
The depth of the new hole is crucial. It should be slightly shallower than your Japanese Maple’s root ball so your tree sits a bit above the soil line when transplanted. This helps improve drainage, particularly since your Japanese Maple will settle a bit over time. If it winds up lower than the surrounding ground, water will pool there and swamp the roots.
Your tree’s root flare — the spot where the roots branch off from the trunk — should be at least 1-1.5 inches above the soil line. If your soil has poor drainage, you may want to go even higher. For heavy clay soils, position the root flare two to four inches above the ground.
The root ball will typically be one to two feet in height. That means you’ll want to dig the hole between 10.5 and 22.5 inches for fast-draining soil, or between eight inches and 20 inches in denser ground. Make the sides of the hole slant inward rather than going straight down into the earth.
For best results, dig a square planting hole at least three or four times as wide as the root mass you’re transplanting. (See above for a reminder of how to estimate this.) A wide, sloping hole ensures that there’s plenty of loose earth into which the roots can spread. You don’t want them to hit hard-packed dirt while they’re first beginning to grow back. That could make them wrap around the edges instead of radiating out.
Step 4: Prep Your Japanese Maple
If for some reason you have to move a Japanese Maple during the growing season, give it a good long watering two to three days beforehand. This isn’t necessary if you’re making the transfer while it’s dormant, which, again, is by far the best time.
On the day of the move, take your twine or rope and use it to cinch up the limbs of your Japanese Maple. Push them up and in so that the tree is reaching for the sky, then tie the cord firmly.
If the limbs aren’t flexible enough to bend, don’t force them. This part is just about keeping the branches out of your face while you work. It’s not necessary for the success of the transplant, so don’t break your Japanese Maple by trying to bend it into place. Position your cart (or lay down your tarp) just outside the radius of the root ball. If you’re going to use burlap, spread it out now.
Step 5: Dig Up Your Japanese Maple
Now it’s time to get your tree out of the ground.
Cut into the earth with your edging spade again. To be safe, start an inch or two past where you think the root ball should end. Dig a trench roughly a foot deep and then start slicing in and down to get underneath your Japanese Maple. Cut at an angle, and don’t wiggle or pry the tree yet. You want as much of the soil to stay packed around the root mass as possible.
Once you’ve cut through as many of the roots as possible, start levering your Japanese Maple out of the soil with your garden fork. Work your way around the edges, tilting the tree up to get it loose. You may find that there are still some deeper roots holding your maple in the ground. If so, tip the tree to one side to expose the roots, then slice through them with your spade.
Grip your Japanese Maple near the base of the trunk and lift it onto your cart, tarp, or burlap square. Get your friends to help you pick it up if it’s heavy!
If you need to wrap the roots, now’s the time. Place your Japanese Maple in the middle of the burlap and fold the edges up and over, crossing the top of the root ball diagonally. Stick your pins or nails through the edges, then fold them around and poke back through. Repeat this once or twice to fasten the fabric tightly.
Soak the entire mass of roots with the hose. Keep it out of direct sunlight while it’s above ground, and monitor it to make sure it doesn’t dry out.
Step 6: Transplant Your Japanese Maple
Move your tree over to the new hole and settle it firmly in place. Be conscious of how you’re orienting the tree — it’s likely adapted to the growing conditions in the old location. For instance, if it will be getting a lot of sun on a side with less foliage, you may need to set up some shade cloth. When you transplant an established Japanese Maple, it’s even more sensitive to sun scorch than usual.
If the roots are in burlap, unpin the fabric and gently work it out from under your Japanese Maple. Then fill in around the roots with soil.
Since the planting hole is shallower than the roots, you’ll probably need to find some more soil to make up the difference. One option is to scoop it out of the hole your tree just vacated, provided the soil is of similar quality. Otherwise, just dig some up from nearby.
Some older guides recommend adding compost and organic matter to the backfill. More recent research suggests it can discourage the roots from spreading out. They may simply circle around inside the pocket of rich, fluffy backfill instead of expanding into the less-appetizing native soil. You’re generally better off filling the hole with native soil.
Add enough soil to place your Japanese Maple slightly above the ground as discussed in Step 3. Then cover up the roots until only the root flare is exposed. You should be left with a slightly raised mound around the tree.
Step 7: Water and Mulch Around Your Transplanted Japanese Maple
After your Japanese Maple’s roots are covered, give it a thorough watering to help it settle in place. Double-check to see how much, if any, it’s sunk down. If the root flare is below ground level, you’ll need to lever the tree up again and add more soil.
Add some mulch around the tree to reduce water loss from evaporation. You can also lay down some worm castings first, which will provide a little trickle of nutrition. It’s also good for the soil structure in the long run.
Use two to four inches of fir bark, or one to two inches of worm castings underneath one to two inches of bark. Start an inch or two away from the trunk and spread the mulch out to a few inches past the drip line.
Step 8: Help Your Transplanted Japanese Maple Get Established
Your Japanese Maple will be more vulnerable to dehydration until the roots recover, especially when the weather warms up. Test the soil every few days, watering whenever the top one to two inches have dried out. You’ll need to keep this up at least until this year’s growing season is over and the tree is dormant.
Your Japanese Maple may be more sensitive to direct sunlight or harsh, dry winds while it’s getting settled in. Add some artificial shade and shelter if necessary. You can find more information about proper light conditions for Japanese Maples.
We do not recommend adding fertilizer for at least a year or two after transplanting your Japanese Maple. It’s not necessary, and your tree is unlikely to be able to make use of a heavy dose of nutrients right away. You can easily overdo it and damage the roots. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers also tend to promote foliage growth, and your Japanese Maple needs to focus on regrowing its roots.
Speaking of which, don’t be alarmed if the tree doesn’t add much height or width this year. Even if you get everything right, being uprooted and moved is a bit traumatic for an established Japanese Maple. Most of its progress for the first growing season afterward will be underground and out of sight. As long as it doesn’t seem sickly and dying, you can rest easy.
Final Thoughts
Now you know what it takes to transplant an established Japanese Maple! It’s not exactly an easy process, but it’s simpler than with many other types of trees. If you followed the advice above, your Japanese Maple should be growing happily again within a year. It may even surprise you with especially vigorous growth next spring.