Transplanting Pines in Winter

[Victor Van Meter]

I usually wait until late winter to transplant volunteer pine trees that pop up around my place, but would like to get a jump on it now if I could. Is this a good idea or should I wait until closer to spring?

VV

 

[PoorSand]

I've been doing it for years in Central Wisconsin during the late fall days when the surface of the ground freezes at night and thaws during the daytime. I think I have better survival rate than with spring planting. That said, my soil is sand that I can stomp all the air pockets out of. I haven't tried it on heavier soil.

A different approach that I used in 2023 - 2024 was to dig up a bunch of evergreens in fall, put about 15 per pot together in 2 gallon black plastic pots, fill the pots with sand, water them to wash the sand in around the roots, add more sand, re-water if warranted, bury the pots along the south-facing side of my house, dig the pots up in spring after the frost went out, pot them individually in sand, and plant them in late fall. Their tops showed little to no sign of growth over the summer, but they had tremendous roots by the time I planted them.

 

[PoorSand]

I realize that sounds like a lot of steps, but the pre-school kid that helped me along the way loved the project. He got to dig in the dirt and learn something as well.

 

[bigboreblr]

Dome pine, blck spruce, white spruce, and apple trees this time of year. Like poor sand says, it does better. MAking a screen window out of 1/4" mesh on a 2x4 frame, you can get that dirt fine even when its a muddy mess. I water just like its spring.

IF the ground is soft I am doing it tomorrow at home. (2) M111 rootstocks and 5 or 6 spruce trees.

 

[Victor Van Meter]

Thanks for the replies. These would mostly be going into red clay. With all the rain we are getting over the next week, it may not even be possible to get them in the ground.

 

[bigboreblr]

Spent the afternoon transplanting a few spruces and 2 apple trees. Ground wasn't frozen. There was a 1 inch frozen layer ontop of the raised bed nursery

Was tempted to fire up the rototiller. Thought I would have a muddy clay mess on my hands. Mixed in some peat moss.

I'm zone 5/6 hudson valley NY.

 

[gjs4]

Same area of the world....playing with virginias and ERC..have planted in early spring (Feb & Mar) with good success