Question
I live in Baton Rouge, La. We recently purchased a home that has a 60 ft.wide front yard, 45ft of that being the house itself and 35ft deep.The problem is there is a 30 year live oak sitting in the middle of the yard and a 6FT.sweet olive tree right behind it.I want to know if i move the olive will it hurt the tree. Also I really could use some landscaping ideas for this yard? HELP ME


Answer
If you move any tree it will hurt the tree. If you  are asking will it hurt the live oak, that depends on how close and how you dig out the olive. The question is can you minimize the injury enough to make the tree survive. I have no direct experience with sweet olives. However, most trees have similar issues when transplanted. It is generally best to transplant in dormant seasons, late fall/winter/early spring. You need to be sure you get enough root ball...10 inches MINIMUM for every one inch of tree caliper. So a 2" tree needs about 20 to 24" diameter root ball. You also should root prune a couple months before to get the tree to generate new feeder roots within the root ball. (Root pruning is digging a trench about 12" deep around the tree where you intend to dig it up but not digging under the tree or pulling the tree out. Fill the trench with peat moss and spread recommended amounts root growth stimulants on exposed roots. Lastly when you go to move three, be sure to carefully pull it loose and not break up the root ball. Set it on a cart or something to move it with the least disturbance. Then at the new location be sure you have prepped the hole with loose planting soil, fertilizer, composted peat, etc. and filled it with water. Mix it up till it has a consistency of a thick soup. Set the tree root ball into this so that the materials in the hole are actually forced out as the tree settles in. This grantees no air pockets and a good fresh drink for the tree on its first day at the new location. Finally pack it in with a shovel or your heel and create a saucer of raised dirt around the tree trunk. The saucer is used to retain water that you give the tree periodically over the next month while it re-establishes itself.
Also put 2-3" of cypress mulch around the trunk to slow evaporation from the root ball.

Best of Luck.