This page is about the doing
The transplanting guide covers whether a tree should be moved at all, what size root ball it needs, and the timing. This one is about the physical job: getting the tree out of one hole, across the ground, and into another without wrecking it.
Plan the route before you dig
Walk it. Measure the narrowest point. Gates, paths, steps, retaining walls, the gap between the house and the fence, overhead wires and the pool fence gate are all potential stopping points, and finding one out with a 300kg root ball on a trolley is a bad moment.
On a typical Gold Coast block the constraint is a side gate around 900mm. If the ball will not fit through, your options are through the house side gate in pieces of gear you have to disassemble, over a removed fence panel, or around the block via the street.
Also plan where the spoil goes, where the tree waits if there is a delay, and where a machine parks.
Gear that works
- Sharp spade and a mattock. Clean cuts through roots, not tearing.
- Pruning saw or old handsaw for roots over about 25mm. Use a saw you do not love.
- Hessian, shade cloth or a heavy tarp to wrap the ball.
- Rope or strapping to bind the wrap.
- Flat trolley, sack truck or sheet of ply to slide the ball on.
- Crowbar for levering.
- Two people minimum. Three is better.
Above hand-lifting size: a bobcat, mini excavator or tractor with forks, and slings rated for the weight.
Prepare the destination first
Dig the new hole before you lift the tree. Twice the ball width, no deeper than the ball. Check drainage by filling it with water — in the clay through Nerang, Robina, Helensvale and Merrimac, a hole that holds water for hours will drown the tree, and you need to either break through the clay pan, improve the surrounds, or pick a different spot.
Have water, mulch and any staking gear on hand.
Lift
Water deeply for two or three days beforehand. Tie the lower branches up. Mark the ball radius, then cut vertically all the way around with clean cuts. Undercut beneath to sever the base roots.
Work hessian or tarp under one side, rock the ball gently, work it under the other, then bring the edges up around the ball and tie. The wrap is what keeps the soil on the roots, and soil staying on roots is the whole game.
Move
By hand: slide the wrapped ball onto a board or trolley and drag rather than lift where you can. Dragging on a sheet of ply across a lawn is much easier on everybody's back than carrying.
By machine: slings around the wrapped ball, lifted from forks or a spreader. Never lift by the trunk.
Go straight to the new hole. If the tree has to wait, put it in shade and keep the ball damp.
Set
Lower it in and check the depth before you backfill. The root flare must sit at or slightly above the surrounding ground level. Stand back and check it is vertical from two directions — it is much easier to correct now.
Orient it the way it was growing. The previously shaded side of the trunk is not adapted to full sun here and will scald.
Backfill with the excavated soil in stages, firming to remove air pockets but not compacting hard. Water in as you go rather than only at the end; water settles soil into the root zone better than tamping does.
Build a basin around the perimeter, water thoroughly, and mulch to 75mm keeping it clear of the trunk.
Stake only if you must
If the tree genuinely will not stand, use two or three stakes outside the root ball with flexible ties low on the trunk, allowing some movement — trunk movement is what builds taper and strength. Remove them within twelve months. Ties left on girdle the trunk and create the exact failure point that shows up in a storm season later.
The threshold
Over about 100mm trunk diameter, or where the ball cannot be kept intact, or where the route will not take it — that is a machine job, and possibly a crane job. At that point compare the cost against removal and replanting, because a semi-mature replacement is often cheaper than a relocation and starts from a better position.
Ring (07) 5230 8034. Related: transplanting a tree and removing a small tree and replanting. More on the blog.
Frequently asked questions
How heavy is a tree root ball?
Far heavier than people estimate. Soil weighs roughly 1,300 to 1,600 kilograms per cubic metre, and a root ball a metre across and 600mm deep is close to half a cubic metre. That is several hundred kilograms of soil before you count the tree. This is why the practical DIY ceiling is a trunk of about 75 to 100mm diameter.
Can I move a tree with a bobcat or an excavator?
Yes, and it is the usual approach above hand-lifting size. Chains or slings around the wrapped ball, lifted from a spreader or forks rather than by the trunk. Never lift a tree by the trunk with the ball hanging — the weight tears the root system out of the soil and away from the trunk, which destroys exactly the thing you were trying to preserve.
How far can a tree be moved?
Distance matters far less than time and exposure. A tree moved fifty metres across a block in twenty minutes with the ball wrapped will do better than one moved two kilometres in an hour with the roots in the wind on a ute tray. Wrap the ball, cover the foliage if it is travelling on a vehicle, and keep it short.