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how do you move trees successfully?


se7enthdevil
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we are clearing out the garden and have a few trees that i'd like to try and keep if possible but they are in the wrong place.

 

there is one holly 3' tall, one oak 16" and one horse chestnut that i found under the spruce yesterday about 16" again.

 

can they be moved without killing them and if so how do you do it?

 

you have my thanks for any help given.

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we are clearing out the garden and have a few trees that i'd like to try and keep if possible but they are in the wrong place.

 

there is one holly 3' tall, one oak 16" and one horse chestnut that i found under the spruce yesterday about 16" again.

 

can they be moved without killing them and if so how do you do it?

 

you have my thanks for any help given.

 

I would move them in October . Dig the holes first , keep as much soil on the roots as possible . Don't put them too deep . Some bone meal in the bottom of the hole . Water . Let them " set " their roots ready to take off next spring .

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They are all small enough to stand a good chance of success. The main issue will be a tap root if they are self-seeded - when trees are grown in pots the tap root tends to get disrupted but when self-seeded it can go down a surprisingly long way and you want as much of it as you can possibly get, which means digging a deep hole.

 

Best option is to wait until late autumn, as the leaves are yellowing on the deciduous ones, and then dig them right out, keep the roots damp by wrapping in damp paper and a plastic bag if you have to do more than just move them across the garden. If you are just moving them across the garden, dig the holes to receive them first. Back-fill but don't tread the soil down hard, then water well to settle the roots, even if it is raining!

 

If you have to move them sooner, the above is still your best bet but you stand less chance of success. Do it on a cool, rainy day, as quickly as possible and be prepared to water regularly until autumn.

 

The oak and the horse chestnut will be virtually only a vertical root, so you won't need to go out very far from the stem (8" or so maximum). The holly will be bigger, so I would start a foot out, dig round to a spit deep, then start digging under the rootball and move as much of it as you can with it, by wrapping a sack round it.

 

Alec

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Dig as much as you can out the ground with damaging as little as you ca.

Dig as big a hole as you can, fill it with moisture holding material, peat, newspaper, leaf mould, stick tree in the ground. And water, don't over do it though.

They sound small enough to do with a spade in about 10 minutes!

Good luck

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Arbtalk

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