Transplant trees?

[Ruderunner]

Is this even possible?

I was working on clearing brush around my place and found a few oak, cherry and maybe walnut saplings, 2 to 4 inches at the base and 10 to 16 feet tall. They're located among a majority of maples that are 40 to 50 feet tall and are obviously searching for sunlight.

It would be nice to be able to dig them up and move them to a less crowded area. And I'd like to do it before thinning out the maples.

 

[Chuck]

It is possible but just barely. You would need heavy equipment because a large enough root ball to survive will probably weigh close to a thousand pounds.. You would have to do it after the tree was completely dormant. A major factor will be the type of soil they are growing in i.e. rocky, clay and the depth of the soil. I would look around and try to find some smaller saplings preferably not over 2 or 3 feet tall.

 

[Ruderunner]

I have access to an excavator and a 3 foot root ball should be doable, 4 foot maybe.

Dormancy probably occurs in January I'm guessing? Northeast Ohio

Soil is mostly clay where they are and where they may end up. While these trees are growing, they certainly won't flourish where they are.

Background, I was able to purchase adjoining property and it's heavily wooded but primarily with maples. Everything is crowded and starving for light. About 75 percent are 40 feet tall but maybe 6 to 8 inches at the base. I'd like to thin things out and let a canopy develop.

 

[Chuck]

I have access to an excavator and a 3 foot root ball should be doable, 4 foot maybe.

Dormancy probably occurs in January I'm guessing? Northeast Ohio

Soil is mostly clay where they are and where they may end up. While these trees are growing, they certainly won't flourish where they are.

Background, I was able to purchase adjoining property and it's heavily wooded but primarily with maples. Everything is crowded and starving for light. About 75 percent are 40 feet tall but maybe 6 to 8 inches at the base. I'd like to thin things out and let a canopy develop.

If you have the equipment I don't see a problem, just get the biggest rootball you can. Have the replanting hole already dug and drainage tested. A squarish hole is preferable to a roundish one.

 

[cpp gardener]

You could dig them and bare-root them before replanting. They would weigh LOOOOOOTTTS less.

 

[PGB1]

Not to hijack, but to enhance; CPP Gardener mentioned a good idea of bare-rooting the trees.

Does that mean dig up the tree and leave the roots behind? (Have a maple I'd like to transplant that's too large to get a root ball and equipment can't get in.)

 

[Ruderunner]

I think it means washing the dirt off the roots

 

[cpp gardener]

Exactly. Get as many roots as you can and then remove the soil.

 

[PGB1]

Thanks Ruderunner & CPP Gardener for explaining bare-rooting!