When and how to collect a maple?

[Pat093]

Hi all

I was at my brothers house yesty and i spotted a tall stragely Japanese. maple in his front yard.
So i asked him if he wants it, and he didnt even know that it was there haha.
SCORE!
i thought about digging it out, but then i saw a couple of leaves that had opened, so i wasnt sure if was a good time to do it. so im gunna ask you guys.
the tree stands about 2m tall and has only two stragely branches on it at the the very top.
im not sure if i should just have a go at airlayering for the first time of should i dig it out straight away?
Advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers Pat

[Bougy Fan]

If the buds are just opening now is the perfect time. Make sure your shovel is sharp to cut the roots cleanly. I touch mine up with an angle grinder before digging a tree. Get the biggest rootball you can and then when you get it home bare root it and put it in a free draining mix. Go around with some sharp secateurs and make sure all the root ends are cut cleanly to encourage rooting. If you can't pot it straight away soak in in a bucket of seasol

[shibui]

Your season will be a bit ahead of us down here but I would still dig such a tree now.
I'd cut the roots short (depends what you find) and cut the trunk short as well then both can reshoot at the same time. I cut maple roots right back at the first opportunity when I cut the trunk hard because later there will be branches etc to support. A bonsai with long strong roots that will not fit into a pot is no good to anyone as a bonsai.

[Pat093]

thanks for the help guys, ill try get some pics this weekend.

I touch mine up with an angle grinder before digging a tree.

u touch up the branching with an angle grinder, or the roots?

Cheerps Pat