Transplanting Techniques for Large Deodar Cedars and Key Maintenance Points Before and After Transplanting

With the continuous development of landscaping techniques, there have been countless examples of successful large tree transplanting in various places in recent years. Last year, the author transplanted ten large deodar cedars in Jinan. Under careful maintenance, all of them survived and grew well. The experience of transplanting and maintenance is described below.

I. Time and geographical location

Hydrological conditions: The time was mid-October, and the planting site was located beside the main road in the west of Jinan, Shandong, a street green space with an area of about 4000 sq m, with clay soil. To enhance the greening effect, micro-topography was created during construction. The deodar cedars were all planted at higher positions of the terrain, where drainage conditions were good.

II. Preparatory work before construction

1. Because the deodar cedars to be transplanted were 7.0 to 8.5 m tall, the tree pits were all dug to 2.5×2.5×2.0 m, with large stones and poor soil inside removed, and sufficient backfill soil prepared.

2. Prepare several 9 m long bamboo poles, several jin of 12# iron wire and the required tools, 3 high-pressure sprayers, 40 nozzles (with rods), several meters of water delivery pipe, and one sprinkler irrigation machine.

3. Level the site in advance and plan the driving routes for the crane and transport vehicles.

III. Digging and transport

Before digging, do a good job of seedling selection. The selected seedlings are required to have a beautiful tree shape, a straight trunk, and no mechanical damage. Try not to select deodar cedars with overly large crowns or overly dense branches, so as to increase the survival rate and reduce transport and planting costs. Keep records in advance so that after the seedlings arrive they can be matched to the corresponding pits. Before digging, first support the seedlings with props to prevent the trees from tipping over and to ensure safety. In addition, the sunny and shady sides of the seedlings should be marked to facilitate positioning during planting. The soil ball dug by the author was 1.8 m in diameter and 1.6 m in height. After digging, it was found that there were no large roots (root diameter exceeding 2 cm) at the outer edge of the soil ball. Soft packaging was used: first wrap the soil ball with straw curtains, then wind it with straw rope in a twisted pattern, and wrap the outer layer once more with palm rope. Practice has proved that under good soil conditions, none of the soil balls broke. A 16T crane was used for lifting, and the soil ball was pulled with wire ropes. The wire ropes were connected with U-shaped shackles, and thick wooden boards were placed where the wire ropes contacted the soil ball to prevent them from cutting into the soil ball. The main hook was used to hang the wire rope, and the auxiliary hook was hung at the 2/3 point of the trunk. The trunk at the hook points should all be wrapped layer by layer with burlap pieces to prevent the rope from cutting into the bark. At the 1/2 point of the trunk, a long rope should also be tied to help maintain the direction of movement by manpower during lifting and transport. After the seedlings were loaded onto the vehicle, the soil ball was kept facing forward and the crown facing backward, and a tripod was used to support the trunk to prevent the crown from dragging on the ground. For short-distance transport, water should be sprayed on the trunk and crown; for long-distance transport, a tarpaulin must be added and water sprayed at regular intervals to reduce water evaporation from the trees.

IV. Planting

Apply 20 kg of organic fertilizer in each tree pit, mix it evenly with backfill soil, and fill to the reserved height of the soil ball. The lifting method for planting is basically the same as that for digging and lifting. After the seedling is lifted into the tree pit and before it lands, rotate the soil ball by manpower so that its position and orientation are reasonable, then backfill the soil. Before backfilling, all wrappings should be completely removed. Finally, tamp layer by layer and make a water pit.

V. Maintenance

1. After planting, the seedlings should be staked immediately, and watering should be done after staking is completed. The first watering should be thorough, the second watering should be done three days later, and the third watering ten days later. To ensure the survival rate, on the fourth day after planting, combined with watering, we used 100 ppm ABT Rooting Powder No. 3 for root irrigation treatment. After the three waterings, the pit can be sealed, the tree pit covered with plastic film, and a certain drainage slope made to prevent water accumulation at the roots caused by spraying during later maintenance. The plastic film can be kept in place for a long time to achieve cold protection and prevent water evaporation.

