Transplanting REDOAK Seedlings

[Sagetown]

Back in the winter I tried to dig up some 1 1/2 foot tall redoak saplings to no avail. The roots were deeper than the trees were tall. Then this spring I went back into the woods and found (5) very tiny seedlings that had enough leaf conformation to identify them. They were about 12" from top to end of tap root. I also scooped up a few 5 gallon buckets full of the soil to transplant the seedlings , in hopes to help them survive the shock of transplanting.

They were all doing well until the weather became so unbearably hot. Daily watering was causing a steamlike atmosphere around them and the ground became dry and hard. I lost two trees and nearly another. A change of strategy was needed fast. Pine needles on the ground was an easy and fast way to mulch the seedlings to prevent rapid water evaporation. After a few days of this, I noted they were not doing well even though the ground stayed moist. One night I went out and pulled the mulch away from one of the seedlings, and there were all sorts of insects around the stem.

So now each evening before dark, I take up the mulch, check the moisture around the seedlings , and put a hogwire rabbit barrier around them. That way they get plenty of fresh air, and hopefully no critter will attempt to get to them. In the late morning, before the sun begins to stress the trees, I remove the protective wire, and replace the pine needle mulch loosly around each seedling. So far so good.

May 4th Seedling #2

August 1st Seedling #2

 

[jamied]

Back in the winter I tried to dig up some 1 1/2 foot tall redoak saplings to no avail. The roots were deeper than the trees were tall. Then this spring I went back into the woods and found (5) very tiny seedlings that had enough leaf conformation to identify them. They were about 12" from top to end of tap root. I also scooped up a few 5 gallon buckets full of the soil to transplant the seedlings , in hopes to help them survive the shock of transplanting.

They were all doing well until the weather became so unbearably hot. Daily watering was causing a steamlike atmosphere around them and the ground became dry and hard. I lost two trees and nearly another.

The one that is growing looks like it is doing quite well, as long as you can keep critters away from it, I think your going to be fine.

If your going to try any more any more, I would consider trying one or more or a combination of the following;

1. Try moving them in the fall after the leaves drop.

2. Root Prune then with a sharp long spade; (I'd experiment with doing some root pruning in the fall and some in the spring and waiting until the next season to move if you can) They make tools to do this by hand, but they are kind of expensive. I would look for a something similar to this Seymour drain spade: 4.75" x 16" blade size, black blade color, front turned step, 29" hardwood handle, steel D grip. They should run around $30. If you get one, take a bench grinder and make the tip of the shovel razor sharp, takes like 3 minutes on a bench grinder, and I do it with all my shovels, I can use my shovels like a sickle. Then use it at an angle so you can go around the whole tree and make it to the middle at an angle and sever the tap root with the shovel. Your going for a funnel shape with the tap root being the center at the bottom of the funnel, but you want to cut that tap root too. As I mentioned there are tools to do this with, but I think they are well over $100. Root pruning as you likely know will help to force the tree to grow a more dense ball of fine roots closer to the trunk, making transplant much easier.

3. You could setup a little rig with shade cloth over the tree for the first year to help it get established without being exposed to the full harsh sun.

4. You could container grow them for a year or so, but this is a bit tricky if your not familiar with container growing.

5. You could try starting some from seed.

6. You can try spraying wiltprof on the leaves per bottle instructions to reduce transpiration.

7. You can try a root stimulator at the time of transplant, this one is commonly available and I've had some good luck with it: View Product

Also it's a bit more, but if you want to spend the money, Go with the Dyna Gro product line; I suggest, Foliage Pro Fertilizer, KLN rooting Hormone, and Silicone all mixed together to be used on transplants. They are excellent products.

Or maybe your happy with just the one you have growing, It looks good. Just though I would pass along the ideas in case you want to try more. As you know, the less roots it has, the harder it is going to be for it to stay hydrated, also making it easier to over water. A combination of root stimulator to grow more roots and wiltprof on the leaves can help over come this.

Most of the Time I don't even have to do half of these things and I manage to have a high success rate with most species...

Good Luck, I hope your little tree keep growing well.

Jamie

 

[Sagetown]

Hello jamied: Those two seedlings you see are the same tree. The 1st pic was 5-4-11, and the second pic was made today,8-1-11, some 3 months later. Of the 5 original plantings, 3 are doing great, and the other is hanging on.
My main problem retrieving seedlings in the fall is 'poison ivy', It doesn't like me at all, plus the under brush is thick and green making it hard to find what your looking for. However, in the early spring those young oak leaves come out early and they are so easy to find.

I have two of those spades you're showing. We call them 'Sharpshooter Spades'. They are great for digging straight waterlines and underground drains if you keep them sharp. That's what I use for digging up my seedlings too. But, from what little study I've done on the oaks is that I should not damage the 'tap root', but leave it intact.
So, what I did was dig a large donut ring around the seedling down about a foot deep, just below the end of the taproot. Then slip the spade under the seedling and lift it up out of the ground without disturbing the root system, usually.

I have placed a cloth shade over one of the trees, but the others are doing well without a shade, so I don't know if it's really worth the bother. The root stimulator you mentioned is something I may look into.

As of now if the (4) seedlings make it through this year, I'll definitely be adding several more trees next spring. uttahere2:

 

[jamied]

But, from what little study I've done on the oaks is that I should not damage the 'tap root', but leave it intact.

I can't remember exactly where I was reading about it, but I remember a discussion where people had decided that the tap root, especially in younger trees was not in particular any more important than other roots, I don't know if they were correct or not. I have also heard many times in the past the same as you, not to disturb the tap root. I do know the most vital roots are the fine roots, as those are what are able to take up the nutrients and water.

Some people will say the root stimulators are a waste and don't do much anything. I shuffle trees and plants around my yard all through the hot days of summer, something that many people will strongly advise your against. I use the root stimulator a time or two on a transplant and I virtually never lose anything. I've never done any real experimenting with it to know for sure how effective it is compared to not use anything. The pint of the fertilome stuff is only about $5 and makes something like 19 gallon, so with small trees and plants, that goes quite far for the price.

 

[Sagetown]

A lot has transpired since planting those 5 seedlings. I ended up covering them with a canapy as the continuous days of extreme heat was taking its toll on them. I've changed pic folders so will try and edit the above posts to get back those pics.
In this pic taken today, note the bottom leaves. They are the 2nd leaf production, or the top of the tree at the time it made those leaves. It hasn't produced anymore leaves since the drought began, but as you can see how the stem has grown quite a bit.

 

[Sagetown]

Here it is Sept. 08,2011 already. The little trees have made it thus far, and these will be the last pics this year.
This is the 1st transplant.

This tree was about gone, and I never took any pics of it. Then in late August the rains came, and it revived. It looks bigger than actual size.

This tree had a hard go of it during the drought. I covered it with a tarp and kept it watered.

Here is the hardy one. Hasn't changed much from last photo.

 

[Buckshot00]

TLC is the key. Looking good Sagetown.

 

[Sagetown]

Well; here it is, one year after transplanting 5 wild oak seedlings. I didn't know that rabbits would eat young oak seedlings until this winter while checking on the seedlings I found the tops and limbs eaten off. Only 3 trees now remain from those plantings. It is amazing how fast they put on leaves just recently.

Here is tree #2. The fastest growning one. It appears to be a Red Oak. The other two were similar in leaf design to a Pin Oak last year, but not this year. Figure that one out?

This is tree #1

And tree #5.