Transplanting spruce trees

[mooreorless]

I've got four beautiful blue spruce trees that are out behind my barn, I'm wondering if I should take a chance and transplant them. The problem is their size, they are a good 12' tall. I talked with a guy from a nursery about using a tree spade and he said he would just dig them up by hand and roll them on to a sled and pull them over to where I want to plant them. I know they would really need to be staked well being that tall and their growth would be stunted for a couple of years if they made it. Now is the time to do this, while they are still dormant anyhow, what do you think? Anybody with this kind of experience? Any help is appreciated, thanks.

[Admin]

I've never had any luck transplanting trees of that size. I have transplanted a lot of younger ones 6' and under with good success. I've had my best luck by doing this just when the frost comes out of the ground and the ground is soft. I've had best results by grabbing them and tugging and pulling them out of the ground. Trying to dig them out I damaged too many roots. Pulling them out worked better. I would mound up a well around the trunk after putting them back in the ground and water the bajeezus out of them. Sounds like you need my Kubota for the weekend

[mooreorless]

JC, I would have a hard time deciding what to do in a weekend, better send all the attachments, might be a little more than 8 hrs. a day on the meter.

[oldminkman]

I wouldn't recommend transplanting 12 footers for the most part. I've transplanted Blue Spruce in Wisconsin for years and the biggest was around 8 ft. You have a 50/50 chance with Blues and most other spruces in general according to the nursery experts and I found this to be pretty accurate. If i was going to transplant a spruce this size I would do the following: #1. transplant in the fall ( this is the best time because you can "bare root" the trees like JC was talking about.) #2. Get as much of the roots as you can and try not to damage any of the biggest roots. #3. Have the holes prepared before you dig ,(put some type of soil conditioner in the hole-peat works great because it breaks up the clay) and make sure water is in the bottom of the hole when you put the tree in. #4. Bury the tree high rather than low mounding up around the base is a good idea because it will settle and it will keep from water standing around the trunk of the tree. #5. WATER THE TREE WHEN YOU PLANT IT, this keeps air from forming around the roots and killing the tree. #6. Water the trees in the morning or day rather than at night. #7. Stake the trees for the first year or they will lean and this helps them during the winds of spring and storms.

I hope this is helpful good luck

Oldminkman

[rustytrap]

oldminkman thanks i have a couple of spruse trees i want to move hopefuly they don't get to big befor fall

[blueduck]

I think your in luck. Spruce trees don't have tap roots so the roots stay pretty shallow. I have had good luck transplanting spruce trees up to the size your talking about. First you need to wait until you know they are dormant. Oct. or Nov. is usually safe. Then start digging out away from the trunk about even with the drip line (end of the branches). The roots will normally be out nearly that far from the trunk. Try not to disturb the roots any more than you have to. You will probably only have to go two to three feet deep. Slide the root ball onto a tarp and don't be afraid to keep some dirt on the roots. Don't let the roots dry out, and plant it the same depth that it grew. Good luck.

[rustytrap]

blue duck thanks for the info got a couple that need to be moved