I need to relocate a tree because I am putting in a privacy fence. I don't want to kill the tree, but I am a rookie at all of this. I found this web site, so I am giving it a crack. I'll provide more infor if needed. The tree is young, or I think it is, because the trunk is thin. Please help!! Thanks.
For heaven's sake - what kind of tree is it?? I should tell you that it's a bad time to be moving it (whatever it is). A month or so from now would be much better as it should be dormant when you do it.. late winter would also be a lot better.
What is the best way to identify the tree? Leaves, bark color, for heavens sake...lol...thanks for the tip about late winter, but I need to move on this faster. Anyone else got a suggestion???
As far as I know it won't hurt the tree to move it now. Once the heat of summer is gone, and the soil reasonably moist, most plants can withstand a move, and they're close enough to dormancy. Fall is a great time for planting, so why not for moving? In fact, in your climate a plant needs a little time before frost sets in to establish its roots. It probably doesn't even matter what kind of tree it is, except that the odd type is supersensitive to being in the right conditions, or maybe to moving. But if you're a rookie, I doubt you've got one of those. Bottom line, it's in your way and it has to go. If you lose it in the move, trees are readily available at nurseries, and sometimes, say at this time of year, usually not that expensive if you buy them small. Or you can always plant an acorn!
Thanks! I think I am going to opt for the all out destruction of this one. I went home to walk the dog at lunch and it has berries on it that I don't fee like dealing with. I'll chop it down, and hopefully the roots are not too settled yet. Any tips on getting it up if it gives me trouble? Thanks for dealing with the rookie. Take care. Greener and Greener.
I've never thought of berries as a real troublesome feature, but perhaps you're concerned that this means the tree will self-seed a lot? It depends on whether the berries are eaten by birds, and on whether the tree seeds face ideal conditions in your climate. But, if the tree seeded itself there in the first place, that's an indicator that it will do so again. But that still isn't so bad, seedlings can be pulled. But anyway... If the tree is big enough that you would describe removing it as a job involving "chopping," it may be too big to survive a move anyway, and it may be a big pain to remove alive or dead. You would have to give some more information on at least the size of the tree if you want advice on tackling it yourself. You could hire someone if it's big. If you want to know whether you might have sprouting from the stump or roots, you'd have to identify the tree (best done via the leaves, and the berries in this case).
The tree is not large at all. It is tall, but not thick at all. I think the person that owned the house previously must have planted it. I just don't want to dig it up and have it locked into the ground via roots. How should I remove it? Dig it up, chop it down, or what? Thanks for your quick repsonses. Green
I can't tell at all from your description how much root the tree might have; it depends on the size of the canopy among other things. If you are determined to kill it you can certainly begin by cutting it off at ground level, and depending on the kind of tree it is this might be enough; you can just leave the roots in the ground to rot. If you are still considering making this a move, or if you need/want to remove the roots from the ground, you can begin by digging maybe two feet out from the base of the tree, and see what you encounter in the way of roots. Cut whatever roots you encounter at that point to release the tree. Personally, I cut the roots of shrubs and trees with gay abandon even when I'm going to move things, because in most cases I find they recover just fine.
I hate to see a perfectly good tree destroyed ! Call local landscape gardeners or your city parks department because they might appreciate a free tree enough to dig it out and remove it for nothing. Or find out what it is and try to sell it through classifieds as a 'you dig'
