i have no clue what you are talking about ... and googling your term didnt really bring anything up?????

can you give us a link to such??? .. to make sure we all get on the same page ...

it would also help to know.. where you are... soil type.. how far from the house you are planting ... and what oaks you are talking about ...

my gut tells me.. that throwing money after trying to outwit ma natures... rarely works ... i like to call it... marketing hype ....

more info please ...

ken

PS: and BTW.. how large a transplant are you talking about ... DIY .. i recommend nothing greater than a 6 footer ... and TIMING is your prime consideration ... and that depends on where you are ...

I am meeting with a landscaper who has experience on saturday, we have not spoken in depth about the project, but I would like to walk into our conversation somewhat educated before I speak to him or agree to anything.

I remember either hearing or reading about steel plates being placed in the ground to either block a trees roots from heading a certain direction, or guiding them around- that is what I am talking about, but cant find much information through google...

Sizewise- obviously I would like to transplant as large as possible, but mind you I am not DIY, and will be paying someone, as big as they can comfortably do is what I am looking to buy...

thanks for your time Ken,

How big is the area where you plan to plant the tree. Assuming the root system of the oak is equal to the canopy you should not plant an oak closer that about 30 feet from any structure. Of course if you plant it now you will not live to see it with a 60 foot diameter canopy.

Most oaks don't have really shallow roots, some sorta do Shingle and southern live do, Pin oak sorta also. If you put something to restrict root growth, I would be afraid it would make the root system grow in a way that will harm the tree. I am guessing, just by how it all sounds, because I am not familiar with the weird torture contraption they are recommending. Many oaks like Burr oak, White oak (eastern) have deeper roots, but there are some feeder roots which will not be super deep. If you are in the west there are gonna be a whole bunch of oaks I am unaware of, well, and .....What Ken said......

A professional landscaper should be familiar with the various root control fabrics. Biobarrier is one brand. These are pretty commonly used to keep roots away from sidewalks, driveways, etc. They are much easier to install than steel plates, a practice I've never heard of and doubt would work very well anyway.

Poaky,
Most oaks - and other tree species, for that matter, have the vast majority of their roots in the top 12-18 inches of soil. Hence, the major concerns we have about root zone compaction (and protection) during construction.
They're not really a 'mirror image' of the above-ground tree. For most trees any of us will ever deal with, the whole 'deep-rooted' concept is largely a myth.

it would also help to know.. where you are... soil type.. how far from the house you are planting ... and what oaks you are talking about ...

my gut tells me.. that throwing money after trying to outwit ma natures... rarely works ... i like to call it... marketing hype ....

more info please ...

===>>> answers this time???? ..; your pnl;y reply is you also cant google ... your recollection ...

what exactly.. does your professional have experiences in .... taking money from peeps who think a steel plate will stop a hundred year old oak ... pshaw ..... i will repeat.. nothing will outwit ma nature.. over the decades.. nor centuries ....

walk away from this dude.. if he is really attached to this nonsense ... he has a boat payment or college payment due ...

the bottom line.. with ANYTHING... 3 estimates... to understand.. who is BSing, whom ....

ken

@ken

He never mentioned anything about the plates, that was an idea I remembered hearing about.

We are completely redoing the house, and installing a new driveway-hence my desire to do whatever I can to prevent future problems.

Trees would ideally by 15-25 ft from front of house, but that would leave them near the sidewalk/driveway...

Will look into the 'biobarrier' product.

PS house is in South Florida ( Miami) and house is built on very hard ground, looks to be limestone....

I understand Lucky that they aren't like the top as far as the roots, but I meant as far as raising sidewalks and that kinda thing. I would imagine that Q. Alba and Q. Macrocarpa would be less likely than the other oaks I meantioned, that's all.