Transplanting Pines

[B4D2USA]

My Fiancee and I will be building a house in the country this spring. Last week, my Nephew was on spring break and he loves coming out to help. We started "clearing" by transplanting about 40 Eastern White Pine saplings that ranged in size from 12 inches tall to a few that were about 6 feet. I used the little John Deere 2520 because it won't tear up the turf where we were planting the trees. We have a few 12 or 16 foot tall pines that we will need the 933 to get under and by that time, we will be actually clearing and felling. More pictures will follow then.

EasternWhitePineTransplant.jpgChristianTreePlanter.jpgBruceAndChristianTreePlanting.jpg

[ianoz]

Hi Bruce , So what is the success rate with transplanting the pines ?The little John Deere looks like it is going to be a vey handy tool round the CPHQ . Look forward to seeing the earthworks get underway . The 933 and the D2 should get a good work out . Have you got much of a cut and fill to do ? Ian .

[gardener12]

Ah planting my lovlies ! dunno how dry/wet your climate is Bruce but you'll need to dig them in well and perhaps leave them there for a year or so to let more root establish and keep them well watered .. September would have been a better time for the move, but I know sites and times dont always allow for that. If you move them again soon dont expect much growth for 18months or so but after that they'll be ok .. how long will it be before you intended them to be in their final resting places ?

[B4D2USA]

Ian, we have been planting a lot of pines in the past several years. We buy them bare-rooted and they seem to do quite well. These transplants had most of the soil knocked loose, but I wanted some of the native earth to go with them for nutrient value. Also, when we hired a tree spade a few years ago to transplant 3 big con-color firs (16 to 18 feet high), the arborist suggested clipping the tap root so as not to "J-root" the tree, in which case you pretty much kill the tree.

As for cut-n-fill, the site is hill top, so we anticipate a walk out basement. about 6 or 7 feet deep at the front of the excavation, 4 feet deep footers and foundation at the walkout to get below the frost line.

G12, we currently have a couple acres of older doug fir which have succumbed to some disease and are dying off, thus we have begun interspersing these EWpines to fill in as we cut the dying doug firs. We plan on harvesting the dying trees for materials in the new house. Waste not, want not... Also, we have a blight of black locust trees, invasive and overpowering. I have been on a campaign to eraditcate them, but it is hard. Once you cut one, they start "suckers" from the stump and grow back with more vigor than before. They make excellent firewood and fence posts, but crowd out the more desirable trees by root runners. The only way to kill them is dig out the root or drill the stump and fill the holes with brush killer. We have planted several of the EWpines within the edges of the locust groves in anticipation of clearing them. We would like to see the EWpines replace the locusts some day. We will certainly keep them well watered. we are headed into the wet spring so moist soil conditions should be easy to maintain.

[B4D2USA]

An update: With the weather doing a roller-coaster ride in temps, we have been mostly in the 40's and 50's (F) with the occasional 60, 70 or 80 degree day. Thus, the plants have been slow to bud. This past week saw a stretch of 80's and even a 90 degree day followed by lots of rain as the cold front came through. According to the rain gauge, we received 5 inches of rain from Friday to this AM. An inspection this morning revealed that all the trees we transplanted are sprouting fresh candles. I am keeping fingers crossed, but we may have a good survival rate.

[ianoz]

Hi Bruce , Sounds like you did something right.

I remember asking the council parks and gardens boss what to do with transplanting a tree.He gave me a list as long as my arm on do's and don'ts . Far too complicated for a ruff runt like me . So got the bobcat ,stuck the bucket under it , .Took it up to tyhe new house ,dug a hole with the bobcat and dumped it in .Chucked a bit of dirt back round it ,gave it a drink of water , and it lived .

[B4D2USA]

It's almost a year since we transplanted the pines. By the time I finished the clearing, I tried to transplant a few more larger pines. It was several weeks after the initial group. Unfortunately, they did not survive, but of the first batch, we have seen a 100% survival of transplant. We also now have a good crop of seedlings sprouting from other areas, thus we will be spreading them out over the years given our successful trial.

[Wee Jim]

i dot know about you guys but i have always been told here thatyou only plant trees in any month with an 'R' in it. I presume thats cos these are the dormont months.