Transplanting is often done by gardeners while gardening. But you often get the doubt whether old trees like oak trees can be transplanted or not.

You must be aware that oaks have deep root systems and are referred as tap roots.

Oak trees more than 60 years old cannot be transplanted successfully unless they have been root pruned annually during life time.

You can prefer root pruning and for this root pruning you have to take help of commercial landscape tree growers to force a subject plant to grow dense network of relatively short roots so that the plant will have a dense, moveable size, root ball that can be dug in a later year.

You have to undergo few steps to transplant oak trees. First you have to see whether the tree is healthy enough to transplant or not.

Is the tree a good applicant for transplanting?

To know the current tree health, you have to consult a private arborist to perform starch test on the tree. You can also review the historical data that is indicated that this tree grew in the front of yard of the farm site. Access to the tree also proved positive because as the tree was growing in an open area, there was plenty of room around it for the transplanting equipment.

You should also see that the tree growing in open ground should have the crown relatively small for the corresponding trunk diameter and hence due to small diameter of trunk, the root mass is also calculated to be compact. With all such conditions, you can transplant the oak tree successfully.

How to safely transplant a small oak tree?

If you want to transplant a small tree, you must water heavily both soil and foliage. Try to retain as much of the root ball as possible, digging as widely around the roots as possible.

They are fairly tough trees, and assuming you to keep the majority of the root system, you will be fine. You will have to do a lot of digging to keep all the roots intact. But, if there are some difficult roots, just cut them like you would prune a tree. Slowly remove the tree from the place and plant it where you want to. By doing this way you can safely transplant the small and any type of oak tree.

How to collect and plant oak from acorns?

The best time for you to collect acorns is in the early fall, when they are starting to turn from green to brown and when some are starting to fall. It is better for you to collect acorns from oak trees directly.

You can plant acorns from early November, after the first rains have soaked the soil, until early march. Early planting maximizes root development before the arrival of dry weather and also reduces the risk associated with premature germination.

You have to plant the acorns about one inch below the soil surface. Better dig the hole deeper than needed, because this will give the root a chance to get a good start soft soil that is easy to penetrate.

The amount of care and protection you choose to provide acorns and seedlings will depend on your individual situation.