How do you move trees?

[JoceAndChris]

I know Capability Brown did it so why can't I!

I have some little yew trees, about 4 feet high - in the spinney. I want to move them to the beds by the entrance to create giant cakestands - like this.
http://www.gardens-guide.com/gardenpages/_0083.htm

Apparently they need to be in place a few years before you start shaping them into cake stands and then it takes 10 years to get 2 metres wih the fully developed pedestal, tiers and finial,so there's not a moment to be lost!

I know PPukers know pretty much everything between them - any tips? I wonder how big the root ball is on a 4 foot tree.

 

[Schoolmarm]

Found this!!

"You might cut off all the little fine drinking roots at the time of year when it needs them the most. If you can delay it at all, then do so, the best time to move established plants is between Mid-Oct/Nov and the end of the year.

If you must move it now, get as big a root ball as possible, saturate the soil before hand as others have said. Prepare the new planting hole well, dig in organic matter to the soil before hand and then keep an eye on it watering with a big drink every few days rather than little and often, it will have a hell of a thirst on and will be drinking through the eye of a needle."

 

[skier-hughes]

yes, do it in the autumn.
After planting, before refilling hole, place a piece of drain pipe in the soil so that you can water the roots, rather than the top of the soil. It'll mean you can use less water, the water is deeper, less likelyhood of roots growing upwards for the water, stronger foundations....................

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thanks Carole and Graham. That's perfect, I'll wait until autumn then. That will give me a chance to clear the hollies where they're going anyhow. I didn't know that about watering - it explains why I killed the roses I moved last month. And a great tip about the pipe. Very very free draining soil here, don't know if that makes a difference.

Perhaps I ought to dig a lot of organic matter in before autumn.

 

[skier-hughes]

Start preparing now.
Have you any clay soil around?
Dig a big hole, line with clay, fill with compost, wait until autumn.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Reckon I should do 8 cakestands - 5 one side, 3 another. So 8 big holes. No clay but yews must like it here as there are lots - thanks for help! xx

 

[skier-hughes]

The clay will help to hold the water in, but allow the tree to root downwards, see if you can dig some up on your travels

 

[Schoolmarm]

And what a great place to chuck all the leaves you battle with!!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh, I'm copying Skier these days and making compost.

Surely if you lined your hole with clay, you limit the size of the tree?

I feel pretty certain we'll have a borehole before these little trees become 2 m cakestands, in which case I'll fill the gardens with sprinklers - oh, how I'd love to do that, and have lush, green grass and a pond.

 

[Schoolmarm]

The roots aren't limited by clay. They are happy to grow through it, it just slows down the loss of the water.


A borehole? I would be so jealous if you get that.

 

[skier-hughes]

I've been digging into my 3 year old grass clippings and leaf/straw from chickens heap, god it stinks!!
Must be about 100 worms to every cubic foot of compost though, yiippeeeee!!!!

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Good advice there Joce, I have successfully moved box and yew twice in the past 5years, so I'm sure that it will be ok, but water, water, water and feed, I used a seaweed based sequesterone.

 

[Pford75]

Our soil is very free draining (quite sandy really). In addition to compost, we have taken to lining the bottom of planting holes with old newspaper. Certainly works well in the veg patch and our trees in the orchard (planted last Autumn) have taken well. We used apx. 2 large broadsheets per tree

 

[Penners]

a seaweed based sequesterone.

Are all types of yew acid-lovers? I think I'd want to be sure before using sequestrene.

 

[Lime]

Personally I'd avoid chemical fertiliser until the trees are established.
Chemicals stress the roots.
When the tree/plant is dug up, immediately wrap the root ball in a bin bag to avoid drying out the root hairs.
This is particularly important if it is windy or if re-planting is delayed for some reason.
Pour a cup or 2 of water in the bag before use.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thanks for all the lovely advice - this is much appreciated. I haven't heard about clay, newspaper, sequestrene, before.

I'll move them in the autumn - with these tips they should get a decent start.

 

[skier-hughes]

I learnt about our soil structure whilst on our skiing holiday. We went in our normal group but with a new couple, friends of another of our group. She's an expert gardener, having done all sorts of qualifications with the RHS etc.
Apparently out 18" of top soil with clay underneath is near perfect growing soil - probably why it's been a farm for hundreds of years - the clay helps hold the moisture in the soil, ours can still be damp only a spade depth down even in this hot dry weather. Plus the clay stops all the nutrients being washed away.

 

[Penners]

Apparently out 18" of top soil with clay underneath is near perfect growing soil

You're certainly lucky, Graham. Here in East Anglia, many people measure their topsoil thickness in millimetres rather than inches.

 

[Lime]

Apparently out 18" of top soil with clay underneath is near perfect growing soil

You're certainly lucky, Graham. Here in East Anglia, many people measure their topsoil thickness in millimetres rather than inches.

Aye, a lot depends on whether you're on peat, silt or skirt.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I'm on rocks. Dig down 2 feet, and there are small rocks, bigger rocks then boulders. The old quarry for Ancaster limestone is 300 yards away.

My house is built of these bits of rock, and there's plenty more for another, if anyone would like to come and take it off my hands.

Despite that- or maybe because of it - certain things grow wonderfully well, aliums, mock orange, crocosmia, lilac, lily of the valley, holly, lavender, nigella damascena, aquilegia columbine, laurel, poppies, laburnum. They all self seed and love it here.

Other things need their soil conditions tweaking- roses particularly must be fussed over every season. Penners' Amelanchier is doing well having had an ericaceous bed made for it, I've just brutalised it into a standard so let's hope it copes with that too.

But the very strongest heathiest and happiest plants here are the nettles and thistles. :roll: