Advice on replanting young unknown tree

pennymax

Hi, i would appreciate some advice on re positioning a young tree which now is about 10ft in height. ( i bought it  as a young whip when my grandson was born). I would like to re position it to a more suitable area in the garden.  My husband has dug it up for me and i have it stood in a large tub of water. The advice i would like is firstly,  i am not sure what it called, what do i do to prepare the soil (my husband has dug a hole ready for it to be re planted) and then once planted do i have to prune it back . here is a pic to identify this young tree.

Welshonion

Your first step is to remove it from 'a large tub of water' or you will kill it!

I doubt it will need pruning until it is much bigger as it looks like a tree.  Prunus perhaps.  Do your best to find out what it is this year, then you can treat it correctly.

auntie betty

Yeah, looks like prunus nigra. Dont prune it unless it looks like its struggling to support its top-growth (ie. leaves dropping off severely). Though you can remove some lower branches if you don't want them - no point it wasting resources growing bits that aren't useful. Mix some well-rotted manure into the soil you're going to backfill the hole with (70:30 soil to manure is plenty) and tread the soil down afterwards so its sitting in a little dip, which'll help it collect plenty of water while its getting its roots out. And you're done! I only stake trees in windy spots for the first year to stop the rootball rocking and damaging new roots. After that, unless they're at risk of being snapped in gales, I remove the stakes, as a bit of blowing around helps the trunk thicken up (kind of the way weightlifting strains and slightly damages human muscles to build them), Lovely tree, especially if it gets sun behind it, so it glows.

quercus_rubur

While I'd agree with AB on the rest of advice, I think as this one is already 10ft high it might need staking until it settles in otherwise the weight at the top might be too much for the unsettled roots to anchor. 

 

Fairygirl

Have to agree qr- unless it's in a very sheltered spot it needs a good stake. I personally would do that regardless of site-  no point in risking losing it again. Low, angled stake gives stability while allowing top to move and strengthen.