Moving a Tree - Read the last post

Cuttings/Rooting

More Cuttings/Rooting

Here are some excerpts from a series of emails to another lady back east recently, who is moving a tree next month from New Jersey to Florida.

Make sure it is well watered b/4 you dig it up. Keep the temp in the van down (air conditioning, or whatever - no parking it in the sun during lunch, etc.). When it gets to Florida, plant as soon as possible (somewhere near immediately). I would set up a mist system to keep the humidity up (though that would be more critical in a drier environment, such as So Calif. - though I guess Florida has been pretty dry of, late). I would also put it under a shade cloth for the rest of the year, until dormancy. The issue is moisture. The plant will not be able to take in as much due to loss of root mass, so you must compensate by lowering the amount of water that is lost, so that the lower intake is equal to or greater than the new, lower outgo. If you accomplish this balance, by whatever means, you will be fine.

The S D Zoo moves a 80' tall ficus of some type, a total of 200', and it cost them $250,000.00 for the move. They pruned it heavily, and had misters hanging in tree continuously for about a year and a half. It was a bigger project, and more expensive, and it was successful. But your situation is the same, only smaller.

Here is another idea: why not take some cuttings and root them as a back up plan. If you need info for doing this, let me know.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg0601351931848.html

Get the regular vermicualite, from the nursery or Home Depot. It will be fine. Put it in a tub of water and get the material wet (stir it into the water). The finer stuff will sink to the bottom and the coarser particles will float, and get seperated out that way. The coarser particles take longer to absorb enough water to sink.