Hey all. I am a bit late to replant some of my apple trees I had going in my raised beds. They started to bud out already. Do you think it is safe to replant at this point or should I just wait until fall. These are some 1-2 year old trees but with everything going on in the world I haven't had a chance to get up to camp yet. I would rather error on the side of caution but I am already making a trip up there with some trees that came from Cummins so wasn't sure if I should move these now or not. Thanks.
Replanting Question
- Thread starter KylePa
- Start date
chickenlittle
5 year old buck +
Personally, I'd wait till fall. After October, you'll be able to move them anytime you can dig. For Bill's situation where they are heeled in, I'd plant out and take my chances. Give them some supplemental water if you can until they look established.
My trees in the nursery are still dormant but I'm not sure if I can get to the farm to plant. I got NY plates and would be driving 90 min south into PA to get to my parents. I'd be doing a day trip and not stopping anywhere. If I spend the night, I'll be sleeping in their camper. But no big harm if I have to wait until fall to move them vs the current craziness.
My trees in the nursery are still dormant but I'm not sure if I can get to the farm to plant. I got NY plates and would be driving 90 min south into PA to get to my parents. I'd be doing a day trip and not stopping anywhere. If I spend the night, I'll be sleeping in their camper. But no big harm if I have to wait until fall to move them vs the current craziness.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
It’s not the best idea to relocate them once leafed out, and it may or may not kill them. I would wait until fall. Last year I planted 6 pears like this in the spring and all lived, but all were stunted. The leaves died in a few days and new leaves had to be grown to replace them. This sucks out a lot of energy.
This was barefoot trees. If you have a rootball of dirt the trees will probably do well in late spring but not the heat of the summer. I’ve dug and transplanted lots of trees and shrubs like this with good success. The dirtball makes a big difference.
This was barefoot trees. If you have a rootball of dirt the trees will probably do well in late spring but not the heat of the summer. I’ve dug and transplanted lots of trees and shrubs like this with good success. The dirtball makes a big difference.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I'm with the others. You can plant trees from a root pruning container system when they are fully leafed out any time of the year as long as supplemental water is supplied. This is because the root system is largely undisturbed. They begin growing immediately because the transplant stress is minimal compared to bare root trees. The saying with bare root trees is "year 1 sleep, year 2 creep, and year 3 leap". They are recovering from the significant transplant shock that first year. When you plant a bare root tree after it is dormant, it has a period for the root system to settle in and begin to recover. It then has a period to adapt to sense and adapt to the new environment slowly when it is not trying to grow. It has an opportunity to redirect energy to where it needs it most for recovery. Even with this, we still have the first year of sleep.
If you plant a bare root tree after it breaks dormancy, you are adding one more significant stress to the tree. That does not mean that some trees won't recover, but it does mean you will have a higher failure rate. Other stresses like insects, disease, or drought will have a bigger impact.
I would wait until next fall after they go dormant. As Native Hunter says, if you have the ability to do so, take as large an area as possible around the roots cutting as few as possible and burlap it for transport. The less roots are disturbed the better and faster your tree will recover and grow. Burlap ball trees do better than bare root trees, but because of the cost of transporting the dirt, most sellers sell bare root unless you are buying from a local orchard. In your case, where they are in your raised bed, try your best to make them as much like Burlap ball trees as possible.
Thanks,
Jack
If you plant a bare root tree after it breaks dormancy, you are adding one more significant stress to the tree. That does not mean that some trees won't recover, but it does mean you will have a higher failure rate. Other stresses like insects, disease, or drought will have a bigger impact.
I would wait until next fall after they go dormant. As Native Hunter says, if you have the ability to do so, take as large an area as possible around the roots cutting as few as possible and burlap it for transport. The less roots are disturbed the better and faster your tree will recover and grow. Burlap ball trees do better than bare root trees, but because of the cost of transporting the dirt, most sellers sell bare root unless you are buying from a local orchard. In your case, where they are in your raised bed, try your best to make them as much like Burlap ball trees as possible.
Thanks,
Jack
BuckSnort
5 year old buck +
I laughed at your post this morning since I had the same exact thought, traveling to get trees planted and either sleeping in the camper or vehicle. My wife however didn’t go for it. Guess the trees will get another summer in the garden and I’ll need to look at fall planting.
j-bird
Moderator
Moving trees that are "awake" is a bad idea in my experience....unless they are container grown to begin with and you can water them once moved. I'm not saying it's impossible and maybe someone has had success. But digging a tree (even in a bed) can damage it and then moving it to a new home tends to warrant summer watering - at least it does here on a weekly basis. I often times have to water container grown spring planted trees here every week thru the summer for their first year in the ground.
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