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When is it too late to start thinking about transplanting a pine?

12 years ago

I am in KY and zone 6. It has dipped down to the lower thirties a couple of times this year but only briefly. Last year our first day below 32 was October the 30th with nights routinely dipping below 32 starting around the middle part of November.

Would I still be ok to transplant a pine tree at this point? I am not sure about the specific type but the matures trees are very tall and probably growing just as tall as many of the hardwoods in the area.

If it is still ok to dig and transplant, can someone advice me on the best size to dig and how much soil I need to plan on taking in order to maintain enough of its root system?

Thanks!

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Comments (7)

Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
12 years ago
A plant that is fully cold hardy for your area should be planted when the trees loose their leaves, now.

Tender crape myrtles, southern magnolias and japanese maples I worry about bit have no basis for my fears.

How big is your tree?
wilsocn
Original Author
12 years ago
Well there are literally hundreds that I could pick from. They range from little saplings no more than a few inches tall to several feet tall. I was going to try and find a nice one about 3 ft tall probably.
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hi weird weather this season in my z5 .... my pines.. are candling out pretty fast now.. if yours are the same ... you would not want to do it now ... but you failed to tell us its size... potted??? ... in the ground... etc ... the failsafe time in fall.. is when all the other trees leaves start to turn colors.. indicating trees above the ground are pretty much dormant .... and pines are trees ... then they will grow roots until the ground freezes.. and again in the spring.. before the heat of next summer ... but i gotta tell you ... the way pinus strobus grows.. i would not bother to work hard to transplant anything over about 2 - 4 feet tall ... i would rather go buy a small one.. put it where you want it.. and sacrifice this one to the tree gods... more facts please ... ken
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I'm in the same boat. I'm late with most of mine, as usual. And I was stressing out about it the other day, until I did a little research on "days to maturity". I used to think I needed to start counting from the date of transplant--which never really seemed right--to get the approximate date I could start hoping for ripening. But now--someone please correct me if I'm wrong--I think it's really the germination date that really matters. As long as the tomatoes are in the ground in time to get established, and do some growing. There's probably some variation, depending on when they're actually transplanted. But I no longer think it's the main factor. And last year I got some in really late, but they still produced tomatoes at the normal time. They just didn't produce much, since the plants didn't have a lot of time to grow. And it turns out it didn't make much difference anyway, since I lost like 99% to slugs. And another .9% to late blight.
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Iris GW
12 years ago
Personally, I have never had luck transplanting any local loblolly pines, but white pines have been no problem. I would do several to increase your chance of success, and consider doing only those under 3 feet tall.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
now is the time ...

i would go for about a two footer .. just less stress all around ... probably wont even know it was moved ...

though as noted.. knowing what kind of pine might make a difference ..

i would bare root it ... and shoot for about a two foot spread of roots ...

free range pines.. probably have a very shallow root system .... in my sand ... if damp ... you can nearly pull them out ... though a little spading will help ... trim all broken root ends ...

you should be able to tell in very early spring.. whether the buds are elongating.. if not... move another .... since you seem to have an unlimited supply ...

now is a good time.. since it will have two cool root growing seasons.. before the heat of next summer ... rather than waiting until spring.. and hoping it will get 6 to 8 weeks before the real heat hits ...

this should work for z6 and colder .... though it might be getting a bit late further north ..

ken
wilsocn
Original Author
12 years ago
I am not certain but I would guess that these are loblolly pines. There is a high clay content in the area that these trees are all growing but they are doing well and spreading like wildfire. I have read that white pine is not tolerant of clay at all, although I have no personal experience.
famartin
12 years ago
I didn't think Loblolly was native to Kentucky, but I could be wrong...
chueh
12 years ago
I have successfully transplanted loblolly pines 90%. The smaller, the better rate of surviving. The little seedlings about 3-5" tall almost always survived. Now is a good time to transplant. They get less shock if you dig the soil bigger than the plant, letting the roots attached to the soil without being disturbed.

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