Let someone transplant it to a happy new home.
Here's how. If there's no vehicle access, try the tree dolly method instead.
1: Find a tree that needs a new home. Lots of people give away trees on craigslist.
2: Prune the tree hard. You need to remove at least 1/3 of the leaves and branches.
Your tree will have a lot less roots than it used to, and can't feed as many branches.
3: Do the move at the best time of year. Deciduous trees are best moved during the winter when they're dormant and have no leaves. This orange tree is evergreen and needs to move now, so here we go.
Got a tree in the SF Bay area that needs a new home? Contact me!
I'm also seeking a jackhammer.
WARNING:
Dangerous operations are shown here with big heavy objects, sharp tools, and big machines.
Dangerous like logging, farming, and construction.
Don't get hurt. Proceed with caution!
Many thanks to Kenny, Victor, Brie, and Rachel for a great tree moving adventure, and to Chelsea for letting us save her beautiful orange tree.
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Signing UpStep 1Scribe Around the Root Ball
That's probably between 3 and 4 feet diameter and 2 or 3 feet deep.
I use a pick with a 3 foot handle (which I made myself) to scribe a 7 foot circle around the trunk.
There's pavement there but we're allowed to break it to get the tree out.
I already pruned a lot of branches off the tree.
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The picture with the tree in the truck bed reminds me of the Garrison Keillor story about the seed salesman's car. There should be more trees growing out of cars. Who wants to go to a junkyard with seed bombs?
I have an old '27 Ford Model T Tudor sedan body that I refuse to scrap - so - I'm building a planter box where the back seats would be and a bench where the front seat would be. This way the kids (and myself) have a shady place to play with an old car... and another tree in the yard.
1. root ball should be 10-12 inches for each inch of caliper on the trunk.
2. The heavy pruning is not required or healthy. research seems to show that by keeping the extra foliage on evergreens and buds on deciduous trees it can utilize the extra carbohydrates for root growth and establish quicker.
Great job guys, and I am way jealous of that dark soil you all have.
Bawb
Personally I'd have chopped it down, but its great to see the job you did of scavenging it!
look for a ible from me on hardcore bio char production soon.
how thick do you add it?
The other day my girlfriend's dad was driving me home while listening to a conservative radio station. They were making the usual jokes about global warming and carbon offsets and jokingly said that everyone should just plant a tree in the trunk of their cars and have that be their carbon offset.
Naturally I thought that was a great idea and started thinking about how cool that would look. I didn't think I would really get to see a picture of it any time soon, but now here I am staring at that picture of your truck with a citrus tree in the back. 5*