2. To increase the survival rate, after the staking was completed, the author carried out branch thinning in coordination with the shaping of the seedlings. First remove diseased branches, overlapping branches, inner branches, and individual large branches that affect the tree shape, then prune the small branches. During pruning, observe frequently and prune in multiple sessions; do not prune into shape all at once, so as to avoid cutting the wrong branches. After pruning is completed, promptly apply paraffin or anti-rust paint to the wounds to prevent the wounds from rotting when exposed to water.

3. After planting, the seedlings should immediately be given spray maintenance with a sprinkler irrigation machine to ensure the moisture and air humidity required by the crown. To reduce labor intensity and increase maintenance effectiveness, the author designed a set of water-spraying maintenance system: install 3 to 4 nozzles on each deodar cedar in advance, with the principle that the positions of the nozzles should allow the water mist to cover the entire tree. Spray at regular times every day. Practice has proved that the effect is very good.

4. After lifting was completed, the author found that 2 deodar cedars had been accidentally damaged by ropes during the lifting process, with ring-shaped bark removal at the 2/3 point of the trees reaching 1/2 of the circumference. Therefore, while the inner mucous layer of the bark was still dry, the author promptly used small nails 1 cm long to nail the fallen bark back in its original position, evenly applied yellow clay to the wounds, wrapped them tightly with straw rope, and then bound them tightly with somewhat thick plastic film to keep them moist. After 4 months, inspection showed that the bark had basically healed, and under normal maintenance, the two trees were growing well.

5. Because Jinan is an inland area, with strong winds and little rainfall in spring, the water evaporation of the seedlings is large, so the frequency of watering and spraying should be appropriately increased. Once the seedlings safely pass through spring, the maintenance work can enter normal management.

Key Technical Points for Transplanting and Maintaining Large Deodar Cedars

Key Technical Points for Transplanting and Maintaining Large Deodar Cedars -- With the continuous development of landscaping techniques, there have been countless examples of successful large tree transplanting in various places in recent years. Last year, the author transplanted ten large deodar cedars in Jinan. Under careful maintenance, all of them survived and grew well. The experience of transplanting and maintenance is described below.

    I. Time and geographical location

Hydrological conditions: The time was mid-October, and the planting site was located beside the main road in the west of Jinan, Shandong, a street green space with an area of about 4000 sq m, with clay soil. To enhance the greening effect, micro-topography was created during construction. The deodar cedars were all planted at higher positions of the terrain, where drainage conditions were good.

II. Preparatory work before construction

1. Because the deodar cedars to be transplanted were 7.0 to 8.5 m tall, the tree pits were all dug to 2.5×2.5×2.0 m, with large stones and poor soil inside removed, and sufficient backfill soil prepared.

2. Prepare several 9 m long bamboo poles, several jin of 12# iron wire and the required tools, 3 high-pressure sprayers, 40 nozzles (with rods), several meters of water delivery pipe, and one sprinkler irrigation machine.

