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Moving an established Acer in a new garden?

#1 · 5th January 2022, 8:19 pm

Hi all, I have just moved into a property with my partner and we have inherited a gorgeous Acer. The only problem is, as we have a small garden, the Acer seems to be in the way of my garden design plans. Can I dig up the Acer (without hurting it) and re plant it elsewhere in the garden or put it in a very large pot? Thank you.

#2 · 7th January 2022, 4:48 pm

Quote from Lee Garden Ninja on 7th January 2022, 4:48 pm
Hi and welcome to the Garden Ninja Forum!
The good news is that yes, depending on the size, you can successfully move an ornamental Acer tree. When I say depending on size, if the Acer can't be lifted and handled by two people with ease then you probably don't want to try and move anything bigger/heavier than that. The reason is that the rootstock and life support you will need to give any larger tree will be significant so if you're new to gardening I wouldn't advise moving large established trees over 6 ft.
You could lift and put it in a pot but trees will always do better in the ground where they have more access to resources like water and nutrients.
However, because most ornamental Acers are small and slow-growing you should be ok. Without seeing it it is hard to say exactly. Here's some guidance if you need to move a small tree or ornamental Acer.
How to Move an Acer Tree:
You ideally want to move the tree when it is dormant in late winter when the frosts have passed. This is to give it the best chance of reestablishing before the spring when it would normally burst back into life. In spring there is a huge demand on most plants for water and nutrients to put on this year's growth. Some online guides say Autumn but I always find you risk frost before they establish in early Winter. So I prefer late Jan early Feb in the UK to move Acers.
Moving Plants in late Winter: Late Winter when your Acer has lost all its leaves and is dormant is the best time. This is when they are in their rest period. Moving at this time is also less stressful for the plant.
Why we try not to move plants when they are in flower/summer: Moving plants in summer or when in full flower is usually a risky and hazardous move. This is because the tree has put all its energy into flowering. If we then lift and move the Acer tree at this time they have the least resources to then re-establish themselves and get settled.
Trees during summer are at their most stressed and weakest state given all the demands on them from heat and water needs. So unless it's an emergency always leave your trees where they are until early Autumn at the earliest.
Once you have dug up the Acer tree you need to get it into its new position in the garden as soon as possible.
Avoid lifting trees in full sun -always plan to dig them up either early morning or late evening when the sun is at its lowest.
Avoid lifting trees in the middle of heatwave too or when the ground is frozen the same for planting.
3 Steps to Moving a Acer Tree:
Water the shrub thoroughly the day before you lift it. Dig around with a spade and then fork to try and life as much of the rootball as possible
Only move deciduous trees like Acers in late winter when the ground is soft not frozen
Once replanted water as if you had just planted it (because you have) for the first 2-3 weeks and ensure that for the first year after replanting you water in periods of hot weather)
Don't be tempted to feed it or provide lots of fertilizer. It needs to send out roots to help anchor and support itself if you feed it straight away this does more harm than good in slowing down this process.
Hope that helps and welcome to the Garden Ninja community!
Lee

Hi and welcome to the Garden Ninja Forum!

The good news is that yes, depending on the size, you can successfully move an ornamental Acer tree. When I say depending on size, if the Acer can't be lifted and handled by two people with ease then you probably don't want to try and move anything bigger/heavier than that. The reason is that the rootstock and life support you will need to give any larger tree will be significant so if you're new to gardening I wouldn't advise moving large established trees over 6 ft.

You could lift and put it in a pot but trees will always do better in the ground where they have more access to resources like water and nutrients.

However, because most ornamental Acers are small and slow-growing you should be ok. Without seeing it it is hard to say exactly. Here's some guidance if you need to move a small tree or ornamental Acer.

How to Move an Acer Tree:

You ideally want to move the tree when it is dormant in late winter when the frosts have passed. This is to give it the best chance of reestablishing before the spring when it would normally burst back into life. In spring there is a huge demand on most plants for water and nutrients to put on this year's growth. Some online guides say Autumn but I always find you risk frost before they establish in early Winter. So I prefer late Jan early Feb in the UK to move Acers.

Moving Plants in late Winter: Late Winter when your Acer has lost all its leaves and is dormant is the best time. This is when they are in their rest period. Moving at this time is also less stressful for the plant.

Why we try not to move plants when they are in flower/summer: Moving plants in summer or when in full flower is usually a risky and hazardous move. This is because the tree has put all its energy into flowering. If we then lift and move the Acer tree at this time they have the least resources to then re-establish themselves and get settled.

Trees during summer are at their most stressed and weakest state given all the demands on them from heat and water needs. So unless it's an emergency always leave your trees where they are until early Autumn at the earliest.

Once you have dug up the Acer tree you need to get it into its new position in the garden as soon as possible.

Avoid lifting trees in full sun -always plan to dig them up either early morning or late evening when the sun is at its lowest.
Avoid lifting trees in the middle of heatwave too or when the ground is frozen the same for planting.

3 Steps to Moving a Acer Tree:

Water the shrub thoroughly the day before you lift it. Dig around with a spade and then fork to try and life as much of the rootball as possible
Only move deciduous trees like Acers in late winter when the ground is soft not frozen
Once replanted water as if you had just planted it (because you have) for the first 2-3 weeks and ensure that for the first year after replanting you water in periods of hot weather)
Don't be tempted to feed it or provide lots of fertilizer. It needs to send out roots to help anchor and support itself if you feed it straight away this does more harm than good in slowing down this process.

Hope that helps and welcome to the Garden Ninja community!

Lee