Moving Trees (landscape, grown, crape, myrtles)

[CAKD]

We have been in our home for 2 years. Our builder planted some lovely Crepe Myrtles and a Japanese Maple that I swear must be on steroids as they have out grown the area the builder put them in. In fact I would say they have tripled to quadrupled in size in 2 years. Pruning them would ruin them. We would like to have them moved to a more appropriate area in our yard where they can continue to grown and flourish. We plan on hiring a professional landscaper to do this. I am terrified of killing them/losing them. Is it out of the question for whom ever we hire to have them guarantee the trees? It would cost us a bundle to replace trees of this size the Crepe Myrtles I would consider at close to the full grown stage and the Japanese Maple is close to 6-7' tall. I am sure it will not be cheap tp move them so to lose them on top of that could be really hard to hack. Also is their someone more specific we should hire than just a general landscaper? Are there companies that do nothing but move trees who would be more likely to not kill them? Thanks

[wit-nit]

Check first in the yellow pages for "tree removers". They should have the proper equipment. Or ask the landscaper if they are qualified to move them. Most re-movers will probably not guarantee them as there are too many factors involved with re-moving and re-planting.
Note: they will go into shock and look terrible for a period of time. So don't panic and let mother nature have time to re-habilitate the transplants.

[si33]

...while im not sure how crape myrtles would transplant... i have successfully moved a 12' japanese maple...and while it was a ton of work, ..the tree made it and currently is attaining new growth...
...it took a good 6-8 hours to dig out around the roots..and prune them..but it can be done...without hiring a landscaper or a tree service...
...as far as cutting the roots.. we used a saws-all to cut what we couldn't by hand...
..my cousin,whoes idea it was to tackle this project,..prepared the new site with new,more enriched soil,as well as adding in a starter fertilizer..
...compared to the size we tackled, a tree 6-8' tall should have a smaller caliper trunk size..as well as a less-extensive root system...and be easier to move...the tree we moved had a diameter of about 10"..
...as far as hiring a tree remover..if you decided to hire one...be extremely specific with exactly what you want done... if they are reputable,..they will listen...
as far as how he delt with transplant shock,..he removed 75 to 85% of the existing foliage...which helps the tree not focus on pushing energy into new or existing growth..and helps the tree focus on root development...
i was a little skeptical at first but after seeing how the tree is rebounding..it was a good move..hope this helps...

[CAKD]

Thank you both. We definitely need to hire someone for this talk mainly due to the clay soil NC has. With out a tractor and equipment to dig the size holes needed to remove and replant these trees we would be here for 10 years trying to dig. I know Fall will be the best time for this task because they won't have any leaves to worry about and can be pruned back where needed. I will search out some tree removal places as suggested to see if they do transplants. Thanks again.

[Tek_Freek]

I read somewhere, and it was probably here or at GardenWeb - The Internet's Garden Community that you should cut the ball around the plant to be moved a month (or 2?) ahead of time and let the plant just sit. I cannot for the life of me remember the logic, but if I find the post I'll link to it.

[FLPL75]

tek
that is correct
It is called "root pruning" and by doing this 6 to 8 weeks before moving the tree you will be creating a new root system off of the root ball so when you move the tree it will already have new roots
I am not a big fan of enriching the new planting area , the reason being you want to keep the same planting soil and conditions that the tree is coming from. Especially if the soil is a heavy clay the tree is use to having to get through the soil and if all of a sudden it has nice soft soil once the roots reach the heavy stuff it may cause a bit of shock to the tree that has already gone through stress.
This was information that I learned from our county extension tree agent
I would ask any landscape company if they have a Certified Arborist on staff.

[paperhouse]

I agree with Karla. Also, wait until both trees are dormant. In NC, that would be mid-December. You don't want to move any tree that large when it still has leaves on it. The trees may be late in leafing out next spring. It will put out new roots to support the new growth first.

[wit-nit]

You all are correct on moving the small trees, but the big trees, and especially in our area, they use big rigs with large hydraulically operated tree spades. They first use the big tree spade to open the hole for the new tree, then the tree spade takes out the tree to be transplanted and fits it right into the prepared hole. Perfect fit. Then a root stimulater is used to aid in preventing shock and to stimulate new roots. Regular watering to keep it moist. Most large trees take 6-12 months to re-establish themselves.

[d4g4m]

You can severly trim a crape myrtle without fear of the tree dying if you're concerned about the tree dying from a transplant. But wait until after the last freeze. You can trim anywhere between just last season blooms to the main trunk. In s/w FL, we trim them in Feb.