Yearbook, of Agriculture 1949 



88 



The first step in digging up a tree 

 for transplanting is to make a circular 

 trench around the outside spread of 

 the roots of the tree. A tree with a 1- 

 inch trunk diameter (measured a foot 

 above the ground) should have a 

 trench with at least a 10-inch radius. 

 The trench radius should be increased 

 about 10 inches for each inch of in- 

 crease in trunk diameter. Depth of 

 trench should be at least 18 inches, ex- 

 cept in situations where the roots are 

 especially shallow. Gut small roots with 

 a spade and larger ones with an ax. 



Second, remove the soil from the 

 roots by carefully working inward from 

 the edge of the trench, using a narrow- 

 tine spading fork to comb the roots. 

 Continue combing until most of the 

 roots are exposed. For large trees that 

 require more time to dig, cover ex- 

 posed roots with wet burlap. 



Third, tip the tree carefully to loosen 

 it further after all lateral roots are un- 

 covered. Avoid strain on any roots that 

 escaped cutting. If a strong taproot is 

 encountered, dig deeper to obtain at 

 least 20 to 30 inches of taproot, de- 

 pending on the size of the tree. 



Fourth, cover all roots temporarily 

 with damp burlap, moist soil, leaves, 

 or other material to keep them from 

 drying after the tree has been lifted. 

 Whenever possible, move trees on calm, 

 cloudy days to reduce root drying. 



Trees should be planted as soon as 

 possible after lifting. Where delay is 

 unavoidable, trees may be maintained 

 without deterioration by setting them 

 in easily worked, well-drained soil. 



DIGGING BALLED STOCK: All ever- 

 greens are best moved with a ball of 

 soil that keeps a central core of the 

 sensitive roots intact and reduces the 

 transplanting shock. Deciduous trees 

 may also be moved with balled roots, 

 but the need is not so great as with ever- 

 greens. The width of the ball varies 

 with the size of the plant, as shown in 

 the first table. 



To dig balled stock: 



First, mark a circle on the ground 

 around the tree, making the radius of 



RECOMMENDED MINIMUM BALL DIAMETERS 

 FOR DIFFERENT SIZES OF SHRUBS AND 



TREES 



Shrubs and small trees 



Larger trees 



RECOMMENDED DEPTHS TO DIG FOR 

 DIFFERENT BALL SIZES 



Diameter of ball 



Inches 

 10 

 20 

 30 

 48 



Depth of ball 



Inches 

 8 



15 

 20 

 30 



the circle somewhat larger than the 

 width of the ball. 



Second, dig a vertical trench just 

 outside the marked circle, going down 

 below the zone of abundant fibrous 

 roots. The depth of the ball varies with 

 the size of the tree, as in the second 

 table. 



Third, cut any lateral roots flush 

 with the inside face of the trench. To 

 avoid jarring the soil loose, use prun- 

 ing shears or a saw instead of an ax 

 for the larger roots. 



Fourth, pare off all the surplus soil 

 with the back of the spade toward the 

 ball. Trim the sides to slope inward so 

 that the diameter at the bottom of the 

 ball is a few inches less than that at the 

 top, and the surface of the ball is 

 smooth. 



Fifth, if the ball is not more than 18 



