I wouldn't worry about a tree that's only three years old. It should be fine to transplant. I've moved plenty that were 3-5 years old. Just dig up a reasonable sized root ball. The size will depend on the plant, but as a rule of thumb try to make it about the size of the drip line. I know this gets to be impossibly heavy, and you can cheat it, but the bigger, the better. When you plant it, mulch well around it, but leave a few inches from the trunk. In fact, don't make a big mulch volcano like you typically see, instead, make it nice and wide, and no more than 2-3 inches deep.

You're going to get lots of sun burned leaves this summer. Make sure the area gets some afternoon shade, as Texas summers can be brutal.

Good luck,
Warren

That is good advice from Warren!

I don't like the idea of moving a Japanese Maple in summer.

If you live in Texas, you are in a location that is somewhat stressful for Japanese Maples (which are native to the mountainous, alpine areas of Japan). In their native habitat, they are used to living in areas with lots of water, fairly quick-draining soil, and fairly cool temperatures.

I live in the Pacific Northwest, which generally is a great climate for these trees, since we have two of the above (quick-draining soil and fairly cool temperatures) in abundance here. Ironically, what we don't have here is a lot of rain for about a 3 or 4 month period during the "dry" season (at Seattle's airport, there hasn't been measurable rain in 25 days).

Living in Texas, the stresses you are going to have on a Japanese Maple are 3-fold: 1) heat 2) excess sun; and 3) wind. In siting your tree, you are going to want a location which gets a partial but not total sun exposure. It's especially important to protect the tree from the hottest sun of the afternoon. Also, ideally you want some type of "windbreak" (the house, a fence, even natural hedging or other plants) that can protect the tree from at least 1/3 of the winds it can get, preferably the strongest, prevailing winds.

I have 6 different Japanese Maples in my front yard. I water them, generally, 1x a week, with a hose. They are flourishing (I have acquired all of them in the last 4 years and they all have seed pods, except for 1). I don't fertilize them. They are flourishing because they are well-sited--none of them get significant afternoon sun, and they have good wind protection (two of them have about 300% of the 360% of wind protection, for example, my house, the neighbor's house, a fence, and neighboring plants protect them from all except NE winds).

Good luck. My personal preference is not to move plants in the summer, particularly in an area with a continental climate (I used to live in Wis. & Maryland)!!

My friend and I dug up maple seedlings a few weeks ago.

We've had very co-operative weather since then - cloudy, cool days with some rain even.

After digging up the plant, I drop the root-ball into a container that has been lined with a plastic bag (white shopping bag) and filled with a moist mix of bark and perlite. I fill the container with mulch around the sides of the root-ball. I water thoroughly, then punch holes in the plastic bag along the bottom of the container to allow the mix to drain.

I keep the trees in a shady location for about a week, then I slowly introduce them to sun. I think it will be most important for you to provide a protected area while your tree recuperates from the injury to its roots.

Good luck!

Josh

Hi, did your tree survive the move? I'm curious as we have a Japanese Maple the previous owners planted is an odd place and would like to move it in order to enjoy it. It's Sept in WI and was hoping to try moving it soon.

@healmysole can you provide some additional information? How large is the tree? Any photos? Is there a pressing need to move it now?

The smaller a JM is to move, the easier it is. Young trees with a trunk diameter of less than a inch (about the size of a broom handle) is about the maximum size a homeowner can handle on their own or with another set of hands. Larger than that produces a very large and heavy rootball that is extremely difficult to move without heavy equipment or without damaging a very sensitive root system.

Since root disruption is almost inevitable, JM's should only be moved or transplanted while dormant. From early winter into spring before the tree leafs out.

Absolutely do not dig up a Japanese Maple, or any tree for that matter, in summer or during growing season. Trees must be dormant to dig up their roots as they get damaged and cut in the process. Its like an amputation without anesthesia, so a good chance of death from shock. When transplanting (Nov-Feb) be sure to plant at the same depth it was, tamp and water the soil in very well to be sure no air pockets around the roots. Do not put any dry fertilizer in the hole, after a couple weeks, some water soluble fertilizer at half houseplant strength, like 1/2 tsp per gallon every few weeks during the first year to help it get roots established.

If it is already growing in a pot it can be planted in summer, during few cloudy days if possible, and keep watered every 2 days or so, (but not drowned) whenever you do not get rain throughout the summer.

It’s true that it‘s best not to translant trees during summer but, since you don’t have the luxury of waiting, just do everything you can to protect as much of the root ball as possible and give it plenty of TLC and time to acclimate. Also, just know that there is a risk of losing the tree, but I really think you’ll be okay.

@ gardengal48

My hand can't even go around the base. We have spoken to local landscapers and they all said it's probably not a good idea to move it. I did snip some ends hoping to prop them. Thanks for your help!