by Allan Maclaren

Created on: January 20, 2009

Transplanting Oak Trees

This article is directed at the homeowner or landscaper who wants to grow oaks from acorns or transplant small oak trees from a vacant lot, or woods to their property. The author has transplanted oak trees in Ohio, California, and Florida and has grown oaks from acorns. The article is based on this experience.

David Beaulieu's article How to TransplantTransplanting Trees and Shrubs is an excellent summary of the basic rules. You may read it at http://landscaping.about.com/cs/shrubsbushes/ht/tran splanting.

The trees should be transplanted when they are dormant the winter months. Northern oaks shed their leaves. Some California and Florida oaks do not shed their leaves or shed them incompletely so one may think it is not the time to transplant. Some oaks do not become completely dormant. Nevertheless, a good rule of thumb for these states with a climate similar to California and Florida is to transplant from mid December through mid to late March.

Transplanting an oak is a labor-intensive task. Oaks are most easily transplanted when they are small (under three feet tall) and less than three years old. Oaks develop a taproot that often can be almost as long as the tree is tall. Cutting the taproot usually results in the tree dying within months after it is planted. For this reason substantial digging is required so the whole tree (taproot and the root mass) can be removed from the hole.

For this reason one should begin digging at least a foot away from the trunk, more if a larger tree. As you dig down and around, avoid digging into the root mass
that is, those small roots growing out from the main root that is the taproot. Eventually you will have dug deep enough that the tree is starting to lean. Wiggle the tree and try lifting it out without jerking or applying too much pull. If the tree doesn't
seem to be easily removed, continue to dig down and around. Eventually you will determine that the tree can be pulled from the hole.

However, at this point you want to protect the root mass and the soil that the roots are attached to.
If you can maneuver a shovel under the tree, you are ready to remove it. First slip a tarp or a heavy-duty plastic trash bag under the tree root mass. Bring the bag up around the root mass and tie it around the trunk. The tree can now be easily lifted out of the hole with root mass intact along with the earth the roots have grown into.

The tree is now ready for planting in a hole you have already dug. There are several reasons

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