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Transplanting Mature Tea Olive (Osmanthus fragrans)

Posted by lauriepj 7 (My Page) on
Thu, Sep 21, 06 at 11:47

We are planning an addition to our house and a very old Tea Olive needs to be moved. How should this be done? I remember reading somewhere that one method for moving trees in general is to dig the root ball, but not actually move it for some time in order for the shock to be minimized. Any and all advice is welcome because this is an heirloom plant that needs to be saved.


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RE: Transplanting Mature Tea Olive (Osmanthus fragrans)

This plant can be transplanted, although if it is over 6' tall you should have it moved by a professional. The root-ball could weigh from 500 to over well over 1000 pounds depending on the size of the tree.

Generally, you have two options. Preferably to "hand-dig" which is very labor intensive but is better for the tree or move it with a tree-spade which requires specialized equipment and room to maneuver.

First, spray paint a circle around the tree to mark the area for the root-ball. A deep trench should be dug around the tree being careful not to disturb the root-ball. Fill the trench with water. You can add a commercially available starter solution and/or Bioplex to the water if you like. Let the water soak in then fill the trench with mulch. Overwinter the tree in this state then move the tree in early Spring.


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