Moving Tree's

I have a tree that i planted a year ago that i want to move. When's the best time or am i best to leave it where it is ?

G

 

When the tree is dormant - in the winter, but not when the ground is waterlogged or frosted. Indentify the tree and check whether they can tolerate a move.



Cheers, Tony.

 

Its a Sorbus. Will they take chopping through the roots ?

G

 

Hi Mr. Gringe there is a thread on this - in search, type in Joseph Rock. The thread was started by Rob Jones about 'Do sorbus transplant well'. It looks quite informative.

 

Cant find the thread

 

Before doing a search come out of this thread- select forums at the top then go into search and type in Do sorbus transplant well. Good luck!

 

Hi, You should have absolutely no problems moving this Sorbus. I have many of various varieties and always buy them bare rooted as they are considerably cheaper and seem to "take" better than those in containers. Obviously try not to damage the roots and start digging about 6 inches beyond the crown of the tree working towards the trunk. If you damage any roots which is quite likely, don't worry but cut the damaged root back to beyond the damaged bit if that makes sense. I'd follow Kleftywallha's advice about timing, but any time between leaf fall and when the garden starts to wake up after winter should be fine.Personally I'd move it asap after the leaves have dropped. It's easy to forget and then be a bit late next Spring.If you do have to loose a good deal of root just remember to give the tree a good water next year during periods of drought...let's hope we have some unlike this year!

 

If planted only a year ago then the roots will not be that developed. I would wait till all the leaves have fallen off and the first frosts have happened then move it. Adding bone meal to the roots will help boost it. I moved a Sorbus last winter and did that and it grew to over 8 ft this year from about 3 foot!

 

Agree with the others - November is the normal start of the bare-root season, so anytime from then onwards. Personally I like to do it "early" whilst the soil is still reasonably warm and before it gets waterlogged / snow-covered / perma-frost! After first-frost is good, but some years they don't come until well into December. Last year, with really warm October and November delayed the starting date a lot!

I used to put Bone Meal on all the bare root trees and shrubs I planted, but I've stopped doing that now for two reasons - first it seemed to encourage something (foxes?) to dig them up :( presumably they think there is a tasty, dead, animal buried there!! and secondly I have read that it disrupts the microbial activity. I am, personally, in two minds about how much of a difference Mycorrhizal fungae make, but it certainly won't do any harm, so suggest you apply some "Root Grow" - read the instructions about getting it into contact with the roots as I reckon that is important.

Use a good stake (probably already has one, hopefully that will be able to be reused). Put the plant, once extracted, on a tarpaulin or something similar so you can drag it to the new location without shedding any more soil from the rootball than you have to.

I like to put a piece (3'-ish long) of 2" perforated drainage pipe around the rootball (at a depth of 9" - 12") and curved up to the surface [to make a filling-spout at ground level] so I can water into it and the water gets down to the roots, rather than evaporating from the surface!, but unless you have a bit lying around its probably unrealistic - I suppose you could "Bury" some other trickle-release container? For example, some 2L Soda-Pop bottles - cut the bottoms off, "plant" then upside down (with the lid off). If you had, say, 5 of them around the tree that would collectively hold 10L, and the water would percolate out of the "bottle top" (now at the bottom!!!) quite slowly

May be massive overkill though?

Either way, give it 10L-20L each time you water, and don't water again for a week in normal weather, and 3 days in dry weather - so the plant puts down roots, rather than creating "surface" roots - which it will do if you water little-and-often such that [just] the surface is often moist - which would then mean that when the water isn't there at the surface those surface roots then get baked in the sun and die :(

 

Could some one give advice on pruning an apple and pear tree. we rent the house, but we are allowed to do quite a bit with the garden. Both trees are overgrown, branches crossing over, and has been left to grow very tall. We have had good crops this year from both tree, so if I cut wrong, will it mean a loss of fruit next year. Both trees really need a good overhaul, but do not know where to start. Help.