Best time to transplant 'volunteer' trees? (growing, cherry trees, spring, freeze)

[uggabugga]

I have some hickory and cherry trees that are about 3 -5 feet tall that need to be relocated. is now (winter) the best time to dig them up and move them to somewhere more appropriate?

[txtoal]

I don't know where you are located but here in central TX the time to transplant and plant trees is now so they will have time to get somewhat established before the blazing heat of summer.
We have 3 trees that we want to plant but are waiting for the rain to stop and the ground to soften up...which is always another issue. Little rain and rocky soil.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by txtoal

I don't know where you are located but here in central TX the time to transplant and plant trees is now so they will have time to get somewhat established before the blazing heat of summer.
We have 3 trees that we want to plant but are waiting for the rain to stop and the ground to soften up...which is always another issue. Little rain and rocky soil.

Yes, your location or better yet USDA Hardiness Zone is important for any questions about plants. Here in our area, it's still a bit early, as we are experiencing sub-freezing temperatures this week. The general rule is just as buds start to swell, but before they open. Take as much of the soil around the root ball as possible and hope it doesn't get hit by a late freeze. The best time is when it first goes dormant in early fall/late winter, when you can do it with bare roots.

[Zoisite]

Originally Posted by uggabugga

I have some hickory and cherry trees that are about 3 -5 feet tall that need to be relocated. is now (winter) the best time to dig them up and move them to somewhere more appropriate?

What is your location? Is your soil warm and soft enough now?

Are they all individual trees sprouted from seed, or are they suckers that came up from the spreading roots of other nearby trees? If they're grown from seed now is a good time to take them up and get them established in new locations.

If they're suckers I think you will have a lot more digging to do to get all of their own individual root systems intact. Their own roots may be more sparse and you may have more difficulty getting them established in new locations. Sucker trees are more dependent on the root systems of the mature trees they sprung up from until they're about 15 years old. Be sure to stake your sucker trees when you transplant them.

.

[bigbear99]

When folks know they're going to transplant a tree or shrub in a year or so, they should root prune:

For most plants, root pruning is recommended in the fall, followed by transplanting in the spring. This allows the plant to grow new feeder roots in the pruned zone over the winter without the burden of supporting new growth. For larger plants, you may want to root prune one year or more before transplanting.

[uggabugga]

Originally Posted by txtoal

I don't know where you are located but here in central TX the time to transplant and plant trees is now so they will have time to get somewhat established before the blazing heat of summer.
We have 3 trees that we want to plant but are waiting for the rain to stop and the ground to soften up...which is always another issue. Little rain and rocky soil.

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Yes, your location or better yet USDA Hardiness Zone is important for any questions about plants. Here in our area, it's still a bit early, as we are experiencing sub-freezing temperatures this week. The general rule is just as buds start to swell, but before they open. Take as much of the soil around the root ball as possible and hope it doesn't get hit by a late freeze. The best time is when it first goes dormant in early fall/late winter, when you can do it with bare roots.

Originally Posted by Zoisite

What is your location? Is your soil warm and soft enough now?

Are they all individual trees sprouted from seed, or are they suckers that came up from the spreading roots of other nearby trees? If they're grown from seed now is a good time to take them up and get them established in new locations.

If they're suckers I think you will have a lot more digging to do to get all of their own individual root systems intact. Their own roots may be more sparse and you may have more difficulty getting them established in new locations. Sucker trees are more dependent on the root systems of the mature trees they sprung up from until they're about 15 years old. Be sure to stake your sucker trees when you transplant them.

.

I'm in zone 7a. the ground is easily soft enough to dig now (it hit 80 yesterday) but I'm sure there will be more freezing days ahead. these are from seed, not suckers. i just hope they don't have deep tap roots that i won't be able to avoid breaking.
thanks for the responses.

[gemstone1]

Nut trees have a very deep tap root....dig deeply.

Regards
Gemstone1

[uggabugga]

Originally Posted by gemstone1

Nut trees have a very deep tap root....dig deeply.

Regards
Gemstone1

i tried digging up the hickory yesterday. it was growing next to a retaining wall close to my house but was a nice vigorous tree that i hoped to save, about 2.5 inches diameter at the base, 5-6 feet tall. you are right- i dug down over 2 1/2 feet and it was nowhere near ready to come out. unfortunately i had to get out the battery chainsaw and cut it down
all i have to show for a lot of work is a sore back.

hoping to have better luck with the 3 black cherries.

[bigbear99]

Yes, some trees have big tap roots. Others don't. You might try googling to see which are which. I have no idea.

[Ashley52]

What about bare-root trees shipped in the fall? How can their success rate be maximized, since it sounds like these guys prefer mid-summer transplanting? I'd hate to think that I wasted my $14 on a couple of 'em from ArborDay's Tree Store...