Transplanted Tree

[RobS]

Fun project Brent, congrats. I had a similar sized tree moved with a spade at our last house. Guy gave it the usual 50% and told me to water it A LOT. He said it would take a couple of years and would have smaller leaves until it recovered. He was right on every count except the 50%. I watered it heavily for a couple of years and it survived 100%! Sure enough, the leaves were smaller the first couple of years but then it came back. I've been by there since and it's still doing quite well.

Keep your hose on it and hopefully you'll have similar results.

 

[goneandbrokeit]

you would be surprised at what a tree can take....sometimes. When we were clearing land for our house my father thought we needed a tree in a certain spot. He dug around a little maple with the back hoe and tied a chain around it, and drug if all the way to where he wanted it. By the time it got there there was no dirt left whatsoever on the root ball and the hole was too small so he just knocked it in and pressed it to fit with the hoe's bucket, covered the roots (crammed into a much smaller hole then needed) and called it done.

He never watered it or anything. It lost its leaves and didn't grow any the next year so I figured it was dead, but the second year it had a few leaves and the year after that it had a few more. It has been 5 years now and it is still a little scruffy but is much larger than when it was growing in it original spot.

Talk about the thing that just wouldn't die. I hope yours has the same tenacity.

This maple got the same "care" as quoted above, it barely grew this year but was alive, and I expect it to start to get going again next year. Of course this was that last nice day before winter in Upstate NY, not in the middle of a southeast drought.
I think you have a decent shot at it, keep it watered and good luck!

 

[KubotaSteve]

I planted about 25 Colorado Blue Spruce trees in my front yard, but they were just small seedlings when I planted them. After I realized it was going to take sometime before they would do me any good, I bought some Lombardy Poplars from Gurney's. They ranged in size from 12" to 18" tall and were basically no more than a stick. I planted them in the yard as they were supposed to be fast growers. I've had them in the ground for about 3 years or so and the tallest one is over 15 feet talk and filling out nicely. The other ones are doing well, but the deer love to eat them which has caused some problems. My suggestion would be to plant some fast growers as well as some really nice trees that take a little longer to grow. As the nice trees fill in, move the fast growers or cut them down.

 

[Tractors4u]

I want to thank all of the well wishers and those who have shared their success stories. This is only my second tree transplant, the first was a 6 ft Dogwood tree. I transplanted it in early summer, wrong time of the year and I didn't know any better. After I had moved it, I found out that Dogwoods were one of the most delicate trees to move. I watered it continuosly that year and it did not bloom for three years. When we sold our house it was thriving.

KubotaSteve, thanks for the tip on the Lombardy Poplar. I like poplars and didn't realize that they grew so fast. I would also like to have a nice evergreen in the yard just for Christmas decorating. Does anyone have any pointers on which evergreens, Christmas tree types, that do well in the southeast?

 

[KubotaSteve]

Here is the link to the one I got. http://gurneys.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_08724 Not a bad price for 5 trees. All of the ones that I planted made it.

 

[Tractors4u]

See as I had a long weekend to get a few things done, I just had to transplant another tree. Even though we bought three at a nursery Saturday, I found another on my property. This one was much easier, it only took about 30 minutes. Now can someone tell me what kind of tree it is. I am posting a close up of one of its leaves.

 

[jeffinsgf]

The leaf looks possibly like an elm. How about a close up of the bark, and another leave shot from just a bit further out (leaf group, how it grows, and joint between leaf, branch and trunk).

 

[ToadHill]

Tractors: I am a retired arborist and in my opinion you have done almost everything you can to make these transplants a success. I'd try 2 additional things, One is a bio stimulant, I use a product called Bolster, a seaweed extract. Second I'd inject some microriza bacteria to aid the roots in establishing at the new location.

Good luck.

 

[Tractors4u]

Thanks Toadhill. Where can I get Bolster? Is this a common item that I would be able to find at a nursery?

Tractors: I am a retired arborist and in my opinion you have done almost everything you can to make these transplants a success. I'd try 2 additional things, One is a bio stimulant, I use a product called Bolster, a seaweed extract. Second I'd inject some microriza bacteria to aid the roots in establishing at the new location.

Good luck.

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Brent,
Interesting read ! Thanks for all the photos, Im rooting for you and the tree ! Keep us all posted, thats certainly perseverance !

 

[tony123]

I was feeling like the sour apple on this thread, so I re-read my initial post. I could have given more background that would have made me sound more of a realist than a pesimist.

I'm a Landscape Architect. I've planted thousands of trees (hundreds of transplants). My figures were based on 15 years of real life experience in planting trees.

Toadhill gives some sound advice, and certainly as an arborist is more qualified than I. I would like to add that you should water them in with lots of sand. Air pockets are one of the biggest culprits in transplanting. The sand will follow the water through the hole and make it as "tight" as possible.

Again, I don't want to sound sour on your project. I have just seen enough of it to have an opinion. If I had a large supply of trees to transplant from I would be trying it your way too.

 

[Tractors4u]

A guy here at work that is an arborist said that from the pictures I sent him, the tree looks like a green ash.

The leaf looks possibly like an elm. How about a close up of the bark, and another leave shot from just a bit further out (leaf group, how it grows, and joint between leaf, branch and trunk).

 

[woodlandfarms]

Just an additional posting on a recent experience.

This summer we had some construction done on the property. A number of smaller (under 20' and 5" trunk firs) were marked for destruction...

So I ran down the hill with my tree shovel and got them all out of the ground. It took me nearly a day, the roots were completely exposed and it was August. But I got them staked and planted, and set the neighbor kids to watering. Well, I for sure thought they would be dead. I mean nothing was going their way.

But we walked up to them yesterday and there were still 3 out of the 6 alive. They are hammered, for sure, but still have needles and are growing...

Carl

 

[Tractors4u]

I just thought I would give everyone an update on my transplanted maple. A few weeks ago I snapped a couple of twigs and they were green! I thought, don't jump the gun, wait. Then I noticed some new buds. Wait, be patient I told myself. Then today, I looked and it has leaves. I thought about waiting sharing until it was covered in beautiful green foliage, but I am just not the patient kind. So here are some leaves, and yes when it is covered in green I will share some more pics.

 

[Ridgewalker]

That's great news! How is your watering program going? That will be key to keeping it going thru the summer.

 

[Tractors4u]

We have been getting a lot of rain the last couple of weeks. I will keep the water to it through out the summer.

 

[firefighter9208]

Try Leland Cypress for an Evergreen tree that grows fast. They are often planted around here (Alabama) as a hedge or border, because they grow so fast.

Chris
Hill Farm Boer Goats

 

[257NH]

Thanks for the update Brent,and congratulations on the success

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

hahaha, I was reading through the entire thread and thinking, " I sure hope there is an update at the end of this!"

cool, keep us posted because i may try some of this!

I just thought I would give everyone an update on my transplanted maple. A few weeks ago I snapped a couple of twigs and they were green! I thought, don't jump the gun, wait. Then I noticed some new buds. Wait, be patient I told myself. Then today, I looked and it has leaves. I thought about waiting sharing until it was covered in beautiful green foliage, but I am just not the patient kind. So here are some leaves, and yes when it is covered in green I will share some more pics.

 

[mudcat]

Awesome thread!