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June, 2025

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Transplanting Trees Help

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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
Heres the rundown, where I live my family has about 50 acres, about a third are woods, and two thirds, including our house and yard, have very few trees (we planted about 20 five to ten foot trees, thats it)

So I'm going to go in the woods, and find small trees (3-6 feet) and dig them up and transplant them in our yard.

So my question is, has anyone ever done this, or know someone who has. If so, what trees should I go after? (BTW I'm in upstate NY) Is there a better kind to transplant? We don't care if its oak, maple, pine, etc, and like I said roughly 15 or acres of forest, all kinds of trees are in there.

Any advice would be great
15 years ago
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rickety_cricket
Posts: 909 - Karma: 34
1. Dig the little tree out
2. Pick it up and move it to the desired location.
3. Dig a hole and throw the tree in it.
4.?????????
5. Profit
15 years ago
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Rainbow*Stylin
Posts: 1042 - Karma: 24
do it quickly... plants like to be transplanted while they are still in a contracted state, as in not blooming or actively growing... Pretty simple process, shovel, small trees, dont mess with the main root, a few side ones broken isnt a big deal... you may want to put a bit of pete moss in the bottom of your hole, but since you live in ny id say its prolly moist enough.
15 years ago
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theabortionator
Posts: 52710 - Karma: 175,327
If you plant them, they will grow
15 years ago
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Spillway_East
Posts: 1127 - Karma: 378
dont plant any pines. you will regret it.
15 years ago
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ripcity
Posts: 85 - Karma: 36
this is true. im taking a landscape architecture class this term so i just learned about it. this time of year isn't the time to do it because trees are actively growing. dormant season is the proper time, which is after leaves fall until about a month ago or so. you might be able to do it though, the sooner the better; maybe they will live, but i would go for whatever tree you should will look best cause they will all transplant about the same.
15 years ago
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MadSteezin
Posts: 4572 - Karma: 936
Where you're digging up the tree make sure you dig down deep enough to get all the roots and what not so it has a better chance of survival. Also, it wouldn't be a bad idea to go buy small trees from the store and plant them, that way your just adding more trees to the environment rather than moving them around...
15 years ago
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
All right thanks for all the help guys

As for buying trees and plating them, we've done that with about 20, and its expensive.  We also get little 1 dollar saplings from the state in bundles of a hundred and have planted about 300 total, but only about 20-30 have survived, which is normal.

As for the best time to plant them, I understand right now isn't ideal (we planted all our other trees in the fall) but I'll be off at college, and I'm sure my brother and dad will still plant trees then, but I'm bored this summer, and this needs to get done, so even if I get a 60-70 percent rate of regrowth that won't be too bad
15 years ago
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
WILL you sell it to me at a discount rate alex?
15 years ago
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bbbbbowman
Posts: 48 - Karma: 10
http://tinyurl.com/25jbtmg
15 years ago
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1337
Posts: 31080 - Karma: 29,700
this. Pines suck
15 years ago
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Big.L
Posts: 703 - Karma: 15
this, why dont you just go buy a few little trees and plant those
15 years ago
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Static
Posts: 8598 - Karma: 3,972
dump a ton of water in the new holes
15 years ago
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
I have, I said it earlier, I've bought a few hundred little trees, and then about 20 or so bigger trees that made me broke.  It's so expensive to buy trees that are five feet tall, and I have quite a few acres of forest, so I'm going to transplant a few......I've already went around looking for good trees, and marked them off, so now I just gotta decide when to transplant them
15 years ago
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
Thanks for that, very insightful.  I work for KGB, I know how to google things.  I was looking for help from NSers if any of them have done this, because most results on google are about trees you have to buy, not dig from the forest.
15 years ago
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vailsux.com
Posts: 1769 - Karma: 440
make sure you go buy some mycorrhiza, it will pretty much ensure your tree will survive, especially in conifers.

Mycorrhiza is a tree's best defense against disease and parasites.

you can buy it at most nurseries.
15 years ago
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
Wow, thanks. I've never heard of that. I'm gonna research it, and most likely buy it and use it.


So now, I know not to plant pines and use mycorrrhiza.

+K to those helping
15 years ago
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
Click for larger image
15 years ago
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
^^^What kind of tree is that?

I'm not good with telling what kind of tree it is by leaves......I live in upstate NY if that helps, I found a few of those trees, nice and healthy, that I might transplant from my forest, just wondering what kind it is.....
15 years ago
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