When should I transplant ....

[sebrightlover]

I have 2 redbuds, 2 ornamental pear and 1 I'm thinking its a Washington Hawthorn - can't remember the third kind right now - that need transplanted. I messed around this fall until too late to transplant. They are currently planted against the house (had started them there because of weather protection for them - they were like 1-2 foot trees then) that are at least 5-6 feet tall now.

How should I prep the ground that they will be going into? When should I transplant? How far out from the trees should I start to dig to dig them up to transplant?

Sorry for all the questions. These were those freebies that the Arbor Day foundation sends you. I am so surprised my brown thumb hasn't killed them that I just don't know what to do with them now, besides move them to the boundaries of my yard as natural future "privacy" fencing.

 

[Reinbeau]

I have 2 redbuds, 2 ornamental pear and 1 I'm thinking its a Washington Hawthorn - can't remember the third kind right now - that need transplanted. I messed around this fall until too late to transplant. They are currently planted against the house (had started them there because of weather protection for them - they were like 1-2 foot trees then) that are at least 5-6 feet tall now.

That's still a transplantable size.

How should I prep the ground that they will be going into? When should I transplant? How far out from the trees should I start to dig to dig them up to transplant?

You should take a straight shovel and plunge it around the trees out about two feet - all the way around. Don't uproot the trees yet, just cut some of the roots. This will help compact the rootball a bit for the move. This should be done quite a bit ahead of the transplanting, if possible, to allow roots to regrow a bit within that rootball area.

Decide where you want to put the trees and dig a hole that's wider than the root ball you're going to dig. It's very important that you not dig the hold deeper than the level the tree is at now. Don't add anything to the soil unless it's really bad - the tree should be encouraged to send roots out, if the good soil is all in the hole the roots won't go as far as fast as they should.

Now get a tarp of some sort for the rootball of your tree. Use that same cut area and cut down through again, only this time uproot the tree, disturbing as little of the rootball as possible (this'll take at least two people to do right!). Lift the tree onto the tarp and move it to the prepared hole. Move the tree into the hole, spread any roots out, and make sure the top soil level will be the same on the trunk as it was originally (this is important!) Begin to backfill over the roots with the excavated soil. Fill the hole about halfway and water the rootball to settle the soil. Fill all the way with soil and water again. Don't stomp on the root zone, you don't want to compact the soil too much! Once the tree is planted, you can add stakes, but keep in mind, the stakes aren't supposed to stop the top of the tree from swaying, that actually strengthens the trunk. The stakes are to keep the rootball stable in the soil until the roots get a good grip.

Make sure you keep the tree well watered throughout the first season, at least. Let a hose run dripping for an hour or two twice a week if it doesn't rain enough. If you follow these instructions, and keep it well watered, you should have no problems with them in the future and you'll have nice trees to enjoy for a long, long time.

 

[sebrightlover]

Thanks so much Ann!

Should I do the root ball cutting thing now if I want to transplant in the spring?

 

[patandchickens]

Enh, the 'root pruning' Ann describes is traditionally recommended but I have seen a number of recent sources questioning its wisdom, on the theory that it may be better for the tree to have to regrow its roots only once rather than *twice*, which frankly seems pretty reasonable to me. I am not aware of any controlled studies directly comparing the two methods, but from a theory standpoint I would personally skip the root pruning (although it would be appropriate for something like separating a natural offset from a shrub). IF you *do* decide to root prune, it should be done at least a full growing season before you move the tree (to allow good regrowth of roots), which I'm not sure how practical that would be for you.

But as Ann says, the trees should still be transplantable -- just. You need to move them when they are NOT in leaf. Whether to move them now depends on your local climate -- is your soil currently suitable for root growth (and will it continue to be for the next month or so)? If not then I would wait til its earliest workability in Spring and move them then (asap!).

Alas you will not be able to move a 4' diameter root ball - not even with two people. It is still worth making your 'digging circle' that far out, but realize that you will then have to carefully excavate your way back in towards the plant with a trowel, preserving the largest roots or groups of roots, til you get a more manageable size rootball.

