TREE TRANSPLANTING - MANUAL & MACHINE METHOD

1. TREE TRANSPLANTING- Establishing Landscapes
History, Methods & Machine
GROUP 1: JACQUILINE TEH JAE CHENN GS35388 SITI AISHAH GS35845 SHAMSUL JOHARI GS34706

2. Introduction, History, Guideline

3. Moving from one location
to another site operation.
INTRODUCTION
Digging
Successfully Condition:
• Techniques and care -proper soil preparation, planting methods,
follow-up care.
• Duplicate the original conditions as closely as possible, to
reduce stress on the tree.
• Soil type, planting depth, staking, watering and mulching
Transplant shock:
• The process of digging and transplanting puts a lot of stress on the
tree.
• Due to stress result from removal of substantial portion of
transplanted trees’ root system (root- shoot imbalance Watson,
1985)
Moving
Replanting
NEED to transplant:
• Overgrown original location
• Move from one site to another better suited
• Save it from construction/road
• Change aesthetic appearance (INSTANT LANDSCAPE)
• To harmonize urban development & landscape with human needs.
Common Tools:
• Nursery spade (preferred tool) or digging shovel
• Larger Tree Spade: Mounted on modified trucks with outrigger
stabilizers support and level the four blades.
• Tree Spade :Machine- use Hydraulics to force triangular blades into
ground

4. S.P. McClenahan
Company (1911),
Seymour P.
McClenahan
1930's, involved the
transplanting of five
hundred Pine trees.Elm Tree at Hill- Stead, April 18, 1902
Marty, Finger Lakes area of New York
State 1920s, transplanting large tree
John Y. Culyer 1867, designed a machine for moving trees, in
Prospect Park
HISTORY

5. Dryland Sodder (1979):
• To strip the topsoil and vegetation
including small trees or shrubs and then
transport theundisturbed material to a
site for transplanting.
• Used a specially designed loader-bucket
to scoop and hold the soil and vegetation.
• 400 to 500 horsepower wheeled loader is
required to push the bucket through the
soil.
• The bucket is tipped and the sod slips
onto the ground as the loader moved
backwards at reclamation site.
• Since ancient times. Egyptians transplanted trees – 2000B.C.
• Early temple pictographs : Worker transported frankincense trees (Boswellia sp.) in
containers.
• By SHIPS from faraway lands (Campana, 1999).
• Increase in mechanization and knowledge of arboriculture.

6. TRANSPLANTING GUIDE
1. Selecting high-quality trees
a. Trunk and Branch Characteristics (straight, well-spaced and have good branch attachment)
b. Foliage Characteristic (good color, with no sign of insect pests and/or diseases)
c. Root and Rootball Characteristics (avoid plants with weedy rootballs.)
*If rootball is above ground longer than an hour: (within 2 hours)
Wrap the root ball in the tarp/ plastic bag/ burlap, or heel the tree into woodchips or organic mulch.
Bare-root transplanting:
• limited to deciduous shrubs and small
deciduous trees (up to two inches in
diameter)
Balled-and-burlapped
(with an intact soil ball):
• All evergreens; trees greater than two
inches in diameter.

7. 2. Handling, transporting and storing trees
a. Handling
- Always carry the plant by the rootball, never solely by the trunk or branches.
b. Transporting
- Tarp all plants in transit, preferably with a breathable mesh covering.
c. Storing trees
- Make sure plants are well watered, in shady location

8. 3. Transplanting ball and burlap, container and bare root trees
a. The Planting Hole
• Dig the planting hole 2 - 3 times the
diameter (width) of the rootball and no
deeper than the depth of the rootball.
b. Removing Rootball Coverings
• Natural burlap, Synthetic burlap, carpet
backing, Wire baskets.
c. Placing the Tree in the Hole & Backfilling
- Plant tree at the proper depth.
d. Planting Bare Root Trees
e. Completing the Planting

9. 4. Post-planting Maintenance
a. Maintenance in the First Growing Season
- Irrigate the plants as frequently
- Maintain the 2 - 3" mulch layer
- fertilizer
b. Planting in Poorly Drained Soils
- improve drainage within the planting hole.

