What is the safest way to transplant a sycamore maple sapling (Acer pseudoplatanus)

Question

We have a sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) seed that sprouted in a soil filled pot with no other plant in it. Its about 2 inches tall. We'd like to try to salvage it by transplanting it to a larger pot with a 2 foot diameter and about 3 foot depth. We aren't sure what the safest way to transplant the sapling would be. We are assuming it would be safe to grow in a large pot for a year or so until it is big enough to plant at my grandfather's place without being trampled on by lawn mowers and kids running around.

Answer 1

This is not a good idea for several reasons:

• Bamboo is correct. This plant is native to Europe and considered an invasive plant in Eastern North America. It even made the US Forest Service "Weed of the Week" here.
• a seedling a few inches tall should never be transplanted into a pot many times larger. Repotting should be done into a pot one or two sizes larger. With trees this can be done every year. I have maples that get to 12" tall (~6 cm) in a two inch diameter pot so trees can get large in small pots.