hi, have a one metre high japanese maple, what are my chances of digging it
up and keeping it alive please?
many thanks john west

The message
from "john west++++" contains these words:

hi, have a one metre high japanese maple, what are my chances of digging it
up and keeping it alive please?

Absolutely zero unless you replant it.

Janet

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from "john west++++" contains these words:

hi, have a one metre high japanese maple, what are my chances of digging
it
up and keeping it alive please?

Absolutely zero unless you replant it.

Janet


LOL!

Very good especially if you wait another month or two when it will have
dropped its leaves. I gave a maple away many years ago to a friend its still
thriving, it was about 4 or 5ft high.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to
newsgroups)

On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 23:25:00 +0100, john west++++ wrote:

hi, have a one metre high japanese maple, what are my chances of digging it
up and keeping it alive please?

Quite high if you do it right.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

How long do you have to do this? If you have time on your hands then you
can minimise the stress to the tree VERY easily.

If you could wait untill collection in 2005 then this is what I would do.

In April dig a trench about a metre around the outside of the tree. Cut
all the roots back to there. Also if you can dig low enough go for the
taproot IF it has one (chances are that a nice pot born on is unlikely
to have a good one on it). Then put all the soil back.

Following year, do the same but transplant.

By doing this, you`ve allowed the tree to get rid of it`s main root
systems in favour of smaller feeder roots which wont be too developed in
the second year making it easier and less stressfull to move.

I have successfully achieved a 40 year old pine tree with this method
from a interesting rock face (such things are rare in lincs) for Bonsai.
And yes it was in an exposed windy place with very little nutrient. Was
only about 2 ft high. Unbeliable luck even finding it.

--
email farmer chris on
Please don`t use as it`s a spam haven.

On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 23:25:00 +0100, john west++++ wrote:

hi, have a one metre high japanese maple, what are my chances of digging it
up and keeping it alive please?
many thanks john west

I did this early this year, as the first leaf buds were unfolding - I know,
not the traditionally best time for it. I just dug it up. My tree was
around 4-5' high and I dug it up with around 18" diameter of earth around
it - most of which had fallen off by the time I'd got it to the other side
of the garden and I planted it with almost bare roots. I had to cut through
a fair few roots but it survived my mishandling and is now thriving in the
new spot.

I think they're a lot tougher than a lot of people think. Anyway if you do
it when it's dormant I don't suppose you'll have any trouble at all.

--
Tim.

If the human brain were simple enough that we could understand it, we would
be so simple that we couldn't.