Moving Acer Tree

mgill75eZ7YIWaG · September 2020

Hi. I have a 15 year old Acer that is about 10-12 feet tall.

It is planted at the bottom of my small garden Which declines away from my house. We are redesigning the garden and deciding to level it with a retaining wall. By doing so the earth around the Acer will be raised By about 4ft.

Ideally I would like to relocate the Acer to another location in the garden.

Should I :

1. relocate. How do I ensure it survives?
or
2. Leave it where it is and Trim up the branches and Bury the trunk by 4 ft?

I really don’t want to lose the tree. What would anyone suggest?

thanks for your help.

Fairygirl · September 2020

You certainly can't bury it in 4 feet of soil.
It's a very large specimen to try and move. You'd need to wait until it's dormant, make sure it's thoroughly soaked, dig it put with as much rootball as possible, and replant, making sure it's well watered in. You can also prune it back to lessen the stress. If you prep the new hole before moving, that makes it less stressful too.

Whether it survives or not is debatable.

Liriodendron · September 2020

Definitely not 2. Burying the trunk will kill the tree.

I'm not sure how much success you'd have moving an acer of that size but if it's a case of moving it or cutting it down, you've nothing to lose. Wait until it's dormant in winter, and prepare the site you want to put it in, first. Then dig the tree up with as large a rootball as you possibly can, keeping as many roots intact as possible, and slide it onto a tarpaulin to move it. At 10-12 feet I guess you'll need help moving it into its new position. Consider staking it so it doesn't rock in high winds, and keep it very well watered.

Edited to add: welcome to the forum!

paulmack1 · May 2022

Hello Everyone,
Im new to the forum!
Reading the comments re the Acer, I too would like to throw in my similar question.
My Son is having a complete garden makeover in June of this year (minimalistic look).
His garden is extremely well stocked with mature plants (previous owner) of which I have obtained and successfully planted many in my own garden.

They have a gorgeous green ‘dwarf’ Acer which sadly has no place in their makeover and I was hoping I could have it dug out and replanted in mine?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
Paul

JennyJ · May 2022

Worth a go if it's a choice of move or ditch.

Have the new site prepared (hole dug and any soil improvement that might be needed - others will be able to advise better on what acers like), water the tree very well the day before the move, dig it up carefully with as large a root ball as possible to get the fine outer feeder roots not just the big thick anchor roots. The root ball could be as wide as the canopy of leaves and branches. Have a tarp or something ready to lift it onto and wrap the rootball for transport to keep the rootball together and reduce drying out, then get it moved and into its new home as quickly as possible, water it in well and make sure it doesn't dry out through the summer.

When you say " I was hoping I could have it dug out and replanted in mine" do you mean you would get contractors to do it? I don't think I'd trust them to take out a big enough root ball without supervision because (a) it's heavier and (b) they need more soil to fill the hole left behind.

Fairygirl · May 2022

Hi @paulmack1. Have you got a photo?
It's certainly possible to move an Acer, but various factors will determine the success.

It's probably not the ideal time of year though, but if it isn't too big, and you can get it out successfully, with a good rootball, and get it re planted quickly, it could be fine.

In damper, cooler areas, it's much easier too, and so is the aftercare. That's also very important.

Arthur1 · May 2022

You can't Bury it with soil but you could raise the ground level around the trunk using pebbles. Not an ideal solution but this would allow the trunk to breathe.

cmarkr · May 2022

Kate 7 said:

You can't Bury it with soil but you could raise the ground level around the trunk using pebbles. Not an ideal solution but this would allow the trunk to breathe.

They'd just fill up with soil over time.

If burying it, you could try and ground layer at the same time, remove a ring of bark down to the cambium layer a length equal to the diameter and wrap in sphagnum moss before burying it and it may grow new roots from that site long before the buried trunk rots. I'm not aware of anyone doing this successfully or otherwise but not sure there's a reason why it couldn't work. Google air layering for videos of how to do the ringing etc.

punkdoc · May 2022

Sounds like a good way to kill it.

Fairygirl · May 2022

You couldn't keep it alive if you bury it with anything - pebbles included.

StephenSouthwest · May 2022

I wonder if you could build a barrier around the trunk strong and durable enough to keep the soil away from it?

I wonder about a 5' tall corrugated plastic pipe, which would need cutting, and then supporting with a couple of rings in the inside, or summat similar...

Moving Acer Tree

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