3. Level the site in advance and plan the driving routes for the crane and transport vehicles.

III. Digging and transport

Before digging, do a good job of seedling selection. The selected seedlings are required to have a beautiful tree shape, a straight trunk, and no mechanical damage. Try not to select deodar cedars with overly large crowns or overly dense branches, so as to increase the survival rate and reduce transport and planting costs. Keep records in advance so that after the seedlings arrive they can be matched to the corresponding pits. Before digging, first support the seedlings with props to prevent the trees from tipping over and to ensure safety. In addition, the sunny and shady sides of the seedlings should be marked to facilitate positioning during planting. The soil ball dug by the author was 1.8 m in diameter and 1.6 m in height. After digging, it was found that there were no large roots (root diameter exceeding 2 cm) at the outer edge of the soil ball. Soft packaging was used: first wrap the soil ball with straw curtains, then wind it with straw rope in a twisted pattern, and wrap the outer layer once more with palm rope. Practice has proved that under good soil conditions, none of the soil balls broke. A 16T crane was used for lifting, and the soil ball was pulled with wire ropes. The wire ropes were connected with U-shaped shackles, and thick wooden boards were placed where the wire ropes contacted the soil ball to prevent them from cutting into the soil ball. The main hook was used to hang the wire rope, and the auxiliary hook was hung at the 2/3 point of the trunk. The trunk at the hook points should all be wrapped layer by layer with burlap pieces to prevent the rope from cutting into the bark. At the 1/2 point of the trunk, a long rope should also be tied to help maintain the direction of movement by manpower during lifting and transport. After the seedlings were loaded onto the vehicle, the soil ball was kept facing forward and the crown facing backward, and a tripod was used to support the trunk to prevent the crown from dragging on the ground. For short-distance transport, water should be sprayed on the trunk and crown; for long-distance transport, a tarpaulin must be added and water sprayed at regular intervals to reduce water evaporation from the trees.

IV. Planting

Apply 20 kg of organic fertilizer in each tree pit, mix it evenly with backfill soil, and fill to the reserved height of the soil ball. The lifting method for planting is basically the same as that for digging and lifting. After the seedling is lifted into the tree pit and before it lands, rotate the soil ball by manpower so that its position and orientation are reasonable, then backfill the soil. Before backfilling, all wrappings should be completely removed. Finally, tamp layer by layer and make a water pit.

V. Maintenance

1. After planting, the seedlings should be staked immediately, and watering should be done after staking is completed. The first watering should be thorough, the second watering should be done three days later, and the third watering ten days later. To ensure the survival rate, on the fourth day after planting, combined with watering, we used 100 ppm ABT Rooting Powder No. 3 for root irrigation treatment. After the three waterings, the pit can be sealed, the tree pit covered with plastic film, and a certain drainage slope made to prevent water accumulation at the roots caused by spraying during later maintenance. The plastic film can be kept in place for a long time to achieve cold protection and prevent water evaporation.

2. To increase the survival rate, after the staking was completed, the author carried out branch thinning in coordination with the shaping of the seedlings. First remove diseased branches, overlapping branches, inner branches, and individual large branches that affect the tree shape, then prune the small branches. During pruning, observe frequently and prune in multiple sessions; do not prune into shape all at once, so as to avoid cutting the wrong branches. After pruning is completed, promptly apply paraffin or anti-rust paint to the wounds to prevent the wounds from rotting when exposed to water.

3. After planting, the seedlings should immediately be given spray maintenance with a sprinkler irrigation machine to ensure the moisture and air humidity required by the crown. To reduce labor intensity and increase maintenance effectiveness, the author designed a set of water-spraying maintenance system: install 3 to 4 nozzles on each deodar cedar in advance, with the principle that the positions of the nozzles should allow the water mist to cover the entire tree. Spray at regular times every day. Practice has proved that the effect is very good.

4. After lifting was completed, the author found that 2 deodar cedars had been accidentally damaged by ropes during the lifting process, with ring-shaped bark removal at the 2/3 point of the trees reaching 1/2 of the circumference. Therefore, while the inner mucous layer of the bark was still dry, the author promptly used small nails 1 cm long to nail the fallen bark back in its original position, evenly applied yellow clay to the wounds, wrapped them tightly with straw rope, and then bound them tightly with somewhat thick plastic film to keep them moist. After 4 months, inspection showed that the bark had basically healed, and under normal maintenance, the two trees were growing well.

5. Because Jinan is an inland area, with strong winds and little rainfall in spring, the water evaporation of the seedlings is large, so the frequency of watering and spraying should be appropriately increased. Once the seedlings safely pass through spring, the maintenance work can enter normal management.

Transplanting and Maintenance of Large Deodar Cedars