Hey Camino (or anyone else for that matter)

[Satty]

I've got a tree in my backyard that I absolutely hate. Its a crabapple tree and I want it to die a slow, painful, torturous death. But my dad likes it and is more than willing to make a spot in his yard for it. Problem is, its pretty mature, at least 11 years old, around 6 feet tall. Is there any way to get it out without killing it?

[z28luvr01]

Everything you wanted to know about transplanting mature trees but were afraid to ask

[Satty]

Bookmarked. Thanks Z, looks like its going to be a bigger pain in the ass than I had hoped.

[Camino LS6]

Bookmarked. Thanks Z, looks like its going to be a bigger pain in the ass than I had hoped.

It's a tough job, a risk, and not worth it for a crabapple.

Just buy a new one - much more cost-effective.

If the tree were more valuable my answer would be different, but transplanting trees of this size really isn't homeowner-friendly.

Get out your chainsaw without guilt, Satty.

[Satty]

Thanks Camino.

An added bonus, with the tree gone, I'll be able to get the Buick into the back yard (the tree is close enough to the gate that the car wont fit) once its done, resolving the parking issues we'd be facing otherwise.

[Camino LS6]

Thanks Camino.

An added bonus, with the tree gone, I'll be able to get the Buick into the back yard (the tree is close enough to the gate that the car wont fit) once its done, resolving the parking issues we'd be facing otherwise.

My pleasure.

I have always hated crabapples.

Anyone who's worked for me knows that I refer to them as "Crapples".

[SAmadei]

I've got a tree in my backyard that I absolutely hate. Its a crabapple tree and I want it to die a slow, painful, torturous death. But my dad likes it and is more than willing to make a spot in his yard for it. Problem is, its pretty mature, at least 11 years old, around 6 feet tall. Is there any way to get it out without killing it?

Call a tree mover. They will come into your backyard with a tree spade and scoop it up and put it wherever you want it. Its about $150-200 an hour. Pricey, but what is your labor worth to dig it manually? It also tends to smooth things over with dad... just keep the tree well watered the first year, as it _will_ lose 75% of its roots. IIRC, Crapapple trees are fairly weedy trees, and will take well to transplanting... unlike, say, White Oaks... which are tough to move, taproot and all.

Camino, cutting down the tree is an easy solution, but keep in mind that trees are more expensive than one thinks... especially as they get larger... 6 foot is not large for an Oak, but it might be for a Crapapple with a larger crown (I'll admit, I don't know Crapapple trees very well). I've seen people offer Redcedars (a tree growing wild in every field near me like a weed) for $150-$300 a piece (you dig). That means I have about $80K of trees in my backyard.

Then there is Cherry wood. Ugh... I recently cut down and gave away some big Cherry wood as firewood... then found out some mills would have paid quite well for it. Oh well.

Another solution... advertise it on Craigslist for free, they dig. Someone might show up and take it away. Then you don't have a stump to worry about, and dad will rest assured than the tree lives on somewhere else.

[Camino LS6]

Call a tree mover. They will come into your backyard with a tree spade and scoop it up and put it wherever you want it. Its about $150-200 an hour. Pricey, but what is your labor worth to dig it manually? It also tends to smooth things over with dad... just keep the tree well watered the first year, as it _will_ lose 75% of its roots. IIRC, Crapapple trees are fairly weedy trees, and will take well to transplanting... unlike, say, White Oaks... which are tough to move, taproot and all.

Camino, cutting down the tree is an easy solution, but keep in mind that trees are more expensive than one thinks... especially as they get larger... 6 foot is not large for an Oak, but it might be for a Crapapple with a larger crown (I'll admit, I don't know Crapapple trees very well). I've seen people offer Redcedars (a tree growing wild in every field near me like a weed) for $150-$300 a piece (you dig). That means I have about $80K of trees in my backyard.

Then there is Cherry wood. Ugh... I recently cut down and gave away some big Cherry wood as firewood... then found out some mills would have paid quite well for it. Oh well.

Another solution... advertise it on Craigslist for free, they dig. Someone might show up and take it away. Then you don't have a stump to worry about, and dad will rest assured than the tree lives on somewhere else.

As trees go, crabs are cheap and not worth the dig.

BTW: I've been in the real Green Industry since 1985.

So trust me on this one.

I do like the Craigslist idea though, would be fun to watch. :rotflmao:

[Oracle of Delphi]

Behold the Tree Spade ...

[Teh Ricer Civic!]

you could always blow it up and use the debris as mulch for a new tree.

Hey it would be more entertaining than chainsawing it down.

[SAmadei]

As trees go, crabs are cheap and not worth the dig.

BTW: I've been in the real Green Industry since 1985.

So trust me on this one.

I do like the Craigslist idea though, would be fun to watch. :rotflmao:

I can imagine Craps are cheap, but we seldom handled them, if at all. More dogwoods, maples, arborvitae, etc.

Grew up in the real Green Industry, circa 1976, but didn't start working in it seriously until 1982 or so, I guess. That's why I defected to IT. Still have a greenhouse and half a dozen big landscaping tools around. Don't own a tree spade, though. I can't figure out if one would hook up to the track loader. I have about 200 spare trees in the yard that need to relocate.

Edited April 4, 2009 by SAmadei

[Black and Blue Landscaper]

Kill it. Totally not worth it... And yes Camino does refer to them as Crapple trees. In fact there are enough funny things he says, I could probably start my own thread.

[Camino LS6]

I can imagine Craps are cheap, but we seldom handled them, if at all. More dogwoods, maples, arborvitae, etc.

Grew up in the real Green Industry, circa 1976, but didn't start working in it seriously until 1982 or so, I guess. That's why I defected to IT. Still have a greenhouse and half a dozen big landscaping tools around. Don't own a tree spade, though. I can't figure out if one would hook up to the track loader. I have about 200 spare trees in the yard that need to relocate.

Better relocate those trees soon, unless you want a forest.

As for defecting, the thought crosses my mind daily.