moving trees!

[logmancheshire]

i have some 6ft-8ft high, small oak and beech trees in a woodland which intend on moving to my garden (digging out with a 360 machine inc roots and a good bucket of soil with them) for some instant greenery and to stop the neighbours looking in!

 

my question is, is the beginning of october ok to dig/replant them, ? Obviously want to give them the best start but dont want to leave it too late otherwise it will be too wet and wont be able to get to them!

 

Looking to replant them with a stake at the side of each for support and was thinking of putting a drainage pipe into the root ball so we can water them in well , as well as give them water next spring if we get a dry spell of weather! (as if)

 

any tips/advice would be great, thanks

[Dan Earp]

If your going to move them wrap the root ball in old potato sacks or similar and give them a soak. Itll help them keep wet on route to your house and stop any roots from being burnt

[Ruskins Trees]

Log man, Mycorrhizal, mulch, plant at correct level, stake, do not let roots dry out, try to move rootball without it falling apart, use rootball nets, hessian squares, PG Horticulture sell them. Move Oct-Mar, preferably as early in the season as possible. Water commencing when buds swell, for 2-3 years during dry periods. Root pruning will help but not critical.

[nepia]

Log man, Mycorrhizal, mulch, plant at correct level, stake, do not let roots dry out, try to move rootball without it falling apart, use rootball nets, hessian squares, PG Horticulture sell them. Move Oct-Mar, preferably as early in the season as possible. Water commencing when buds swell, for 2-3 years during dry periods. Root pruning will help but not critical.

 

 

 

There are entire books given to the subject and you've covered it on one brief paragraph; brilliant.

No sarcasm there -that really does just about cover it; thanks.

[Taupotreeman]

Do those drainage pipes into the root ball actually work? I always figured that, generally speaking, they ended up under the root ball and away from the feeder roots so were of no actual use whatsoever.

 

 

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[Gary Prentice]

Root pruning will help but not critical.

 

Why root prune? Surely the idea is to save as much of the root system as possible?

[Gary Prentice]

Do those drainage pipes into the root ball actually work? I always figured that, generally speaking, they ended up under the root ball and away from the feeder roots so were of no actual use whatsoever.

 

 

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I think they are probably more useful in urban settings, to encourage roots at greater depth (dependent on suitable soil conditions) to reduce infrastructure damage.

[agg221]

Why root prune? Surely the idea is to save as much of the root system as possible?

 

I've always thought of root pruning when planting as being less about reducing the volume and more about tidying up the damaged ends. It's the equivalent to pruning the top - you could hack off branches and achieve the reduction in volume/length, but if you leave a nice target pruned cut it will tend to heal over more quickly and neatly, leaving it less vulnerable.

 

Alec

[Big Beech]

Why root prune? Surely the idea is to save as much of the root system as possible?

 

yes, you should always root prune. or leave if damaged. why? because it encourages new and stronger root systems.

with regards to any additional mycroryzal additives, your pretty much wasting your time if the tree is coming from a woodland environment as it will have the needed fungi attached with the tree and leaf mould its been grown in.

[treequip]

Why root prune? Surely the idea is to save as much of the root system as possible?

 

I also fail to see the point of root pruning in cases like this, you leave the vast majority of the roots behind so pruning them is pointless:001_rolleyes: