Red Neck Tree Mover

I transplanted a Spruce this week. After cutting down with a spade around the tree, I just scooped it up. Thankfully, Spruce trees are pretty tolerant of transplanting.

Perfect size for transplanting. Nice.

We have used the forks on our tractor that way, they can be put close together. My dad used to use his backhoe.

I helped build a duplex one time, and the backhoe operator was asked to move a maple tree. He ripped up the tree, hauled it down the block, dug a hole and jammed it in. I thought it would have been the kiss of death. It's one of the handsomest trees in town.

I?d love to have about 20 of those trees

My house is about 200' from a used to be rock road and on the North side of a hill. Previous house, built probably back in the '40's for a number, long since demolished when I bought the place, was between my house and the road. When I built it in '79 there were probably half a dozen cars up and down the road at most, and one being the mail carrier. Back in the early 90's the county put a vehicle counter on the road and it registered 150 per day. On the North slope, the only thing between me and the N. Pole were 5 strands of barbed wire. Something had to be done.

Got out my spade and went around the neighborhood collecting Cedars of the size that I could dig up with my spade-shovel and transplant. Wound up with 160. Planted them around my house area with suitable distancing. Today they are maybe 25 or so ft. tall, branches overlapping. Cars probably number 300 easily as road has been sealed (liquid asphalt and rocks), 2 lane marked, 40 mph speed limit, seldom obeyed, and wind still howls from the North in the winter. But on the house side of all that, is bliss! Well worth the effort and would do it again in a heart beat.

Only problem is when they bloom, like now, lots of pollen and runny nose.....but I was willing to tolerate that when I planted them. However, somebody invented the little 10 mg Loratadine anti-histamine tablet that everybody stocks, with zero side effects, unlike previous like remedies, and life is good.

Cedars love blackland alkaline soils and if you don't keep your pastures mowed or cultivated, you will be the proud owner of a forest of your own.

If you don?t know get some pine tree fertilizer. It?s not always the abundance of water, but the right food that helps get them through. We had a neighbor the spent a couple $$$ on pines and they were turning on him even though he diligently watered. The fertilizer perked them up and saved a bunch.

I?m wanting them for the same reason you do there will be 4 houses on my block after I put mine up and I hate looking at them 😐