I used this approach on a few Red Maple voluteers that I've had in the
ground for a few years. This spring I transplanted them to a growing
bed. One of them I did severe root pruning, removing all the major
meaty roots, this one was the largest of the three. The next smallest
I didn't disturb the root ball at all. The third and smallest I root
pruned a little but didn't remove any major roots.

As others have mentioned the one that has put on the most growth this
year is the middle sized one which I did the least amount of root work
on, it has tripled in sized, and surpased the largest one. Infact the
smallest one in the spring has grown past what was the largest one
that I did the sever root pruning to.

However the one that I did the most root pruning to has been much much
more stable. It has had very little leaf curl from dry periods, and no
real signs of distress just nice healthy leaes all summer long. The
other two that I did no root work to have strugled with wilting and
leaf curl during the hottest parts of the summer.

All in all I'd say that for the health of the plant doing root work is
worth sacraficing the amount of growth. Hopefully in two years I will
have a nice forest or group planting of Red Maples.

And If I were transplanting I wouldn't trunk chop in the same year. As
Keith Scott said recently in a workshop, Leaves make Roots, Roots
don't make leaves.

-Ethan


--
Ethan Smith, Columbus, Ohio
USDA Zone 6, Sunset 35 & 41
but wait around, it may feel more like zone 2 or even 9?

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