[Alec Powell]

Hi All,
On my plot,(that I am about to  vacate), I have a 12 year old hawthorn tree. It is of sentimental value to me and SWMBO as it was a sapling from her late fathers garden when we planted it and I would like to move it to my new smaller plot on the same site.Is it possible? The trunk at its base is about 6 inches diameter and its height is about 15 ft so it will be quite a project
Reason for moving is that the full sze plot I have now is getting far too big for me,(Aaaah! Old Father Time is marching on )
Any advice would be gratefully accepted.
Cheers all
Alec

[arugula]

Well in theory its entirely possible - dig and prepare/feed the new hole for the tree, dig it out carefully with a large root ball, transport it carefully to the new site, plant, water etc.

My concern is that you say you are about to vacate the plot where it is located.. Trees and shrubs are best moved when they are dormant i.e. during the winter months. How soon are you vacating?

[Alastair-I]

To be sure, save some seed this year.  Fill a plant pot with a 50:50 sand:soil mix and place a dozen or so ripe fruits with their seeds through it (break up the fruit with your fingers).  Do this with a few pots.  Leave them ourside the backdoor where they'll get a touch of frost over the winter and hopefully you'll have some germinate in the Spring (if not, leave them another year to see if they're slow starters).  And look around the plot, has it already self-seeded and left you with some alternative trees that are easier to move.  Then you have a back-up for continuity if moving the tree doesn't go quite as planned.  And whilst you're picking the fruit, why not try some hawthorn wine?

If you can't wait until the tree is dormant and must start in a week or two, start watering the tree a little and often to try and soften up the soil around it.  You want the biggest rootball you can get - if you two people can lift the tree on their own the rootball probably isn't big enough!

[Goosegirl]

Can you do some cuttings off it in case the other methods don't work for some reason - now is a good time. My hawthorn hedging seems to have produced a lot of seedlings this year, so have a look around for some of those as well.