10. Tripple Brook Farm: (TBF Root Cutter- reach under root ball)
• Remarkable simple + effective new approach to tree digging.
• Replace of tree spade for use under difficult digging conditions
• Less costly
• Root ball neatly cut and shaped
• Can outperform tree spades
Punkin Hollow Tree Farm:
• Heavy duty performance with protective touch
• Scalable, flexible, designed for safe transport
Digging System
1. Initial Preparation:
• Preliminary root investigation
• Health diagnosis tree
• Treating infected tree
2. Soil Sampling, Testing, Site Selection
3. Root Pruning, initiating fresh root growth
4. Tree packing, feeding, monitoring for
adaptation
5. Transplantation of Trees:
• Crane- to lift the packed tree.
• Trolley/truck- to transport tree
• JCB- for digging pits
6. Mechanical Support & Pruning:
• Scaffolding- 1.5 months to give external
support.
7. Post Transplantation Treatments

11. METHODOLOGY- Manual (Traditional)

12. Manual (Traditional)
Why transplant?
• Putting in plants that are new to your garden
• Moving plants to more favourable locations
• Getting plants out of too-small containers into bigger ones
• Relocating plants that are grown indoors to the outdoors
Best practices
Create a favourable soil environment
• Transplant when it’s damp/cool
• Avoid root disturbance
• Don’t let roots dry out
• Be gentle with the roots when untangling root-bound mats
• Transplant to the right depth
• Make sure that only one plant from the original container gets transplanted to the new
pot/garden space
• If there are more, snip all but the healthiest one off at the soil line

13. Manual (Traditional)
Select a sapling to transplant
1
Choose a suitable spot to receive the new
transplant
2
Dig the hole to receive the transplant first
3 4
Dig up the transplant tree

14. Remove the sapling by grabbing it near the
ground and lifting it straight out of the hole
5
Choose a suitable spot to receive the new
transplant
6
Fill the hole level with the adjacent ground
7 8
Rewater the tree after the initial watering
has soaked in

15. Stake the sapling
9
Soil Structures
• Clay soil will contribute to a smaller rootball
• Sandy soil will have an extensive root system.
• Other soil factors include the level of soil
compaction and moisture.
• Field-grown trees should not be transplanted
to open, exposed locations. They may be
structurally weak and have a shallow,
spreading root system that extends well
beyond the crown of the tree.

16. METHODOLOGY- Machine Tree Spade

17. • Variety of types and sizes.
• Capacity to move a tree with a maximum
trunk diameter of eight to 10 inches, or a soil
ball up to 90 inches in diameter.
• It must be large enough to accommodate a
root ball that will sufficiently sustain the tree
after planting.
• When determining the spade size needed to
move a tree, deciduous trees are measured
by trunk diameter and evergreens are
measured by tree height.
• A tree spade can be used to move one tree
at a time or a pod trailer may be used to
move as many as three trees at one time.
Supplies and Specifications: Tree Spade
Tree spade size Deciduous tree - trunk diameter Evergreen tree - height
44 inches 2 to 3 inches 5 to 7 feet
66 inches 3 to 5 inches 7 to 10 feet
92 inches 6 to 8 inches 12 to 15 feet
Trunk diameters are measured using a caliper, six inches above the ground for tree four inches in
diameter or smaller and 12 inches above the ground for trees with a large diameter.

