Transporting Trees: No Easy Feat But Well Worth the Effort by Jeff Rugg on Creators.com

Recently

Lawn Mowing Q: I recently read where the old rule of mowing a lawn by cutting off one third of the grass at a time had been changed to cutting the grass by fifty percent at a time. Letting the grass grow between mowings is supposed to save money and pollute …Read more. Water Gardening in Patio Containers If properly designed and maintained, backyard ponds and water gardens can offer tranquil refuges that lower stress and enhance the beauty of your landscaping and the value of your property. If you don't have the space for a full size water garden, …Read more. Rose Rosette Disease Q: I have a group of roses of various kinds in a small flowerbed that has been around for over five years. An unusual thing has happened to one of my rose bushes. This spring, it is growing very small leaves. Really small, like dozens in just a …Read more. Tulips and Junipers Q: I am moving soon and want to take some of my tulips and other bulbs with me. Some were grown by my mom and grandmother, so they mean a lot to me and won't mean anything to the new people. Some of the bulbs are done blooming, and others are still …Read more.

Transporting Trees: No Easy Feat But Well Worth the Effort

Q: I have nine dwarf fruit trees (including apple, peach, pear and plum). I will be moving this coming spring or early summer. These trees have been on my property from one to four years. Some have produced fruit, and some have not. Is it possible to transplant these trees to my new home with any success? If so, how should I do this? Once I move, the house will be vacant, and the trees will get no care.

A: You listed the types of trees, their heights and their trunk diameters at four feet off the ground, all of which I omitted from your printed question to save space.

There are several issues here. We have to figure out the proper time to dig; the size of the root system and the root ball that will be dug; the transportation method; siting at the new location; and care after planting.

The best time to dig these trees is while they're dormant. They'll lose a lot of roots during digging, and the dormant top will need less water, so dormant digging is best. That means you have until spring, but be sure not to wait so long that the buds start leafing out. It also means that in your location, a fall digging would have been better, as the ground is now frozen.

A rule of thumb for the size of the root ball is 1 foot in diameter for each inch of diameter for trunks that are 2 to 4 inches and 10 inches for each inch for larger trees. The depth of the root ball would be fifty percent to two-thirds as deep as the diameter. One or two inch diameter trees move easily with root balls that are manageable. Thirty-six- to 80-inch root balls for trees 3 to 8 inches in diameter are heavy and difficult to move. Any vehicle moving them will need to be very sturdy.

The safest way to dig large or existing trees is with a tree spade. This truck-mounted device has large hydraulic shovels that dig out the tree all at once.

By having a hole dug beforehand, the tree is placed into the ground with very little damage to the root system. And they can dig in semi-frozen ground.

If dug while dormant, either by hand or by tree spade, the trees can be stored above ground for future planting by building a box around the root system and adding some temporary soil to the inside of the box for stability. A drip irrigation system can keep them watered.

A general rule is that after planting, the roots take a year of recovery for each inch in diameter of the trunk. That means that a 4-inch-thick tree (at around 4 feet of height) takes four years to recover from transplanting. You will need to water and fertilize them for several years as they recover, but since you've already been successful growing them, I'm sure you'll continue to care for them effectively.

If they must be dug while they have leaves, the root ball will need to be much larger than the dormant ball size listed above. If the trees don't have to be moved immediately, then this spring, the root system can be pruned by digging around the ball in several locations within the diameter of the future ball that will be dug to move them. The pruned roots will have more branches growing within the future root ball for better results. Then, the trees can be dug this fall after the leaves fall off, or at least after they have begun showing fall color.

It's more important to get roots than soil. Many arborist companies use wind power and high-powered nozzles to blow the soil away from the tree's root system. They can get many feet of roots in all directions, and the tree can be moved in the summer if they're careful.

An alternative to moving them, of course, is buying new ones, but if these trees have sentimental value, then taking cuttings may be possible.

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at info@greenerview.com. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.