We have a crimson maple tree in our yard that needs to be moved approx' 50' due to an addition to our home. It is 20' tall with a drip line of 15 feet and a trunk diameter of 6quot; -7quot;. Some landscapers say to move it with a tree spade, and others say it should by hand dug and balled with burlap before moving. Which method would you recommend?
I have been in the business for over 25 yrs. use a tree spade. The weight of the ball alone will require a small crane or large loader to move it out of the hole and the fifty feet to the new hole. Second if you don't know the secret of balling large trees, the ball will fall apart when you try to move it. you will then snap the roots and damage the tree. why take a chance with such a nice tree. This is the very reason they invented tree spades. a good operator will have it done in two hours or less including the plug hole.
tree spade by professionals they can do it all in one day causing the least amount of stress to the plant
Either way is fine, but moving maples in the early spring is not a good idea, fall is better.
I like the balled and burlap way
A 20 foot tree is really too big for you to move by yourself. The roots will have spread approx. 20 feet across and they may go that deep as well. That makes for a very major dig in your yard. I would look at having professional landscapers do it. The Muse
