Hi all I'm back!

Some of you might remember about me asking questions about a big fig tree that a friend of mine is giving to me. The tree is about 12 feet tall and 8" thick across, so my question here is,is it now the best time to replant it? or should I trim it down a little bit and then wait until the weather gets warmer?

How much should I cut it back without harming it , and how long should I wait to heal itself before moving it to its new location?

how deep should I plant it?

* this winter has killed all last year's growth :(

one more question, how many routes should I leave on the tree?

A fig tree has been compared to a weed many times.  Hard to kill!  Root prune and top prune.  If it's dormant, which I think it is, right? It will live.  Leave as many roots as you can, more roots is better than more top.  The roots will push new growth from the top.  I posted a recent thread on this, but my tree was only 5 years old.  Daily it grows new shoots from no nodes.  It wants to live!!  There are more shoots growing today.  Too lazy to climb up rocky top to take another photo.

 

You have nothing to worry about.  Just make sure you get more roots than top.  The Canopy will catch up quickly.

Suzi

yes right now is in dormant.
so can I cut it back severely and unroot the tree at the same time? or sould i do it in different days so it won't go into shock?
And if so, how long should I wait before uprooting it?

Thank you

does anyone know what kind of tools I will need to remove such a big tree?

heavy machinery not a option

Others might have more ideas.  Ours was dormant like yours, and in a 10 gallon pot, but we didn't notice that it had grown it's roots into the ground.  We severed those, then watered and wiggled, and struggled to get that fig out of the pot.  When they are dormant, there is no shock.  They are just sleeping.  Shock occurs when they are actively producing sap.  They don't do that when dormant.

Do it as soon as you can.  Prune the top hard.  Tough love.  This gives you an opportunity to trade cuttings with others for what you want.  See, it's a win-win~

Leave as many roots as you can, and either re-pot or put it in ground.

What is the variety of this fig?

Suzi

I would replant it now. Its getting warmer and you want to do it before the buds open

Hi,
You should now hurry to do it.
How is the tree ? One trunk ? Several trunks ?
What have you planed to move the tree ?
Are you taking the tree far away ?
I once had to move one of my figtrees. I cut/saw the second branches - the ones linked to the main trunk - at 10/20 cms of length.
With a shovel I made a hole all around and removed the dirt - to find out that the main root was going straight down - so I took my axe and cut all the roots at 20 cms - leaving the attached dirt.

If the tree have several trunks I would take the thiner one - It would weight less ...
You could as well keep cuttings and start them ... Just in case ... as a backup plan .

It is a good idea to "harden" the roots by spading a circle around the trunk where you intend to dig.  This should be done 10-14 days before digging.  The purpose of this is to cut the smaller feeder roots and this will reduce the shock to the roots.  An Arborist can explain this better than me.  My tree farmer friends told me how to do this and it worked on Orange and Grapefruit trees that I moved.

Good luck.

A few delicious Greek dishes of finger food and a few bottles of Greek white wine might entice myself and some of the younger more energetic types to help you out with this on Saturday

Now is the time. 

A tree with a trunk diameter of 8" and a height of 12 ft. will require a fairly large root ball....about 36" diameter, minimum.  How will you lift the tree and transport it?  It's gonna be very heavy.  Prune tree, and then dig out the tree, and lift the tree and root ball, including soil, onto a plastic tarp and tie up the root ball.  Now, before buds start moving, is the time to heavily prune, right back to a basic shape, leaving only a few of the heavier branches to establish the basic framework of your new tree.  Don't worry about smaller branches, they will regrow.  Do this heavy pruning first so that the tree will be easier to lift and move.  The root system is your problem.  Dig out as many roots as possible.  The larger the root ball the better.  Keep the roots moist until you can plant the newly pruned tree back into an already prepared hole.  After replanting, water it only when soil starts to dry out if there is no rain.

Unless this opportunity to move such a large tree just came about, you should have already established the root ball perimeter, last year, by spade trimming the roots...see post #9.  In any event, save as many roots as possible. You'll be moving, and transplanting just the pruned back trunk with a few major branches, and a large root ball.  You will probably prune away at least half of the old tree, if not more.  It will regrow a whole new top in a few seasons.

You'll need a pruning saw specifically designed to cut wet, sappy, branches.  Home Depot sells them.  You'll also need a pointed spade/shovel, and maybe a pry bar.  I would cut away all unwanted wood first, and get it out of the way.  Then, start digging the root ball, even if it takes a few days, save as many roots as possible.  You may have to saw through the thicker roots with the pruning saw or better yet, use a plunge saw with pruning blades.  Either way, if you push the pruning saw in and out of gritty soil to cut the heavier roots, expect to ruin your saw blade.  That's why you should prune the tree to size first with a sharp saw blade, then work on the root system, if using your pruning saw to cut roots. 

So, basically, you'll prune, dig roots, move, and replant....done.  You can seal the pruning cuts with Carpenter's Glue, or smear on some soft wax from a ring used to seal toilet bowls.

Good luck.  (Move the tree now).


Frank

Welcome back. Right now. I agree. I transplanted one today. And you know I am a few blocks away. If you need any help or pointers pm me.

I just transplanted two this weekend, first time so we'll see how it turns out.  I tried to get as much root ball as I could and I probably should have pruned off more at the top but we'll see how it goes.
Here are some photos, sorry for the blurry one.

There are two Celeste and two Brown Turkey.


Here's a pic of the root ball:  
 

Here's the new home and I added about half a cup of lime to the soil:

Cooper it's not to late to remove a lot of those sprouts. It will help the trees survive and you could have a better looking tree.
"gene"

Never is my answer to the original question. Just air layer and plant that. At some point a tree just isn't supposed to be moved. I'd draw the line a 2 years in ground. I could see five years for a full-blown-throw'emintheasylum fig nut, but after 15 years no tree should be moved.

Thank you Rich and Rafael for offering your help, i still haven't made up my mind , it is sure a big job ,and plus I have to remove three little trees in order to put that big one.
If I do decide to take it out, I will let you know.

Today I removed 10 bushes and my back is killing me already lol

George

Best of luck to you George. My back is still killing me from the digging but it's worth it.