Transplanting Pin Oaks

[TOMLESCOEQUIP]

I have a couple small oaks growing in my fence rows that are just going to go to waste before long. One is about 1 1/2 inch in dia. while the other (which I should have dug last year or maybe the year before that) is now about 3". How deep can I expect the roots to be & how much dirt will I need to keep with them so they'll live ? I've dug & transplanted pines before using the forks on my skidsteer as a big shovel/spade to dig & transport them & had most of them survive. ( I have the new holes ready so they aren't out of the ground long.) Will this work on the oaks or are the roots too tough ? I don't really want to dig the bigger one by hand if I can help it ! When is the best time to attempt this? I was thinking in early October before things start to freeze . If I wait till spring, it may be too wet to get them out where I have to go to get them. Any tips would be appreciated..........Tom

 

[MossRoad]

The smaller one shouldn't be that bad, but a 3" oak will need a large rootball if you want it to survive. I've never had much luck with any oaks over about an inch. Surprisingly, they grow very fast once they hit that size and if you think about waiting until next year to do it, it is too big.

There are some good websites with general rules of thumb about the size of the rootball VS the size of the tree. Take into account the spread of the branches and the height of the tree, not just the diameter of the trunk.

 

[beenthere]

Early spring is the best time, and the 3" will need a ball about 3' in diameter, a foot per inch. It's best to root prune one year before balling the tree roots, and that root pruning could be done late fall, but wait a year at least to ball it and move it. Balling in the spring usually is better because of the moisture in the dirt that helps keep it together.
When I balled trees (by hand) at a nursery, if the ball was disturbed at all (cracks, etc) then we filled the trench back in to wait another year. The boss didn't like too many of those mistakes. It takes a very sharp spade to cut the roots and not jar the root ball to make it fall apart.
You might try your method with the forks, and then soak them well so the dirt compacts well over the winter. Just might work, along with tying the tree from wind movement the next 2-3 years. I wouldn't count on it, but it might be worth a chance.

 

[SPIKER]

Oaks in general are the trees with some of the deepest roots. that being said I ahve lots of pin oaks on the place and just today started tossing red oak acorns around to increase their popluation on my place. (this particular oak I got the acorns from is about 80' high with large spralling branches along the tree /property line with a trunk dia af about 4~5'.) it is one heck of a fine specimine and is probably 130+ yrs old. anyhow for pin oaks they seems to be one of the least hardy of the oak species. much slower growing than the white or red oaks and don't attain the size of them either. winter is best time to dig live trees for trans planting but they store much of their energy in the trunk/root system so getting as much roots as possable is needed. make sure to have a primary hole made BIGGER than the one you expect to have to dig to remove the tree. plant the tree so that the existing dirt level is slightly riased in the new hole back filling with good top soil/dirt. water it right after wards and keep it moist through the rest of winter and the next summer. also don't over firterlize it as that can add added stress to the root system. wait 1 season to add food if you intend to. it is best to not to disterb the roots if possable the less damage the better. top trimming of the tree is ok right away in winter to help spring summer surviveability if you damage a lot of roots so the stored energy that is lost can be offset by the pruned upper branches.

ok hope that helps.

<Mark M>