Replanted tree?

Question

I have recently moved a tree from a friends yard to my own. It is a weeping cherry tree and when I replanted it on mothers day, it is still not perky and looks basically dead. What can I do?

Answer 1

You probably picked a pretty bad time to move it. Normally the best time to move them is when the weather is cool. That means early spring or late fall. All you can do now is water it. Keep the ground moist but not soaking. You don't want to rot the roots. Also put some mulch around the tree. That will help hold the water in the ground. Don't fertilize it quite yet. That may only help dry it out. You also may not have dug wide enough around the three. If you do fertilize it, focus on fertilizers that have mainly phosphorous and potassium in them and not nitrogen. Phosphorous and potassium help the roots grow where as nitrogen would help the limbs grow. You don't want the limbs growing until the roots have grown enough to support the limb growth.

It may take 2-3 years before you see the tree starting to fully recover and grow well if it doesn't die this year. If it makes it past this summer it will most likely live.

Like the one person said, sometimes it does good to soak them in water before you replant them. I often will do that when planting perennials. It helps keep them from drying out so easily after you first plant them. It does a lot better job of making sure they get water than if you just water it with a watering can or hose. You don't need to leave it to soak in the water too long when you transplant plants. Just long enough to soak the dirt thoroughly. If you leave it in the water for too long it will drown the roots and make them rot.

Answer 2

Even though I've never transplanted a Weeping cherry tree; but in the past I've transplanted bushes, small citrus trees & berries in hot weather. I've had a couple die in the first month or less.

Don't give up yet. Be sure you didn't dig up & leave bareroot too long or even with a small dirt ball around it. I killed one this way leaving it in the sun for a 2-3 hours. Now, I dig with some original dirt & healthy roots. Some do well in a bucket of water for a few hours or overnight & others wrap in layers of damp newspaper & place in a non-windy shady spot.

After digging the hole, I put in a little compost or mulch & mix in. Plant at same level in dirt as it was growing before, tamp soil in gently, & water well. After an hour or two; rewater depending on your climate & size of tree. This way you'll see if you need to add more soil. If it's hot weather, I'd avoid fertilizing at time of transplant not to put added stress on it.

Use ngs.org, sites that sell trees for info, Nation Arbor Day Foundation website, & many more.

Don't fret, talk sweet to it & handle with care!

Answer 3

Transplanting a tree is very stressful to the plant, because invariably you end up damaging many roots and leaving many of the delicate feeder roots behind when you dig up the rootball. This means that the plant may not be able to take up the water it needs -- even if you were careful to water it. Trees that go into winter while suffering water stress are also more susceptible to cold damage. Unfortunately, there is a chance that the tree is dead. However, one of the tree's survival mechanisms is to defoliate in order to conserve moisture; it would also defoliate naturally for the winter. So it is possible that it is still alive but is slow in coming out of dormancy this spring, partly because it is still trying to grow roots. Snip off a branch tip and see if there is any green inside the bark, or if it is truly all brown and dead. If the branch tips are dead, work your way back to larger twigs looking for living tissue, since it's possible that the main trunk of the tree is still alive. Trim away any truly dead wood. If there is live wood above the graft, then the tree may recover. Make sure that the soil is kept evenly moist (but not sopping wet) as you would for any brand newly planted tree until it becomes reestablished.

Answer 4

If it has a root ball it replaced into meant to be replanted. classes could be linked to the tree. i've got replanted quite a few yet all died because of the fact they weren't the superb variety of tree for my climate and soil.

Answer 5

unfortunately all you can do is give it water and hope for the best. Sometimes when you transplant things they just go into shock and need time to adjust. I just transplanted a Wisteria and I am hoping it survived the move, but it too is looking saaaaaddddd GOOD LUCK and HAPPY PLANTING !!

Answer 6

I agree with first poster. I hope you been watering each day. All you really can do is try to get as much root as you can and then water each day. Don't give up yet.