Help transplanting maple seedlings (growing, Arborvitae, trees, spring)

[gibbie99]

Hi all, in my area (Durham NC), there are alot of maples seedlings in our yard. I would like to transplant some for use as a shrug/tree. However, whenever I transplant the seedling it dies within days. I transplant it to a partially sunny spot, keeping the root ball intact, and suppliment the native soil with soil additive (i'm not sure what type, sorry), and put mulch on top. I water it every other day.

My thinking is that the maple is getting too much sun for a young plant. What am I doing wrong, beyond that?

Thanks.

[BECLAZONE]

Originally Posted by gibbie99

Hi all, in my area (Durham NC), there are alot of maples seedlings in our yard. I would like to transplant some for use as a shrug/tree. However, whenever I transplant the seedling it dies within days. I transplant it to a partially sunny spot, keeping the root ball intact, and suppliment the native soil with soil additive (i'm not sure what type, sorry), and put mulch on top. I water it every other day.

My thinking is that the maple is getting too much sun for a young plant. What am I doing wrong, beyond that?

Thanks.

Firstly, what do you mean by “soil additive”, if you mean fertiliser, don’t use it, it will kill seedlings..
Secondly you say that you keep the root ball intact. There is not really a root ball with a seedling, more a long tap root and a few fibrous roots, and if you haven’t got the majority of these the plant will probably die.
I always dig as many of the roots up with the plant, and then pot it up in potting compost, water it well and keep it in the shade for a while. Then when it is growing and has definitely recovered I will choose a good spot to plant it in.
One advantage of this method is that you can plant in Winter while the plant is dormant, giving it a good chance to grow the new roots needed in the spring.

[uggabugga]

they will stand a much better chance of surviving a transplant if it's done while they're dormant. i transplanted some in Feb. and they seem to be doing well so far.

[Luvvarkansas]

Originally Posted by uggabugga

they will stand a much better chance of surviving a transplant if it's done while they're dormant..

I agree with this, but if you can't wait until then, try giving it some shade from direct sun for a week or two.

[gibbie99]

Oh okay, so doing a bunch of things wrong! I didn't use fertilizer, I used a soil conditioner of some type, basically its designed to be mixed half/half with the native soil. I'll wait until the winter and try again. Good thing there are alot of these things. They are native, and i hate to just rip them up and throw them out.

There was one growing under our deck, growing very well (3 feet), but about to hit the deck, so I tried to transplant that, but couldn't dig down far enough (the tap root was huge). That died very quickly. I tried a much smaller plant (6") but same effect.

I'll wait until late Fall, put some in pots inside, and then plant them in early Feb/March, how does that sound?

Does this generally go for shrubs as well? We planted some shrubs last week, we realize they may not last until fall, but wanted to try at least.

Thanks!

[BECLAZONE]

Originally Posted by gibbie99

Oh okay, so doing a bunch of things wrong! I didn't use fertilizer, I used a soil conditioner of some type, basically its designed to be mixed half/half with the native soil. I'll wait until the winter and try again. Good thing there are alot of these things. They are native, and i hate to just rip them up and throw them out.

There was one growing under our deck, growing very well (3 feet), but about to hit the deck, so I tried to transplant that, but couldn't dig down far enough (the tap root was huge). That died very quickly. I tried a much smaller plant (6") but same effect.

I'll wait until late Fall, put some in pots inside, and then plant them in early Feb/March, how does that sound?

Does this generally go for shrubs as well? We planted some shrubs last week, we realize they may not last until fall, but wanted to try at least.

Thanks!

Firstly, sorry if I sounded condescending.
Waiting until Feb/March sounds fine.
Yes it does go for shrubs as well.
It was worth a try.
You sound as if you save plants for exactly the same reason that I do.
Good luck with your gardening, hope all goes well from now on.

[susancruzs]

My sister in Upper Michigan has been doing maple seedlings for several years and they look great! She has them in gallon milk jugs, keeps them under her porch in the winter, she has to plant them pretty soon as they are getting quite big!

The point of this is, she just puts them in the same soil she finds them in (one bigger one came from my neighbors window well here in Wisconsin). The main thing is the tap root and she really doesn't fuss over them.

[Icy Tea]

There seem to be a lot of maple seedlings this year. The street is full of them and I was driving past a maple tree and it was like a snowstorm of them coming down. Last year the oak trees were dropping acorns like mad. I guess I'll be ripping out maples out of the arborvitae hedge next year. The garden has oak tree seedlings coming up already.

[uggabugga]

Originally Posted by Icy Tea

There seem to be a lot of maple seedlings this year. The street is full of them and I was driving past a maple tree and it was like a snowstorm of them coming down. Last year the oak trees were dropping acorns like mad. I guess I'll be ripping out maples out of the arborvitae hedge next year. The garden has oak tree seedlings coming up already.

i have a hard time doing that (ripping out seedlings) even when i know it should be done. i guess it comes from growing up in the desert where practically anything green is a treasure

[PJSaturn]

I have always had best luck with late-fall planting of shrubs, trees and perennial flowers. Water very well after planting, and then they'll have the whole winter to concentrate on developing good root systems. In the spring, they can put their energy into growth above ground!