Large Trachycarpus dig out.

[karl66]

One of my customers has offered me a massive Trachycarpus if i'm prepared to dig it out!!, he's about to leave the house so I've offered him £50 , I think it will be quite an easy excavation as apart from moving some slabs around the base there's only a timber shed about 2ft to the right of it. It has a very fat trunk which stands at 165cm & the total height is around 10ft, it almost seems to have pushed itself out the ground because its been to tightly planted to the slab base, the one side of the palm has the roots all exposed on the one side & I may have to bury the trunk a couple of inches, never transplanted one this big so I expect with a decent rootball it will weight a fair amount!!, wish me luck. karl.

[the diplomat]

Well very good luck with the dig out and transplant but I am unsure about your idea about burying the trunk deeper - just a thought but maybe someone on here will have the definitive advice you need - good luck anyway sounds a nice tree.

[Springy]

£50 for a 10ft Trachycarpus with thick trunk! Sounds like you have been lucky enough already!!!

[karl66]

I do understand you cant bury the trunks as such but this has root's that look like an exposed brain!!, on the one side where it has tried to push up. karl.

[Yorkshire Kris]

Go for it! If I can do it I'm sure a burly roofer can!

[Rick1965]

Good luck Karl, I have a fairly big Butia to dig out and a smaller chammy, not looking forward to it. I had to butcher the chammy as it had severe leaf spotting.

[GoggleboxUK]

Good luck Karl, make sure you take plenty of pics

[flounder]

Good luck Karl. It'll be a novelty for you working down on the ground for a change

[karl66]

Thanks!!. Kris was the one you moved from your father in law's about 160cm trunk?, i'm just trying to gauge how heavy it might be? i'm guessing a rootball size of about 16inches X 16inches is the most two of us will lift without lifting gear? what's others thoughts on this? I know it will sulk but the less it's butchered the better . karl.

[Wilza]

I just phoned the bloke and he said he'll take £80

[Yorkshire Kris]

Thanks!!. Kris was the one you moved from your father in law's about 160cm trunk?, i'm just trying to gauge how heavy it might be? i'm guessing a rootball size of about 16inches X 16inches is the most two of us will lift without lifting gear? what's others thoughts on this? I know it will sulk but the less it's butchered the better . karl.

The one I dug up had a clear trunk of around 185cm. The root ball was in pure clay and pebbles which made it especially heavy.

[karl66]

Ok kris thanks, can I be a nuisance & ask approx. what size the rootball was you managed to get out? just approx. width & depth?. karl.

[cordyman]

Thanks!!. Kris was the one you moved from your father in law's about 160cm trunk?, i'm just trying to gauge how heavy it might be? i'm guessing a rootball size of about 16inches X 16inches is the most two of us will lift without lifting gear? what's others thoughts on this? I know it will sulk but the less it's butchered the better . karl.

16 inches would be tiny rootball, my daily subway sandwhich is 12" sounds a cracker though make sure you take a trenching spade and a pick axe.

[Yorkshire Kris]

Ok kris thanks, can I be a nuisance & ask approx. what size the rootball was you managed to get out? just approx. width & depth?. karl.

Roughly 80cm by 70cm ish

[redsquirrel]

no problem burying the trunk a bit Karl,
nigel let me have some bare rooted trachies once with no roots and advised me to do it.roots spread out from further up like this
before you do this though,are you sure they arent just aerial roots,many palms do this anyway