Do not try to lift the tree onto a tarp -- lifting it by the trunk with the heavy weight of the soil hanging off its roots can cause severe damage to the roots. Whatcha wanna do is rock the tree to one side as far as possible (once you've got its rootball all sorted out and completely separated from the surrounding dirt), slip a folded strong tarp as far underneath it as you can reach, then tip it the other way (now the rootball will tip onto the tarp) til you can unfold the tarp so it's now entirely under the root ball. Lift the tree out of the hole BY THE TARP, and transport it that way.

Have the hole it's going into already dug and prepared so the tree doesn't need to sit with its roots waving in the air for more than a couple minutes. Before you plant it (as per Ann's directions) scratch a cup or several of bone meal into the soil at the bottom of the hole - no other fertilizer or amendment, just bone meal. If the location is windy, do make SURE to stake the tree, just make sure (as described) that there is a little slack in the ropes so the tree can sway naturally with the breeze to strengthen its roots and trunk.

With trees this size, the aftercare will make or break the move, and the trees will need coddling (not overwatering, but coddling nonetheless) for at LEAST the whole next year.

And btw, speaking from personal experience here if the trees are being dug up from right alongside the house, I suggest you find some replacement soil and stomp it in REALLY HARD into the holes they came from, preferably crowned higher than the surrounding soil, or you may have some exciting wet basement problems after summer storms


Jealous that you can grow redbud in your climate ,

Pat

 

[Reinbeau]

My experience has been that two guys can move that rootball - with the use of the tarp, that is wiggled underneath it. As for the root pruning it would be best to do it the previous season, but if you want to move it now, just dig and move it.

 

[sebrightlover]

I'll not be moving them until the soil is workable in the spring because it likely will get cold and freeze even next week here.

And - eh - the basement has become wet this past summer anyway ... what's a little more water

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[patandchickens]

Sorry Ann but if you've seen two guys move a 4' diameter earthen rootball by hand then I wanna see those guys! <vbg>

A cubic foot of dirt weighs something in the vicinity of 75-100 lbs depending on the type of soil and how moist or dry it is. Even at 75 lbs per cu ft, a 4' diameter circle that is only 12" deep would be about 12.5 cubic feet, or well over 900 pounds (and while the periphery will taper a bit, the middle of the rootball really ought to be at least 12" deep in my experience, unless the tree/shrub is very shallow-rooted or small, or grown on a pathologically thin layer of soil.)

Guys, heck... I wanna see the tarp that can support that! That's what tree farms use skidsteers etc for

I strongly suspect that what you are describing was more like a 2' or 2'6" rootball. Which is still plenty big n heavy! Or perhaps a tree moved semi-bareroot, with most dirt hosed off. I don't try to move trees or shrubs with rootballs bigger than about 18" diameter by myself (and I have done a bunch of this in the past few years), not even by dragging... and I am not a weakling.

I am not arguing about this to be a butthead, I just don't want someone setting themselves up for an impossible task. And if the original poster did want to root prune, planning on a 4' diameter root ball is will put the root-pruning in the wrong spot altogether.

No offense meant, just trying to set the record straight,

Pat

 

[897tgigvib]

That method described in the 2nd post is good. Root pruning when not too drastic does not cause problems for most trees, especially if it is well cared for the first year. Since the trees go dormant, it is ok to work most of the soil off the roots, kind of bare root them. Then the plant is manageable by 2 guys who weren't born on Krypton. Go easy on the bark when lifting, yanking and pulling, especially the Pears.

 

[magnolia-1971]

Hi, I always thought you should dig a tree at the drip line. Also, I don't think Redbuds can be transplanted. I don't think they will make it. I thought they had a long tap root and if it is broken the tree will not survive. Just like most Oaks and Hickories.

Once the trees have been moved it is a good idea to make a sort of mote around the trunk. This way when you water it the water stays in place. Also, a good idea is to use mulch around the base.

:coolsun

 

[digitS']

Magnolia-1971, we should get Sebrightlover back here to tell us how things went.

That Marshall . . . He brought back a thread that was over 4 years old!

Welcome to The Easy Garden!

Steve