want to transplant small trees, going to dig hole, and shake soil off of trees, and plant, is this good idea?

Question

i plan on digging the hole about 1 foot radius from the center of trunk, and 3 feet deep. The trees that i am using are maple trees and they are about 8 feet high.

Answer 1

I offer a few thoughts.

First of all any disruption in a plants evolution can be equated to shock in the human system.

If you are able to maintain some soil in the "root ball" LEAVE IT ALONE.

If you absolutely must shake away all dirt from what roots are left existing, consider the roots as vessels to a brain. How long might a brain live, once a blood supply, or nutrients are cut off from it?

Allowing that there will be shock in any case, you'd have to water down any soil you dropped into a hole holding bare roots, as they dry quickly, then in that process you have to ASSUME that the watering would help settle soil around every root fiber, leaving no air pockets. Then and still, you have to nourish and water that tree (8 ft is pretty well established) and monitor leaf discoloring, any new possible growth in branches or leaves, any death of a branch, etc.

Beyond all that, without knowing where you are, This isn't a season to experience visible renewal or growth. The TREE should not be planted LOWER than it's current existing association with what it was planted in, even a pot.

Steven Wolf
(The Rev.)

Answer 2

i agree with some of these folks do not shake the old soil off..if the root ball has a hard packed root system from being in the container too long then just loosen the roots a little and plant it in a hole about 2 - 3 times the size of the existing root ball.this is because the roots will grow into loosened soil faster than hard packed soil..the thing i didn't see anyone else say here is .after the tree is planted it is a good idea to stake the thing on two sides tie some cloth or a piece of old garden hose to a couple of pieces of wire and the hose goes around the tree and the wire which has been placed through the hose ,goes into the stakes.water it well at planting and then keep it moist but not soaked for about two weeks ..after that you should only need to water it during drought..
trees are amazing things they will find the path of least resistance directly to water a lot faster than you may think.

Answer 3

Dig a hole slightly deeper and twice as wide as the root system of tree you are planting. Add compost or manure and peat moss, so that you have a ratio of one-third compost, one-third peat and one-third soil. Place the mixture into the bottom of the hole, water and allow to drain before placing the tree. Using a knife, cut the roots, otherwise they will remain in the same configuration as they were in the container. Place the tree in the hole so that it is straight and so that the original soil line is level with the ground. Add the remaining soil mixture and be sure to tamp it down around the roots to avoid air pockets, as this is one of the main reasons plants do not transplant well. Water the tree again, stake, and continue to water once a day for a month or longer if you live in a dry climate.

Answer 4

Dig a hole that is about 2x the size of the root ball already on the tree that you are working with. Do not SHAKE ALL THE DIRT OFF.... just Loosen it. If you shake all the dirt off you will shock the roots by tossing them into new/different dirt. Loosen the dirt over the hole so that the dirt that falls off will go into the hole. Water it well... extremely well. Water it daily for like the first year. Maybe 2, depending on where you are.

Answer 5

you do not remove the dirt from the tree roots.
leave the dirt it has intact as much as possible.
you have to dig a bigger hole to put the whole root ball in
if you shake the dirt off the roots it's not good.

Answer 6

Don't listen to these idiots. The only reason you should feel bad is the time you wasted not using a machine. I manufacture and assemble PCBs and once i hired workers to place the components instead of using the normal pick and place machine. You expect me to pay them fair wages? HA. The pick and place machine works 5 times faster and does a much better job and their complaining about pay? LOL. I don't need them.

Answer 7

Go to:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=405374
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-405374.html
and
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22transplant+maple%22&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8

and
http://www.naturehills.com/new/faqs/FAQsAnswers/QID/9310/Cat/Trees/SubCat/Maple_Trees/SubSubCat/Transplanting_Maples.html
http://www.epinions.com/content_158487318148/show_~allcom