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Planting an Acer from a pot to ground
kelblizzard
Posts: 4
in Plants
Hi everyone. Newbie here!
I have a happy Acer in a pot (has been in the same one for 15 years and has been happy), I now wish to plant it into the ground (we have the correct soil in my area as I have seen many Acer's flourishing nearby). I can do so without damaging the roots in anyway but as it's been in a pot so long, will it hurt it at all planting it into the ground? Thanks for any advice :-)
I have a happy Acer in a pot (has been in the same one for 15 years and has been happy), I now wish to plant it into the ground (we have the correct soil in my area as I have seen many Acer's flourishing nearby). I can do so without damaging the roots in anyway but as it's been in a pot so long, will it hurt it at all planting it into the ground? Thanks for any advice :-)
0
Posts
Your acer will love you for planting it in the ground.
If it's very rootbound, scratch the roots to roughen it up a bit and release them.
Thanks for the advice, good to have the reassurance, it's my most precious plant in my garden so I'm very protective of it :-)
Prepare the hole well before you plant it.
Start by giving the pot a good soak so the roots are thoroughly wet and there are no air pockets left. Then dig a square hole, slightly deeper than the pot and at least half as wide again. Loosen the soil in the bottom of the hole with your fork so that water can drain and also to help the roots penetrate down more easily and work in some well-rotted manure or good garden compost.
Take your acer out of its pot - I lay mine on their sides and use an old bread knife to slide down between the root ball and the sides of the pot so it slides out without stress. Then settle it in the hole and make sure you have it at the right level and facing the right way then use your fingers or a small garden fork to loosen the roots at the sides so they turn outwards, ready to grow into the soil rather than going round and round as if still in a pot. At this point I water well and let it drain and then backfill with the loosened soil from digging the hole. Water again and add a mulch of well-rotted manure to retain moisture and feed the soil organisms and roots.
Water again every couple of days till they are settled especially if it's dry and then once a week till the autumn rains set in. Best to give 10 litres at a time and poured slowly so it penetrates than just a dribble which will encourage roots to grow at the surface and be susceptible to frost and drought.
The others were all done in May when we had temps in the high 30s and they are all growing well - all hidden from the sun at its strongest and all watered as needed. It's fine to plant stuff out now as long as you're there to keep an eye on them and provide after care.