Oak sapling

[Eddiecurrent]

I have an oak sapling growing in my back yard close to a wall I would like to move it to the front of my house, what is the best way of doing this or will I kill it in the process?

[strozzi]

You should be able to achieve this quite easily. Water the sapling well on the day before you intend to transplant. Dig the new hole about two or three times bigger than the rootball of the sapling. Water new hole well. Dig out sapling with as much soil as you can taking care not to damage the roots. Insert in new hole. Backfill. Water again the day after transplanting. A young oak will normally stand transplanting with little chance of failure.

[sddsddean]

Have you thought about what happens when you are long dead? A mature oak can be over 70 feet high. That means it's roots will probably reach well over 100 feet from where you plant it, so try to keep it away from the house. Also, be aware of the type of soil your house is built on. A mature tree can take over 100 gallons of water out of the ground a day and this can lead to subsidence. I'm not trying to scaremonger; just pointing out things you might not have thought of.

[Cetti]

Apologies if you aready know this, but I am inclined to agree with sddsddean, do make sure that the young tree is planted the right distance from your house, if only to avoid any root problems with foundations, drains, etc. The link gives a list of trees and the distance required from a dwelling.

http://www.homeadvisor.co.uk/trees.htm

[KARL]

Do not move the sapling at this time of year, wait until growth is minimal or none at all late winter is a good time. Move it now and yolu incur maximum risk of killing it.

[paulz]

I'd be more inclined to grow a new one from an acorn, keeping it trimmed back as it grows that way the roots won't be such a problem.