Have you ordered your ball maple to be relocated? Important precautions must then be taken to ensure that the measure is successful. This guide explains when and how to properly transplant an Acer platanoides Globosum.
How can you successfully transplant a maple maple?
To properly transplant a globe maple (Acer platanoides Globosum), you should do this between October and January, when the tree is in a growth break. Before transplanting, the crown should be trimmed. When digging up, secure a sufficiently large root ball and then plant the tree in a prepared planting hole with enriched substrate.
Best time is in autumn
Parallel to the leaf fall, your maple tree falls into a short period of dormancy. In the period between October and January, the tree is therefore well prepared for the rigors of a change of location. At least half of the leaves should have lost the crown. Frost-free ground and temperatures above freezing are fundamental criteria for carrying out the work.
Pruning eases the strain on the gardener and the tree
Before you dig up the roots, we recommend cutting back the crown. Thin out 3 to 4 of the thickest branches as well as all dead wood. On the young maple tree, shorten all branches by a quarter to a third of their length to compensate for the loss of root mass. Since pruning reduces weight, the following work requires less effort.
Step-by-step instructions – this is how to transplant correctly
The reasons for the change of location may be varied - the procedure always follows the same process. This is how you replant your maple tree in an exemplary manner:
- Cut the tree slice in a circle with the freshly sharpened spade (€48.00 on Amazon)
- The radius is at least three quarters of the crown diameter
- Expand the cut circle into a 10 cm wide trench
- From the trench, cut off the remaining roots in the ground
Lift the maple tree out of the ground and pack the root ball in a jute bag. The more soil that remains attached to the roots, the faster the tree will grow in its new location. The planting hole ideally corresponds to twice the volume of the root ball. Enrich the excavation with compost and horn shavings. It is important to note that the previous planting depth is not changed. Penetrating watering completes the professional process of the transplanting work.
Tip
While transplanting globe maple proves to be a difficult undertaking, regular repotting is a must for Japanese maple in a pot. So that the roots do not come under pressure in the limited substrate volume, the tree should be moved to a larger pot at intervals of 2 to 3 years.