you're not going to be able to dig that by hand, but with a tree spade, so start adding up the dollars, and bigger the tree, more transplant shock. Also in summer is the worst time, so good chance it'll be dead anyways. Let her friend take it, you've saved yourself a lot of disappointing work and money.

What a waste that you'd have to take it now...in OR don't you have to wait until October or the leaves to start turning?

Thats when you can did "some" larger trees.

Dig now and I give it a 1% chance of surviving.

This is going to be ALOT of work by hand.

Take it from a fool who transplanted a six foot ash tree a bunch of years back and FORGOT about the hours of labor vs the $40 savings and then transplanted a six foot crepe myrtle two years ago.

Both lived.

I think by hand 4' wide and 2' deep is the best rootball ya can hope for and I would vote for transplanting it as quickly as possible.

Whaas is exactly right. Transplanting is all about percentages. Do everything right and 1% still die. But yeah, any chance you can wait would be better. FWIW I would give myself 8 hours and a 15% success rate.

Below is a link to nursery which sells them. It is a neat project and darn it, if my neighbor asked me for help with similar I would help. But man, you can buy and plant a new one soooo much easier if you do not have heavy equipment.

Here is a link that might be useful: my favorite semi local nursery

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate your honest feedback, bummer as it is!

"Is that true?"

No, most trees (and ginkgos do qualify) can be transplanted just about anytime the ground isn't frozen. There are better times (late winter to very early spring, and fall) and worse times (summer).

"Is there a way to put it in the ground now, or is that just too great a risk?"

By all means, if you do dig it up now, plant is ASAP!!! Keeping it potted or B&B is just going to add greatly to the poor thing's stress!

"Any clue as to how deep I'll have to dig?"

This link should give you a pretty good answer: Generic Rootball Size Guide

"Is it a big deal if it's the kind that has the fruit with the rotten bad smell?"

Not to me. As long as I don't pick the fruit up, get it on my shoes or hands, etc, the smell doesn't bother me. Some people are more sensitive to smells than others. Do avoid planting female ginkgos near sidewalks, driveways, or windows that are left open for fresh air.

"Dig now and I give it a 1% chance of surviving."

If the job is done correctly and proper aftercare is given, I think the chances of survival are actually very good, even if done now. The problem is that moving it now is going to increase the amount of effort for aftercare (watering) AND the tree is pretty big and will require significant effort to dig up and move.

reviewing the cost/benefit ratio ... it isnt worth it ...

spend $40 and get one mail ordered to your house.. and plant it in 20 minutes ... and begin to enjoy it ...

ken

ps: looking at just two variables.. how do you transport a 15 foot tree [tree plus roots] ... its isnt going to be sticking out the back of your prius ... [if you do.. get pix.. lol]

and.. how will you lift the 2 to 3 HUNDRED pound ball and burlap [no pots here] into your prius??? .. and back out of it ...

if you can not solve those two issues.. then why bother spending 5 hours digging it out ...???

Hi Theresse,
My experience with ginkgo tells me that it is adaptable and tough as nails. If you want it go for it, take your time and follow the simple rules in my link from the prof forum:

Here is a link that might be useful: how to hand dig a root ball

Gingko, along with Oak and Nyssa are not fall dig species at least in my zone 5.
I've tried it myself (EDIT: And they died) and called around and they all told me spring dig only!

Perhaps call nurseries in your area that do b&b and see what they say. If they state they do fall dig and you can figure out the other issues then give it a shot.

I'm just realizing that you're zone 7 or 8 in Portland so it might be a completely different story.

This post was edited by whaas on Fri, Aug 16, 13 at 10:23

Even when deciduous trees and shrubs dug in leaf defoliate afterward they aren't necessarily dead. But why bother with a big specimen you may not really be prepared to lift and transport, when you aren't specifically after the larger size?

I see few ginkgo here demonstrating that they are seed-bearing individuals, one time I did encounter one it could be smelled about 300' away, across a college campus open space. I definitely would avoid planting known female ginkgo.

Although August is not an ideal time to attempt this in OR, it can certainly be done. Depending on how carefully it is dug, how much rootball you are able to maintain and the aftercare provided, your chances of success could be as high as 75-80%

There is absolutely NO reason why a ginkgo can't be planted now or later this fall (even into winter), certainly anywhere in the PNW.

If you started growing them indoor, you can transplant it either in fall or spring. You can prune younger ginkgos in early spring. But I suggest you let the experts do it. If youâÂÂre around Australia, check out JimâÂÂs Trees .

This post was edited by Kimball on Wed, Sep 25, 13 at 3:11

Kimball,

You apparently didn't even bother to read the original post. All you did was post a link to SPAM! If you don't care enough to really participate in the conversation, why bother to post at all?

Brandon,

While I appreciate you pointing out that I missed the OPâÂÂs location, I also need to point out that I was only making a comparison. JimâÂÂs trees is the only arborist I have tried when I was there and only wanted to inform the OP that such services exist. I donâÂÂt know yet of any company here in the US offering the same services, though I may have to start looking for one as we need pruning services too.

And also, before you say it is spam, do review all my other posts in this forum. As far as I can remember, I havenâÂÂt been endorsing or linking to companies. I have been on several forums before this, and I do have come across spam replies (who hasnâÂÂt). Do you honestly think my reply here is so far off topic that itâÂÂs a spam?

Edit: "Sorry double post"

This post was edited by Kimball on Tue, Sep 24, 13 at 23:46