Evening,

After a few years of living at my current address I am about 3/4 way
through landscaping the garden (it was all humps/bumps as it was built on
natural mountain that has never been worked).
The main sticking point is an 8' Holly tree which just HAS to be moved.
I've done some research on this and am aware that the likelyhood is that it
will die if moved, however it has to be done and I would therefore like to
give it as much chance of survival as possible (however small that may be!)
This link http://tinyurl.com/2pnd6 gives a guide to planting a new tree,
but I was wondering if that is good advice in general or should I be
looking to do something different with this Holly?

Thanks


--
:: Outgoing mail/postings are checked by AVG 6.0
:: Virus Database 423, Release Date 15/04/2004

'Cirdan',

Your site deals with the planting of a container grown tree, which is
ideal when you have removed your holly to the new planting area, but it
does not assist you in uprooting a happily growing tree.

Your problem is getting the holly to the new site and at the same time
giving it the maximum chance of survival.

Ideally you should prune the foliage of the tree quite hard to
compensate for the loss of moisture which root disturbance will entail.

Sever its roots to the depth of a spade in a circle at least 1' from the
trunk of the tree and at the same time lever the spade underneath the
trunk so that all its roots are severed.

Your main problem now is getting the very heavy rootball to the new
planting site. I suggest that you foster good relations with three or
four able bodied persons who can lift the rootball, undisturbed, onto a
plastic sheet and then carefully drag it to the new site.

When planted keep it well watered, shade it from direct sunlight, and
also moisten its foliage as often as is practical until it is
established in its new surroundings.

You can quite easily spray very fine vapour onto the newly planted tree
by training the nozzle of a hosepipe onto it from a stepladder and this
will tend to replace most of the moisture which it has lost. This can be
likened to a dripfeed which someone has when a limb has been lost.

I wish you well.

Regards,
EmrysDavies.




"Círdan Falassion" wrote in message
...
Evening,

After a few years of living at my current address I am about 3/4 way
through landscaping the garden (it was all humps/bumps as it was built
on
natural mountain that has never been worked).
The main sticking point is an 8' Holly tree which just HAS to be
moved.
I've done some research on this and am aware that the likelyhood is
that it
will die if moved, however it has to be done and I would therefore
like to
give it as much chance of survival as possible (however small that may
be!)
This link http://tinyurl.com/2pnd6 gives a guide to planting a new
tree,
but I was wondering if that is good advice in general or should I be
looking to do something different with this Holly?

Thanks


--
:: Outgoing mail/postings are checked by AVG 6.0
:: Virus Database 423, Release Date 15/04/2004

In article , Emrys Davies
writes
Sever its roots to the depth of a spade in a circle at least 1' from the
trunk of the tree and at the same time lever the spade underneath the
trunk so that all its roots are severed.

1 ft would be a severe shock to an 8 ft holly. We moved a 7ft lilac, and
gave a radius of at least 2 ft. This of course meant a massive and very
heavy rootball. ISTR we rocked the tree to one said, shovelled soil in
underneath, rocked back to the other side, repeated, and carried on till
we'd raised the rootball to the height of the surrounding ground. Then
we got a plastic sheet under it, again by rocking.

Somehow we managed to get it on to a large square piece of wood which we
balanced on an old iron ladder, and used rollers under the ladder to
move it to the new position. It was hard work!!

We chopped the tree back to main branches to avoid water loss, as Emrys
says. You can do this with lilac - they will re-shoot from almost
nothing. I'm not sure how far you can trim back holly - I'd be worried
about taking too much off.

Your main problem now is getting the very heavy rootball to the new
planting site. I suggest that you foster good relations with three or
four able bodied persons who can lift the rootball, undisturbed, onto a
plastic sheet and then carefully drag it to the new site.

When planted keep it well watered, shade it from direct sunlight, and
also moisten its foliage as often as is practical until it is
established in its new surroundings.

Which will be at least a year.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

Círdan Falassion wrote:
Evening,

After a few years of living at my current address I am about 3/4 way
through landscaping the garden (it was all humps/bumps as it was
built on natural mountain that has never been worked).
The main sticking point is an 8' Holly tree which just HAS to be
moved. I've done some research on this and am aware that the
likelyhood is that it will die if moved, however it has to be done
and I would therefore like to give it as much chance of survival as
possible (however small that may be!) This link
http://tinyurl.com/2pnd6 gives a guide to planting a new tree, but I
was wondering if that is good advice in general or should I be
looking to do something different with this Holly?


Does it have to be done this year? Best chance would be given by preparing
the year before by digging around the proposed root ball and under cutting,
to promote the development of new roots, thus giving less shock when
actually moved

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/living/co...7778430.htm?1c
gives good advice

esp wrt rootball size: Determine the size of the soil ball you'll be
digging. For a 1-inch plant, the soil ball should be 14 inches in diameter.
For a 2-inch trunk (or multiple trunks that add to a total of 2 inches),
figure on 22 inches of soil ball. Add about 10 inches for each additional
inch of trunk diameter

pk