Moving a mango tree . . .

[Doug]

I have to transplant (or, God forbid, to cut down) a Tommy that has been in the ground over three years. What are it's chances of surviving? I don't have any idea how big the root ball would be. It will be leafing out in maybe a month, so I thought maybe this is the time to do it. Any suggestions? I have others so I won't go into mourning if I lose it, but it really goes against the grain to kill a fruit tree.

[bsbullie]

Its a Tommy Atkins?  I wouldn't waste the time or effort to move it.  Just cut it down and plant something of decent quality.

[Squam256]

What is the approximate trunk diameter?

[Doug]

What is the approximate trunk diameter?

Three inches.

[savemejebus]

What is the approximate trunk diameter?

Three inches.

That's what she said.

Wait, no!!!!!!!!!!!

[mangomongo]

2nd for cutting it down and getting something in the top tier. What do you have access to?

[Viking Guy]

Use as a rootstock and graft! 

[bsbullie]

Use as a rootstock and graft! 

He would still have to move it...

[FruitFreak]

If you can afford to wait until growing season it will have a better chance of transplant success.

Basically it takes a lot of digging by hand unless you have equipment.  Without seeing the tree I would prune the rootball about 3'+ Dia. and let it acclimate in its hole for a wk or two watering as needed.  Then go in to severe tap/anchoring roots and "scoop" the root ball out.  Transfer to new location and thin out a few branches or tip as needed. Lots of H2O.

In a pinch you could do everything at one time.

[zands]

My current experiment with moving a similar 3 inch trunk mango tree is....
I have dug a 12" deep narrow tench around the desired size rootball diameter.

Then using a garden hose with a sweeper nozzle I am undermining it. I have left major side feeder roots intact until the day it is picked up and moved. I am glad I did not rush to cut them. My soil is rocky 12" down so using garden hose this way is very effective in loosening things up. Even separating the bottom of root-ball from my sub soil. I can reach way underneath
and amazingly I can....

Feel the thick central taproot. Left intact until moving day

Sweeper nozzle
https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=sweeper%20nozzle&index=blended&link_code=qs&sourceid=Mozilla-search&tag=mozilla-20

[TREESNMORE]

Now is the time to move trees. Not in the growing season.Root prune it wait a two weeks. Try get get the ball out intack. That being said I agree with Rob It is a TA cut It down. Plant something great.

[FruitFreak]

Now is the time to move trees. Not in the growing season.Root prune it wait a two weeks. Try get get the ball out intack. That being said I agree with Rob It is a TA cut It down. Plant something great.

The advantage of doing it in the growing season is trees are flushing and seasonal rains to help recover. 

[Cookie Monster]

Growing season is best time to transplant mango trees. In my experience, they are easy to transplant during growing season but easily killed during the winter.

[FruitFreak]

Yes and of course the risk of freeze is gone.

[Doug]

2nd for cutting it down and getting something in the top tier. What do you have access to?

In my part of CR it's all but impossible to grow mangoes. Too wet! TA seems to at least survive here so I planted them. Fruit is lousy but the birds and jungle critters like them. I'm gonna follow some of the good advice here and give it a shot. Thanks all!
'

[zands]

2nd for cutting it down and getting something in the top tier. What do you have access to?

In my part of CR it's all but impossible to grow mangoes. Too wet! TA seems to at least survive here so I planted them. Fruit is lousy but the birds and jungle critters like them. I'm gonna follow some of the good advice here and give it a shot. Thanks all!
'

Maybe one of the SE Asian varieties like Nam Doc Mai would do OK where you live. They get lots of rain in some locations.  You are at same latitude as Thailand/Vietnam. For mangoes it helps to have a dry winter to help them go dormant even if your yearly rainfall is high. Maybe even a semi-dry winter would still get you mangoes if you go for SE Asian varieties.  Tommy Atkins is an India to Florida derived mango

[Doug]

On the CR Caribbean side it rains a lot all year. The dry Pacific side is mango country. Years ago I just decided that I could very cheaply buy here all the wonderful mangoes I desire, so why fight Nature. I don't spray anything on my 100 plus fruit trees.  But, I do wish I could get hold of a variety like Nam Doc Mai to give mangoes another try. Also, I'm a healthy 73, but I don't cherish the thought of cutting a 3 year old tree and starting over on any tree that may take 5 to 6 years to mature. I'm sweating some varieties now. Almost every day I have prayer over my beautiful but lazy-growing mangosteens and jabos to try to speed them up a bit. Hahaha


In my part of CR it's all but impossible to grow mangoes. Too wet! TA seems to at least survive here so I planted them. Fruit is lousy but the birds and jungle critters like them. I'm gonna follow some of the good advice here and give it a shot. Thanks all!
'
[/quote]

Maybe one of the SE Asian varieties like Nam Doc Mai would do OK where you live. They get lots of rain in some locations.  You are at same latitude as Thailand/Vietnam. For mangoes it helps to have a dry winter to help them go dormant even if your yearly rainfall is high. Maybe even a semi-dry winter would still get you mangoes if you go for SE Asian varieties.  Tommy Atkins is an India to Florida derived mango
[/quote]

[mangomongo]

It might be worth it to ask of one of the more experienced forum members about sending you some scions to graft, plant some seeds for rootstock and see how it goes. If not you might be able to get someone to send you a bare rooted, grafted tree of an anthracnose resistant variety. I bought one off of eBay that way and it has actually come out of its shock and flushed. I planted it in the ground after nursing it back. I probably got a mediocre known variety passed off as something new and special but hey, I'll know in a few years.

[gnappi]

Doug, IMO your age and not wanting to plant another and waiting for it to fruit is a real good reason to top work it.

Some recommmend also pruning the top before moving which will give you new shoots next season to graft onto.

Good luck, keep us posted.

[WGphil]

Since it's not too much of a loss

Cut back a third

Dig out roots

Dirt is heavy leave it

Put tree in back of pickup

Drive to new site and waiting hole

Plant. Use new dirt already there

Water in

If distance a problem use wet newspapers to keep roots from drying out

It's a Tommy and no sense working hard

Mango transplant well imo

Without the dirt it become a one man job

[sapote]

The key is trim it back to manageable size BEFORE digging the root. If it has many leaves, trim off 50% when it is moved.

Good luck,

Sapote

[beefyboy]

Sometimes this is the only way to move a tree! My old Carrie tree of 22 years had to go. Unfortunately the chain saw I borrowed was shot and would not start so had to do it all with a shovel, hand saw, and ax.

[Cookie Monster]

Bummer. You should have top worked that carrie.

[beefyboy]

I did have a Pina Colada graft on it in which I harvested one fruit and then decided to pull it due to placement for I like 20 ft or more between my mangoes. Also my other mangoes are going strong so production was not a major issue any more. I bought that tree from Bob and Vivian at Treehouse as a 25 gal.for $65 back in 95.  Phoenix is in it's place as a consolation prize!

[Cookie Monster]

Darn, you could have had a giant phoenix tree in 2 to 3 years by converting that carrie to a phoenix. Chop her down to 4 feet in March and then graft the sprouts. In 2 years it would be 15 - 20 feet tall.