Question
QUESTION: Thank you for your service Jim!
I have a 5-6 year old oak tree, growing well, not too big yet, but probably 4-5 inch trunk. Wrong spot, dropping acorns everywhere, want to put in something else. Best way to remove? Will the tap root already be too big to deal with to dig %26 cut out? Could/should I just cut the thing down, then cut open the trunk and put in some killer? Will roots keep growing if we cut it out best we can? Probably have to apply killer no matter what?
Thanks, Darin

ANSWER: IF you decide to move the tree it is going to take some work. IF you cut it I would paint the fresh stump with a herbicide called Roundup this will kill the root system stopping it from re sprouting . Cut the stump as low as possible to the ground surface and then paint on the Roundup. This small a tree I would not worry about the stump and remaining roots .

Deciduous  trees and shrubs may be planted either in the spring or the fall. Deciduous plants may be moved in the spring as soon as the frost is out of the ground, up until the time when new foliage is partly unfurled. In the fall, they may be planted once the leaves start to turn color up until the ground freezes.

When you want to dig up a tree or shrub for transplanting, retain as much of the root system as possible. Deciduous trees  can be successfully moved only if a ball of soil is left around the roots. The exposed roots should be protected with moist burlap or newspaper or with polyethylene sheeting. Every effort should be made to reduce root exposure to wind and sun, keeping the ball as moist as possible. It's best to prepare the hole before digging up the tree you wish to move.

Size of the root ball and size of the hole:

For deciduous trees and shrubs the soil ball should be:

Width = 9-12 in. in diameter/every 1 in. of tree diameter
Depth = 6 in./every 1 in. of tree diameter

For example: A tree trunk 4 inches in diameter would need a soil ball of 36-48 inches wide and 24 inches deep.

Oaks do not have a tap root as such so do not worry about that.


Dig the new hole twice the size of the rootball and as deep and fill with top soil and mulch around the tree with not more than 3 inches deep of organic mulch not piled up on the trunk.  

It will be a a large job so you might want to try an get a professional that has a tree spade to dig tne move the tree. Here is a web plonk to one of these type tree spades where you can find a dealer near you. http://www2.vermeer.com/vermeer/equipment/tree_spades;jsessionid=0901a64f1686950

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much Jim!  You are a 10!  Quick follow-up:  I'm relieved to know I can just cut down the tree as low as I can and not worry about the trunk/roots.  Having said that, if I cut it down this fall before the freeze and roundup the daylights out of it, can I plant a new tree on either side of it within a couple feet next spring?  Again this trunk is probably not more than 5-6 inches in diameter, and I'd hope the new tree would just eventually grow around the old oak's roots.  Would the oak's roots just wither away in a couple years?  Also, do I need to do a really concentrated blasting of Roundup, using no water in the mix?  Thanks again, you're terrific to help people like me!  :)  Darin

Answer
Use the Roundup straight form the container--paint it on the stump. It is better to go ahead and do this now while the tree is still growing--after the leaves turn the tree will shut down and not move water etc to the roots. Yes you should be able to plant a new tree as long as it is not right on the old stump. May encounter a few roots as you dig but these will decay over time and the new tree will be fine.