Q: We are currently looking to relocate some very old a very nice frangipani trees (around the house block due to construction). What are chances of survival of these plants and do you have any tips for the process? S. Bradshaw – Camp Hill
A: Frangipani trees relocate very well, and you will not have many problems provided you carry out some basic rules in the transplanting of trees.
The ‘ideal’ in transplanting any tree is to commence preparatory operations well in time – at least 6 months ahead of the transplant operation.
The best transplants virtually always depend on the size of the ‘root ball’ that one digs up with the tree, and this depends entirely on the size of the tree. The larger the tree the larger the root ball that needs to be excavated.
Again - the ‘ideal’ is that a trench be dug around one side of the tree, or one half of a circle, 6 months before the intended time of transplant. The depth of the trench depends on the size of the tree. Any roots that have been damaged during the process must be pruned neatly, leaving a clear cut. The trench should then be filled in with a good quality friable soil or composted saw dust. Three months will be sufficient for new roots to grow into this material. At the end of the three months, the operation is then repeated on the other side of the tree. This is left for three months as well. At the end of the six months, you will have good new root growth into loose soil material right around your tree.
At the time of transplant, one then prepares a large hole at the new site. You need to make certain that the width and depth of the new hole are at least TWICE the size of the root ball of the tree. In fact, I prefer the hole to be wider than that and which is what I insist on in Roma Street Parkland.
The wider the hole the better … for there will then be loose soil around the tree for it to very readily put its roots into. Once the hole has been prepared, the root ball of the tree is then undercut; the tree is lifted, and placed into the hole that has been prepared at the new site. Soil is firmed down around it, with the level of the new soil being at or just above the top surface of the rootball.
The tree may then need to be staked, and mulch spread around the base. Initial copious watering is required soon after the transplant, with no watering at all for a week thereafter. One then checks moisture levels regularly, and watering from then on should be done just to keep the soil moist – NOT wet.
The above procedure is the ‘ideal’ way of doing it. I had to set this out … for this is what is preached in terms of transplanting trees, and it is correct. In PRACTICAL terms, however … ‘out there in reality’ … this ‘ideal’ procedure is generally never followed, and yet one achieves good results.
One often does not have the 6 months lead time required to carry out the recommended phased process. What normally happens is that trenching for the rootball right around the tree is done as a single operation, and the tree lifted and transplanted on the same day. Very high pressure ‘water cutting’ equipment is sometimes used to cut into the soil and the roots of the tree instead of trenching. This is what our contractor at Roma Street Parkland does.
Transplanting of a large tree is not as simple as it reads above, however. Depending on the size of the tree … machinery and equipment capable of lifting and taking the weight of the tree are required. Access to the site for such equipment is often a problem. The tree then has to be transported to the new site. A suitable truck is required. If a long distance has to be traveled, one then needs to wrap up the rootball in hessian or other material so as to keep the rootball intact.
In your case, this may not be necessary if the trees are just going “around the house block due to construction”.
It is best that you employ professional arborists to carry out this transplant job for you. Make certain that they have experience in moving trees, obtain proof of their capability and ask for and check their references before actually handing the job over to them.
The attached picture is of some very mature frangipani trees that were relocated within Roma Street Parkland over 5 years ago. They are doing extremely well. They are coming out of winter, which is why their leaves are sparse just at the moment.
A good way to relocate your large frangipani tree is to do a straight swap with me. If you are interested in exchanging your large frangipani tree for a smaller size or different colour and don't want the hassle of relocation, then contact me at sunshinecoast [at] y7mail [dot] com