18. Moving and Transplanting Trees with a Tree Spade
• More costly , but saves labor, planting time and years of maintenance of the juvenile tree.
• Eliminates the possible risk of mower damage that commonly occurs on younger, smaller
trees.
• Commercial nurseries use tree spades to lift large, field-grown trees out of the soil, and
wrap the root ball in burlap and twine (termed "ball and burlap" or B&B) for retail sale or
compact storage.
• Landscape companies and arborists use spades to plant large trees that are nursery-
grown or have been moved from elsewhere in the landscape.
• Landscape professionals use a tree spade to create an "instant landscape" by digging and
transplanting large trees from one location to another.
• Homeowners use to locate trees on residential sites.
• Trailer-mounted spades that can hold a soil ball up to 44 inches in diameter are available
at some rental centers, and strongly recommended that individuals hire an experienced
contractor specializing in tree spading to transplant trees.

20. Procedures : Moving and Transplanting Trees with a Tree Spade
1
2
• Prepared site by tilling the soil and
raking it smooth.
• Remove turf within the drip line of
tree and replaced with mulch to
prevent competition as well as
mower damage.
1
• Dug hole to receive new tree.
• Proper size of tree spade - Hole will
accommodate the a root ball
substantial enough to support the
tree.
2

21. 4
3
• The operator controls the spade
from the truck.3
• Hydraulic supports provide a stable
foundation and prevents the spade
from tipping over.
4

22. 6
• The spade blades are inserted into
the soil.
5
• The blades are closed to contain the
soil ball.
• The ball is positioned correctly for
transport using the spade
hydraulics loaded onto a truck and
hauled away.
6
5

23. 7
8
• The tree spade is now used to dig
the tree.
7
• Before backing up, the frame and
rear blades are opened to encircle
the tree.
8

24. 9
• The blades are positioned around
the tree to insure the root ball is an
equal distance on all sides of the
trunk.
9
• The frame and rear blades are
driven down hydraulically into the
soil.
• Each of the blades is moved several
inches at one time until they are all
as deep as possible.
• The blades are closed, tree is
removed, root ball intact
10
10

25. • Adjusts the tree spade for safe
transport. Depending on the
species of the tree, the time of year,
and the travel distance, the tree
canopy may be covered with a tarp.
• For highway transport, a special
"diaper" is used to cover the spades
to prevent soil loss.
12
11
12
• The operator does some root
trimming/pruning.11

26. 14
• The tree is lowered into the ground
14
• The operator positions the spade
over the new hole.
• Adjustments can be made at this
time if the tree has not been
growing straight. If possible, the
tree should be oriented in the same
direction as its original location.
13
13

27. 15
• Once the transplanting operation is
complete, the tree should be staked
to provide support until the roots
become established.
16
• Removed the blades. Tree should
placed 2-3" higher than the original
grade to allow for settling.
• If it is planted to shallow, roots may
be damaged by temperature
fluctuations and lack of soil
moisture.
• Planting it too deeply will cause
girdling problems.
15
16

28. 18
• The wires are attached to metal
stakes or fence posts which are set
in the ground in a triangle to
support the tree evenly.
18
• The arborist wraps rubber hose
around #9 or #12 wire to support
the tree to cushion the tree limbs
and prevent girdling.
17
17

29. 19
• Wooden dowel or screwdriver is
inserted between the two wires
and twisted to tighten the wire, to
support it evenly.
• Root ball should be flooded with
water during this process. Any final
adjustment can be made to
straighten the tree by tightening
one side more than others.
• Staking method also allows the
wires to be loosened and eventually
removed as the root system
becomes established.
19

30. • After the tree is staked, continue to
water the root ball slowly and
thoroughly, allowing for the water
to penetrate the soil ball and
surround soil. If large air spaces are
apparent between the soil ball and
the surrounding soil, additional soil
can be added during the initial
watering. This will insure good soil
contact with the newly developing
roots.
20
20
21
• Newly planted trees should be
watered regularly and the root ball
should be saturated to a depth of
12". The staking should be removed
as soon as the tree is well-rooted.
All new trees should also be
mulched for moisture retention, to
prevent damage from mowers, and
to reduce weed competition.
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