Tree Spade Oak Transplanting Failure

[Billhook]

Planted some oaks about ten years ago which have grown well and are about three inches diameter chest high. They are too close together and rather than thin by cutting them down, I thought I would transplant last January into some open parkland in good medium loam soil.

Vermeer 44" planter seemed to do a good job but I appreciate that these were probably tap root oaks and might suffer accordingly. I thought that there was enough good rootball and that their new home was in a better piece of ground to make up the difference.

They were well tethered with four posts and well watered throughout the dry spells. They came into leaf but really only half the leaf area that the original ones had. They struggled on through the year but now I see all four of the test trees have died.

 

I moved a paper bark maple of the same size at the same time and it has never looked back. It was in the shade of another tree and now out in the open it has really done well.

 

Are oaks of this size and root growth a hopeless candidate for transplanting because of the tap root, or should I have another go by putting the spade in a year before to sever the roots and let them bush out a bit before lifting the following year?

 

Any more tips would be welcome as it seems such a waste to cut down these fine trees just to give their neighbours some air.

[Treemover]

Spring and summer 2014 were very dry and have taken their toll on many trees, especially any requiring watering.

 

I move thousands of oaks each year and rarely have any failures. These would be 40-60cm oaks.

 

Is your soil dry or stoney?

Are all the oaks and acers the same diameter?

Did all the trees dig cleanly or was there rock or roots hanging out?

We're the trees planted in the same location or scattered with different soils?

[Billhook]

Spring and summer 2014 were very dry and have taken their toll on many trees, especially any requiring watering.

 

I move thousands of oaks each year and rarely have any failures. These would be 40-60cm oaks.

 

Is your soil dry or stoney? Beautiful deep loam in both places

 

Are all the oaks and acers the same diameter? Yes

 

Did all the trees dig cleanly or was there rock or roots hanging out? Odd roots but worryingly big broken tap roots going below the depth of the machine.

 

We're the trees planted in the same location or scattered with different soils?

Planted in the same location initially and moved to a pasture two fields away where they were on their own but well tethered.

 

 

 

I suspect the tap root as being the cause.

 

Do you prune the trees back a bit to help in the first year?

[Goaty]

Oaks are notorious setback candidates in the nursery environment. I have seen 8cm-18cm girth circumference trees bought in and potted into containers.

 

1. They hate being disturbed

 

2. The failure rate increases with length of time out the ground(in days and weeks.

 

3. The tap roots needs pruning early in its life to form multiple major branching roots to spread the stress and improve recovery.

 

4. They will sometimes sit for seasons almost dormant, sending out little water shoots. But eventually tend to fail.

 

5. Best done early in the dormant season to inspire new rooting adjustments.

 

Also as Billhook says equalise top growth proportionally by pruning.

 

This is only my nursery experience. We have tried heavy irrigation, light irrigation. If they are that way out, they finished with.

[Billhook]

Thanks for the replies Treemover and Goaty.

 

I am encouraged by your success rate Treemover and as I have the Vermeer sitting here and the Oaks sitting there, I will take a little more time and care.

A bit earlier in the dormant season as Goaty says, but there is not much I can do about the tap root now.

 

They are moved within the hour from one place to the other.

 

I like the idea of putting the four spades in a year before lifting to give the tree half a chance to overcome the shock of the full move, but I worry about damaging all the good work with the second lift.

 

I have some old 220 gallon grapefruit containers which I could set down by each tree and have a hose pipe with some 1/8" holes drilled in to trickle a good supply of water. I am prepared to put the extra effort in as they are stand alone parkland trees and I have selected the best looking from the plantation.

[Ruskins Trees]

We have transplanted thousands of trees since the mid eighties and agree with Tree Mover.

 

Essentially, the tree has to be moved with the right sized spade and then looked after (primarily watered) whilst it establishes in it's new location.

 

Root pruning prior to moving can help you move a slightly larger tree with the same sized rootball.

[Billhook]

We have transplanted thousands of trees since the mid eighties and agree with Tree Mover.

 

Essentially, the tree has to be moved with the right sized spade and then looked after (primarily watered) whilst it establishes in it's new location.

 

Root pruning prior to moving can help you move a slightly larger tree with the same sized rootball.

 

Thank you for the encouraging post, i will persevere this Autumn.