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oak transplant

Started by northernss454, April 16, 2009, 02:11:18 PM

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northernss454

Hello all ,I had a brainwave might not be a good one,but i am sure it won't hurt to ask. I want to transplant a oak tree about 6 inches in diameter to my front yard. No big trees spade in my neck of the woods.But my neighbour has a nice big backhoe.4 foot bucket.The tree is in the ditch about 1/4 mile from me,so the soil condition would be about the same. I did some reading up and all I got was I should leave about 10 inches of ball for every inch of tree. Also asked a few nurseries and everyone things that it won't work.They keep mentioning about a taproot. The tree has not yet started budding,and i am sure ground is still partically frozen. .I hate to do all the work,,, rip up my front yard and have the tree die. Any input would be great thanks all.
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Riles

A few questions:

Where are you? What kind of oak tree? How tall is it? How big is the crown?

The taproot may or may not be an issue, but if you've been talking to local nurseries, (especially more than one) and they all have the same opinion, I'd listen hard.

Bigger trees have been moved and survived, and any transplant is going to sever roots. Generally you prune the crown to match the loss of roots, which might be more of a challenge with a large tree.

This would be high risk and if you had a lot of money at stake, I'd probably recommend against it. On the other hand, if you like to experiment and all you have at risk is time and a little diesel money, go for it.
Knowledge is good -- Faber College

northernss454

Hi I am in central manitoba,its a Red oak,i would say 12' tall,what do u mean by the crown? Actually only one nurcery said it would be tough.I would say it would cost maybe 2 hours with the hoe.So $200 risk at max,its the tearing up of the yard i am worried about.Thanks keep the info coming

nb_foresttech

Before attempting to transplant this Oak tree you may want to consider root pruning it. This means that you will have to wait another year however your Oak will have a higher chance of survival. Can't find the information I have here right now however this link will likely help you understand how root pruning works. http://ag.arizona.edu/gardening/pruning.html hopefully it helps. It also wouldn't hurt to remove the soil from the hole in your yard and replace it with soil from the existing tree site when the time comes for transplant. Wrap your rootball in burlap for the trip, ensure the roots don't dry out and don't spray the roots with water.
Good luck

Ron Scott

It may be better to go with a 2" diameter tree. ;)
~Ron

northernss454

Yes 2 inch would be easier but I was kinda wanting a bigger tree for shade and looks I am already in the middle of a field.I have a shalter belt planted but wanted a tree that would make a statement,and to me this oak is a beauty.Thanks again

low_48

I tried transplanting a 1 to 1 1/2"" red oak by hand 29 years ago to honor the birth of my son. It didn't take, but before I cut it out, I saw a sucker coming up from the base of the original tree. It's now at least 30' tall and 14" dia. It's my pride and joy, and the boy turned out even better actually :).

In your case, I'm not sure the backhoe will bring out a nice root ball. I would think that the dirt will really break up badly as the bucket works around the tree. If time isn't a major consideration, you might think about digging a hole big enough to get the loader bucket under the tree to lift it out of the ground. Maybe dig it on three sides with the backhoe, finish it out with the loader bucket. I don't give it much of a chance though. A 6" tree is a big one to dig out without a big tree spade.

northernss454

Okay thanks all for the reply.I think i will leave that bigger oak alone and try something smaller,maybe 2 inches.Thanks again. When I get er done I will post some pics.

Ron Scott

A better idea, unless you can get a tree spade for transferring the larger diameter tree and not tearing up your yard too much.
~Ron

Riles

And practice makes perfect.

By the way, transplant shock will significantly stunt the growth for a number of years, so if you were looking for lots of quick shade, you won't necessarily get it this way either.
Knowledge is good -- Faber College

steveforest

Transplanting is about percentages that survive. The fewer roots disturbed the better the odds. To dig up your yard for a tree that size would take a really big excavator to be worth the risk for one tree. Average size backhoe, maybe 7', 3"dia. tree. The taproot is just another root, although important when the tree is small. I have transplanted lots of trees, if 70% live, I'm happy.
Don't mess with success

treeworkx

lay a frame on the ground to strap your root ball to(railway sleepers)bolt corners to create a square box.
dig around the tree with the back hoe to roughly to the size your after,then come back with a sharp spade and cut  back the rootball to the final size of the railway sleeper frame,this will hopefully take away all the fractured soil that is common with bucket versus roots,also a clean cut root instead of a torn root is healther for the tree.
lay a wire rope in the bottom of the hole,pull this through under the root ball with loader to slice it from the earth(makes lifting easier)
bevel back the bottom of the root ball so you can put a chain around it,this will help take the load of tree when lifting and use truck tie downs from the frame to the chain,will hold the root ball together i hope(works better in clay soils)
mark the tree so it faces the same direction when going back in the new space.
keep it a little higher out of the ground in its new space(can settle abit)then after all the soil has been put back in mulch around the tree,keep any grass or competion away from the tree for a few yrs,water over the summer by soaking the ground every week,turn hose on and walk away,deep root watering is best.
this method ive used most,wish i could find the photos to share.
no worries mate

sjfarkas

There was some guy here in california that wanted to move and took his 100 year old olive trees with him.  It was a whole orchard.  The way it was described to me was alot like this last post.  I guess they lived and I would imagine that it must be some expensive olive oil those tree make.
Always try it twice, the first time could've been a fluke.

steveforest

I saw this show on TV History channel or other. In Georgia I think it was they were moving 300 Year old Oak trees at a golf course. Quite an operation. Them's some spendy trees! :o
Don't mess with success

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