Transplanting Oaks

[thcri]

I have some lake front property that has some large pine trees and oak trees. For some reason this year seedlings have started to grow of both trees. I want to transplant a bunch of them this fall but am sure if I should. The reason is we are so dry here that the majority of our trees have lost all of their color and the leaves have fallen off already on most trees. Yes September 1st and they are gone, there will be no tree/leaf season this year. But I am afraid the small trees are too weak to be moved. Do I fertilize them and water and then move or should I wait until next spring to move them when they are stronger?

murph

[Gatorboy]

Transplant the oaks, BEFORE they bud out next spring. Doing it late fall, or early spring shouldn't make a difference, for they will be dormant either way.

Depending on the size of the trees -- make sure you dig far enough down so that you can get the entire tap root. Keeping this intact will help the survival rate alot better.

I think I would not fertilize them until after they have been transplanted and are in full leaf next summer.

[fivestring]

Here in the South, the best time to transplant trees and bushes is January thru March.
Up there, it's probably December thru March.
You want the plants dormant before moving them. Same is true with roses.

[chrisjbell]

Make sure you dig deep when you pull them out. The key to oaks is the taproot - it goes down quite a ways. It's usually longer than the tree is high. Also, you have to water them heavily for the first year.

I've got lots of oaks (not enough yet) and have been trying to figure out the magic formula. Haven't yet, I lose more trees than I save - by far, but these are a few things I've learned.

[wasabi]

It sounds like the leaves dropped early cause of drought stress, but the trees are not likely to be dormant yet. Give them a bit of water occasionally to keep the roots going and wait till late fall to transplant. Better than spring transplanting IMHO.

Sabi

[mikell]

I've always been told you can transplant in any month with an "R" in it's name.

mikell