Arborvitaes Next To A Privacy Fence

[NJGUY]

I recently purchased a new home and decided to set a row of 47 Arborvitaes to form a natural privacy fence between my property and the neighbors several weeks ago. The Emerald green Arborvitaes are about 5' tall and placed about 30'' apart. The base of the trees were set about 18" in from the property line. Unfortunately, problems with my neighbors dictated that I put up 6' privacy fence on the property line after I planted the trees. I now only have 1' between the base of the trees and the 6' vinyl fence. Some of shrubs are now pressing against the new fence. Question: Should I transplant the trees back a foot or so more from the fence and risk stressing the trees even more or just leave them and trim them up as the grow (if they grow). They actually don't look bad the way they are but I am worried that the fence will eventually kill most of them and they are a very expensive investment.

 

[treeman45246]

Move them, but wait for fall to do so. Evergreens can dry over winter, but they shouldn't get too much wind with the fence there. Just keep them watered afterwards.

 

[NJGUY]

Ok, sounds like good advise. I am assuming a fall transplant is better so that the trees aren't double stressed by the move and the summer heat. Thanks!

 

[begleytree]

I'm going to chime in here, and agree with Dan. Too many times we see evergreens planted way too closely. If they must be that close, or that dense of a screen, try offsetting them to give them more space, while still providing the desired privacy.
And if it were me, I'd wait until early spring to transplant. I think it helps to prevent drying from fall/winter transplanting, and the ground is usually softer after the freezing/thawing cycle.
-Ralph

 

[SAWFISH]

I have recently done the same (plant arborvitaes next to a fence) So what distance do you think they should be planted at? (how far apart and how far from the fence) Next question, when planting how deep should they be (ie should the top of the existing root ball be planted level with ground, above or below ground?

Thanks