Good time of year to replant trees etc. ?

J

johng7

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Can anyone point me in the right direction - we will be doing some building work later on in the year which will entail clearing a large garden which has about a dozen 9 year old trees of mixed varieties.

Is there any good information source on whether it is worth removing them now over the winter, or is it unpractical ? I just dont want to come to the summertime and then find out I should have done something about now.

Sorry I don't even know the types of trees - not green fingered as you can gather - but there is a willow (about 15 feet tall) and an ash tree (about 10 feet tall) that are very pretty. There are plenty of shrubs also - but some of them are overgrown or not very attractive so might not be worth the hassle involve of moving them.

Thanks for your help - or I'd appreciate a steer to a suitable gardening advice website if that was the way to go.
 
Don't wait until summer time to dig them up better to do it now and dig down an area to leave them and cover over their roots with plenty of soil and keep them suported. If they are 9 year old trees be careful when digging up you might do some root damage - roots can travel some distance. If you have a garden centre near you I ask or their advice as to what type of trees they are - you might have to put a net ball around the roots of the trees to keep them in place.

Best of luck

angela59
 
Thanks for the replies
angela - i'll take that on board
sherman - that looks like a very useful website.
Much appreciated.
 
As a qualified horticulturist I have a few suggestions:
1. The most important thing to remember is that if they are decedious tree ( loose their foliage in winter) they can only be safely be lifted in the dorment season. This would normally be between November and February but the seasons can change. The rule is before the buds open.
2. If the trees are of a large growth habit it means a large are of root has also to be dug out of the ground. Sometimes this means it is uneconimical as large machinery may be required to do this process.
3. It is preferable not to cut back root growth too severe as this diminishes the chances of a successful transplant.
4. If you do manage to move the trees dig a large hole some where in the garden, where it would be protected from the builders activaties. It is not necessary to plant all the trees in seperate holes but it is essential to get all the tree root below ground level. The trees may be planted at a 45 degree angle to stop the blowing out of the ground if necessary. This process is known as "heeling in" and plants can be left for up to a year in this fashion.
5. Rplanting of the trees to their final position at a later date must also be during the dorment season (see above)also. Ensure adequate staking of the repositioned trees as wind can easily upset a newlyplanted tree.
6. Often the time incured in moving these trees would make it impractical and purchasing a semi mature specimen at a later date can be more econimical. Remember all of the work as described above does not guarantee success.
I hope you find this information helpful
 
The late autumn or the early spring are the best times. When the trees are pretty much dormant, but the potential worst of the winter is over.

For your purposes, you'll be doing it in a few weeks. Don't forget that spring can happen early... remember the fantastic weather we had in the Spring (and Autumn) of 2007.
 
Thanks a million for all the advice - it seems that this is the right time to think about replanting them, but it might be a bigger job than i think because of the large roots.
Looks like it would definitely be worthwhile getting someone locally to have a look at them to help decide if its worth it.
Again - thanks for taking the time to reply.
 
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