Your weather banner now says 88, Addy! It's only 68 here according to my outdoor thermometer, but it's usually high ... will see what my banner says it is. (Edit - my banner says it's 64, which is more likely the real temp) I, too, had not had any significant rain since July 1, less than 2" for sure, and that was very unusual for this time of year. Was excited to get over an inch total from yesterday's storms. Very windy right now, but sun is shining beautifully. Got the hole dug for the tree to be moved hopefully next weekend. Ground was wet down about 6", and that's it!
So, when the hole was dug out as far as I'm going for now, it's 42" diameter and 2' deep, plus another 12" deep by 16" diameter for the tap root. I realize the tap root may not be center with the tree, but I can hope!
And, when I dig, I'm picky how I pile up the dirt. First there is the topsoil, and in this case LOTS of rock of all sizes from 10" down to 2". Thank goodness all of the rock was in the top 8", though. So, the piles go like this: Dry dirt, dry clay (far side of hole), top soil and rock (foreground).
This is taken from behind the hole, which is about 10' from my pasture fence. The oak tree I will attempt to move next weekend is at the top right of the photo. Not the tall "trunk" with branches at the top, but the tree in front of that.
Dogs and horses were all close, keeping me company as I dug. :blueflower:
JW, I will likely be doing this project next weekend on my own, but that's how I roll. I know it can be dangerous, but figuring I'll have tow straps holding the tree to the scoop, once I get the tree loosened up well enough to pull it out, I don't think there is much chance of injury. Even if the tree falls on me, from where I will be sitting, I'll only get the very top of the tree branches, and all they can do is scratch. My tractor is taller to the seat than I am, so it's quite a bit larger than the one that you used.
the thing I'm most worried about is dislodging the back of the bog wall. That wall is only 3' from the truck of the tree. I know that I cut through a few roots of this tree when I dug the bog, but not many, so hoping there are only very small roots that go that direction, and they will "let go" when I pull on the tree! The best part of using a tractor to pull it out is that it will more likely bring most if not all of the tap root, instead of cutting it in half if I was simply digging it out by hand. If all the dirt falls off, I'm not worried. I'll just pack new better dirt around it from my piles!
I agree with Addy, water it really well first day, then every 3-4 days, if no rain. Main thing is you want to keep it moist way down deep. Keep in mind, if your dirt is like mine, that clay down there will not soak up much moisture. If I filled the hole I just dug with water, I'm pretty sure the bottom 2' would take a long time to soak down.
