Anybody ever bought a fairly decent sized big tree and had it put in? I had to cut down a tree today in my backyard. It got zapped pretty good Spring before last when we cut a pretty big root during new construction. Then last year the drought. And bugs gutted it. Anyway, i'm sick, but it had to go. putting in a pool next week so it was time for it to come down. Now i want to get something up in its place that is a decent size. Just wondering what is biggest tree you can buy and get delivered without needing a truck to set it. 100 Gallon? Hoping to get something at least a 12" trunk.
^^^^ Your pool guy should do landscaping around the pool. Ask him. He has workers who can do it for you. A 12" trunk would be what, a 20ft. tree? That would probably weigh 1500lbs. In forestry they use the formula Length x Height x Depth x 0.6 (in cu. meters) with 1 cubic meter = 1 ton. Sorry that I can't be of more help. I am curious what others say, though. My guess is that they will want to use a fast growing tree such as a Bradford Pear, which dies in 12 years or so.
Make sure you cover items with him such as root spread and coverage. You don't want the pool interfering with root growth nor thwarting any. Are you in Austin? Go to John Dromgool's Natural Gardner location. They will be more than happy to help you with both of these questions and have great suggestions. He also has a call in show early on Saturday or Sunday mornings but I forget the radio station. It may be KVET or something AM. Perfect question to ask.
Natural Gardner has lots of trees, including large trees, for sale, also. They can advise on correct species for your part of town and soil conditions. And I think they can deliver or have contractors who deliver and install the big trees. There's also a good place in Pflugerville just past (north of) Pflugerville High School on the same side of the street, the name of which escapes me right now.
^^^^^ Yeah, I think the experts say 15 to 20 as the average lifespan of Bradford Pears. A lot of it depends on the weather, though. They generally have a multitude of narrow, weak forks, making it susceptible to storm damage due to wind or where snowfall is heavy or when ice storms occur. I don't want to sidetrack the thread, especially when I like the tree. However, I am afraid yours may be approaching the end of its lifespan.
I bought a 12 foot chinkapin oak about a year and a half ago at Ted's Trees in Austin. It has grown several feet since then and is very healthy. The trunk is only about 3-4 inches in diameter at the base. They brought it out, dug the hole with shovels and put it in the ground. I'm also raising two bur oaks from acorns. That's pretty fun.
hippie, how much did that process cost you, if I may ask. I am looking at likely having to remove a massive pecan in my front yard but want to replace it with something in a better spot in the yard.
100p - It seems like the whole thing was about $900. That included an extra 25% for them to plant it and guarantee that it would live a year. If it had died within the first year, they would have replaced it for free. But the planting and guarantee were extra.
There is movement afoot in Austin (from internal city Gov't) to revise the water code- specifically for tree watering. Probably allowing drip systems to be allowable/exempt from those drought induced watering schedules... keep your ears open for this. -Thought of this since extra watering is important for new trees.
Probably on a typically high UT budget, but I remember when they added Jones Hall to the UT Law School in about 1980, they trucked in these massive old oak trees that must have been more than 100 years old, with massive limbs cut way back, and presto--old campus environment.
