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Transplanting a Hawthorn

John MacJohn Mac Posts: 32
in Problem solving
A friend of mine has a nice Hawthorn, it’s about 2 m tall, the trunk isn’t very thick, he wants me to remove it from his garden, I’d like to transplant it into my garden, however I’m unsure how to go about it. I thought maybe dig a trench round it, and then gently pull it out with my Land Rover....any suggestions welcome!
A man on a croft.....

Posts

  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 SomersetPosts: 9,266
    The approved method is to do what you suggested, i.e. dig a trench round it (having watered it very well the night before) but try to dig underneath it gently before pulling it out onto a tarpaulin and wrapping it up with that for transporting. You may have to cut a couple of the main roots to get it out and also to use a mattock or similar to lever it out the ground.  As hawthorn can be quite prickly, you may also want to think about wrapping it well with thick fleece or a blanket around the bush.  Have your new hole dug in advance, also well watered with some slow release fertiliser or BF&B in the bottom, and hopefully the hawthorn will take nicely.
  • UpNorthUpNorth South Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Posts: 376
    Very doubtful of the need for land rover.  Spade, and potentially pickaxe for a bit of leverage, following Lizzie's advice.
  • John MacJohn Mac Posts: 32
    Excellent, that’s great, it’s tall, but not terribly thick at the trunk. It would be a terrible shame to cut it down, so I’ll have a go! I think hawthorns are fairly hardy?
    A man on a croft.....
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