Hi arborists, looking for some guidance here, we bought this place in 2019 and it had some pre existing landscaping. All of it very poorly maintained. Not to say I’m the greenest thumb out there, but I do what I can.
That said, this thing is huge, probably 10-12’ diameter, a big lad.
My wife would like to get rid of it, I don’t want to do that if it’s a capital sin. I want to know what the prospects of transplanting it would be, and how we can best maintain or cut it back. Essentially it blocks off a lot of the house view to the street and it’s a little too in the way at this point.
Anyhow I’m rambling, any thoughts here arborists?
by blakemaurer
28 Comments
For people who like Japanese Maples, a tree this shape and condition is kind of the holy grail, takes a lot of time and effort to achieve. I would not ever remove or butcher it, if you need to absolutely do something I would reach out to the community, see who loves these trees and work with them to try and transplant it, if for some reason you really want to get rid of it but I have no clue why you would want to.
You will not likely be able to move it unless you have thousands to spend on it. This tree is a gorgeous specimen and its In the middle of a big open yard, how can it be in the way? It probably is more rare and definitely is more beautiful than your house. Like pearls before swine I tell ya. Have some respect!
I thought I was in r/bonsaicommunity
Yeah, that is an exquisite specimen. I know many would dream of such a tree. Per chance, what state are you in.
I have some doubts as to your assessment on the landscaping if this tree is a bother.
leave it alone. appreciate it.
Echoing others: please don’t touch this tree. It looks so healthy and is thriving. If anything, it needs some friends. I would maybe make a generous bed around it, add some small plants, make it a focal point of your front yard.
Why would a tree look for advice? They are very wise legend goes
Cannot for the life of me understand why you would want to do anything but love this beautiful tree.
Oh no living thing is blocking your view of…. the asphalt? Other peoples plantings? I’m super confused lol.
I want to thank everyone for their insight and efforts here. We are going to save the tree, and find a way to make it more of a focal point in the front yard.
Wives and their landscaping wims I swear. Anytime something actually thrives my wife decides it’s too big it or doesn’t like it for one reason or another. Never satisfied. It’s a tale of the ages, living in a utopian paradise, “you know, it’s just not enough Adam.”
Oh, I am on my knees, in worship. Amazing.
Please do not prune. It would only hurt the tree. I would consult w/ONLY a Japanese Maple Expert. This tree is waaay precious.
I transplanted a tree almost identical to yours. It went well and the tree is thriving now. Here’s what I did:
(1) wait for winter when the tree is dormant
(2) cut out as big of a root ball as you can manage – mine wasn’t huge (about 3 feet across) and I did it without any heavy equipment
(3) add in a mixture of native soil plus rich compost in the new hole,
(4) water it every other day in winter, and every single day the next spring/summer.
My tree didn’t fully leaf out the first summer (about 50%), but the second summer it did.
Your street isn’t very appealing to look at. The tree on the other hand… I would look into learning how to care for/prune japense maples, maybe you wife will like the look of it more
I truly beg you not to get rid of this. But, ultimately it’s your property and you can do what you want. The rationale you’ve used in the comments don’t hold.
She’s lucky she doesn’t live across the street!
I’m no arborist, but My dad and I have successfully moved one on my own, it was ~40yr old lace leaf maple. I dug a massive hole about 5ft wide and 3ft deep and mixed in fresh compost with the dirt. we marked North with a flag (to replant in the same orientation) and trimmed it up a bit. Whether that’s an old wives tale or not, idk. The dirt that was in the original spot was very sandy. We basically barerooted the tree in February. With some acid lovers fertilizer and a mix of existing dirt and fresh compost and some B-1 fertilizer, it’s doing great.
Would it make your wife happier if you put a dollar amount on the value of something like that? Like “honey we have a 25k maple out front….”
Also – the houses on your street are in need of blocking.
Why would you ever consider this tree a problem?
Not a large tree at all.
> I want to know what the prospects of transplanting it would be
They transplant well if you do it properly. That’s too nice of a plant to kill because of…of…well whatever the words in the text are meant to convey or cover. You can’t dig it up by hand next weekend and expect it to live, it’s going to take planning, waiting until dormancy, then 5-6 guys and a 1-ton trailer (or a tree spade).
Why would you want to look at the street? I wish my maple had this shape…
I genuinely do not understand your wife’s preference here and believe she is unwell aestesthetically.
That’s, what, 10-20 years of growth? It’s a beautiful, whimsical tree. I’d put a little fairy garden underneath it. It’s beautiful.
Who looks at this and says? “No I don’t care for it?” Respectfully. Oofda.
Good on you for doing your best to preserve a beautiful tree.
Please leave this tree. In addition to being beautiful, it’s working as a sound buffer, too.
leave it and design a garden around it so it doesn’t stick out so strange against your lawn
Why do you want to see that cul de sac from your house? Or do you think that your house is so special it must be seen? Capital sin even thinking of removing it, and you will get plenty of comments here telling you that
It’s a beautiful tree and people would die to have this in their landscaping let alone a mature specimen such as yours. Just prune it a tad / thin it out just so it looks a little more tidy.
What the fuck is wrong with your wife? That maple is perfect.
That’s a nice looking tree. I advise you look into Japanese maple pruning techniques to thin it out. You are supposed to almost be able to see through it. Then you can have the increased visibility you desire, you can keep the gorgeous tree, and it it’ll look better.
Other than it needing to be thinned out big time, leave it be. Bring in an expert in lace leaf maples and let them de-shrub it.