Collecting a Japanese Maple

[crab apple]

I have the opportunity to dig up a Japanese Maple out of someone's yard. I don't know the cultivar but it looks way better than the Bloodgood and empyreal one I have. Its got smaller leaves with short internodes and is still red in color, it also has a well developed trunk . Any chance of this working right now in the summer time? It's about 7 feet tall. I collected two Yaupon Hollys in the last 5 weeks and both of them seemed to have pulled trough, at least they're popping buds. Maples seem more delicate, except for the local swamp maples. I won't be able to do it in the spring time, it's now or never so I guess I'm gonna give it a try. Here's the big question. Should I leave any foliage on?
So far out of all the stuff I have collected only the stuff that I cut back to a stump survived. If I left much foliage they always seemed to die. But none of them were maples, (except the swamp maples that seem to be tough as nails).
I don't have any pics.

 

[Shogun610]

Wait till spring before buds open up, I like to shoot for when they first start enlarging … 7 ft tall? Lol I’d pass

 

[Srt8madness]

There is a very, teeny tiny chance it survives. Youpon holly are bulletproof, total opposite of japanese maples. 9a is about the hottest zone where JMs can thrive as it is.

You should at least take a couple hundred cuttings. Won't hurt chances if you try the transplant and gives you 200 chances of replicating whatever cultivar it is.

 

[Mikecheck123]

I have the opportunity to dig up a Japanese Maple out of someone's yard. I don't know the cultivar but it looks way better than the Bloodgood and empyreal one I have. Its got smaller leaves with short internodes and is still red in color, it also has a well developed trunk . Any chance of this working right now in the summer time? It's about 7 feet tall. I collected two Yaupon Hollys in the last 5 weeks and both of them seemed to have pulled trough, at least they're popping buds. Maples seem more delicate, except for the local swamp maples. I won't be able to do it in the spring time, it's now or never so I guess I'm gonna give it a try. Here's the big question. Should I leave any foliage on?
So far out of all the stuff I have collected only the stuff that I cut back to a stump survived. If I left much foliage they always seemed to die. But none of them were maples, (except the swamp maples that seem to be tough as nails).
I don't have any pics.

Get as many roots as you can, and trim most of the footage off (but not all of it). Keep it in the shade. Cross fingers.

The issue with summer collections is that the tree's water requirements are very high. So a root disturbance will naturally reduce its water uptake, which you compensate by removing foliage.

You don't want to remove all of it though, because there's not enough time or energy to grow all new foliage before winter. Keep some on to help develop roots and store energy needed to survive the winter.

It can work.

 

[Kdwy]

I would recommend waiting until spring to collect it if possible and instead attempting to work on the foliage right now (potentially trunk chopping it to a desired height) and look into applying a “tourniquet“ to some of the larger roots coming off the nebari. This is done by tightly attaching a wire, zip tie, or something similar around a couple of the larger roots to encourage more root tips to form between the trunk and the tourniquet which in turn makes it easier to transplant later.

 

[19Mateo83]

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Of all people I know…. Wait till spring. Lessons learned on out of reason JM transplanting below.
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/massive-sango-kaku.55103/

 

[Mikecheck123]

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Of all people I know…. Wait till spring. Lessons learned on out of reason JM transplanting below.
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/massive-sango-kaku.55103/

But that tree had all the foliage left on and wasn't in the shade. That's a recipe for failure.

These are critical steps if OP needs to collect now or never.

 

[19Mateo83]

But that tree had all the foliage left on and wasn't in the shade. That's a recipe for failure.

These are critical steps if OP needs to collect now or never.

It was under a big elm and it got about 2 hours of direct sun in the am and I did remove a lot of greenery. I think the wounds to the trunk and the root ball by the weekend warrior with a mini excavator played more of a part than the sunlight or the leaves. But…. It shows how critical it is to balance it out and if possible wait till spring.

 

[crab apple]

thanks for everyone's response. The homeowner is going to remove and dispose of the tree if I don't get it so I will give it a try.
I'll heed the warnings and keep it in shade and remove foliage, but one more question, If it's so delicate; should I remove foliage by plucking the leaves instead of just pruning entire branches?

 

[Hack Yeah!]

You haven't given much info on the size other than the height. How thick is the trunk and how much of a canopy does it have? You'll likely need to prune full branches and seal the cuts

 

[Underdog]

My suggestion is to cut back leaving some foliage. Get all the rootball you can in a bag and take home and plant in the ground until spring. I have done this.

 

[Mikecheck123]

thanks for everyone's response. The homeowner is going to remove and dispose of the tree if I don't get it so I will give it a try.
I'll heed the warnings and keep it in shade and remove foliage, but one more question, If it's so delicate; should I remove foliage by plucking the leaves instead of just pruning entire branches?

Nah. What's delicate isn't the structure of the tree but its water intake capabilities.

 

[Dav4]

I’ve transplanted… Read that as dug a yard tree out of the ground and moved it to another place in the yard and planted it there… largish Japanese maples in the middle of July in Massachusetts. It can be done but you really need to get as many roots as possible.

 

[crab apple]

I dug a hole where I wanted to transplant that maple to just to make sure it wasn't wet. It was dry yesterday when I dug it but today when I checked it it was wet, likely the root ball might even require it to be deeper. Is this normal for water to leach into a hole or is this certain death for a maple? I have a few high spots but there's no shade.

 

[rockm]

I dug a hole where I wanted to transplant that maple to just to make sure it wasn't wet. It was dry yesterday when I dug it but today when I checked it it was wet, likely the root ball might even require it to be deeper. Is this normal for water to leach into a hole or is this certain death for a maple? I have a few high spots but there's no shade.

That is a potential death sentence for the tree. The hole is below the water table in your backyard. The rootball will be sitting in a swamp. It could push new roots above the sump, but that could take time if it does. The drainage there is probably not going to change, and will be probably be worse when it rains. I'd find another spot.

 

[Underdog]

Wow you in the Everglades? You could build a raised bed on that well draining sand and use box store garden soil. Fill the hole w/oyster shells first. Frame of some sort around it. Is this tree really worth it? LOL

 

[Firstflush]

…or heavy irrigation if not a shallow water table.

 

[crab apple]

Now that I think about it there is a huge pile of fill dirt not 30 yards from this hole. I'm actually building a new house in this local, a bunch of 2x12s that were used for the foundation could make me a quicky raised bed. hmm, this might work. I also have irrigation within a few feet of this area, I'm planning a bonsai themed back yard and this is a little low area out past my actual back yard. The lot is 2.5 acres.