Nursery-Tree Question

What's a good price for a 45 gallon, 6-7" Live oak tree that the nursery will plant?

$450 + $200 for install. Most nurseries are $10 per gallon because most people can’t understand caliper measurements

Not sure but I wouldn't buy a tree with those proportions. A 45 gallon container isn't enough root mass for a 6-7" tree. Over a 5 year period a smaller tree will out grow a larger tree.

I figured he meant trunk circumference and not diameter. If it’s a 6-7” diameter, it should be in a 200 gallon pot to grow properly.

It's a 6" diameter tree at the very bottom. Probably about 12' tall.

Tree is about this size, a little wider at the very bottom. They want $700 planted, just wanted to make sure that was fair.

It's a fair price these days I suppose.

Do you have any tree farms that can get you a dug ball and burlap tree. Large container grown trees are problem ridden with bound and girdled roots.

The caliper of a tree is actually measured 6" from the base. If you're looking to buy one, I might be tempted to go ahead and do it now. I see a lot of dead trees due to the heat and drought. I bet they won't be getting cheaper.

Don't plant it now. Way too hot and dry.

Personally I’d be looking for a tree farm that had them in the ground that size. We planted 6 about your size out of pots and they took forever to add any size but the 3 we bought that were in the ground took off immediately. Very aggravating lesson to learn, I wish I’d known better but I didn’t.

and that tree is planted tooooooo deep in the pot. Make sure and expose that root flair. Go to dirtdoctor.com and see what I am talking about.

And tear those roots up so they will go into the ground and soak the chit out of the root ball.

and then just leave the hose dripping on it until we ever see rain again.

Tree Farms come with warranty, I had two planted last year due to freeze, came with 1 year warranty

There's a tree farm close, but he has no one working. Said he'd sell me a tree at a good price if I could find someone to dig and B&B it. Heck, I don't know anyone that wants to work, and I'm not going to do it. That's why I'm probably going with the container tree.

I guarantee you if you didn't water that tree they would not honor the warranty. I know in the past when I bought trees from a nursery they had a thing I had to sign that said as much.

Anyway, agree with the above, too big a tree for the container and those roots will be a tight mess. Gonna need to cut the root ball all up to get those roots to grow out some, and even then it will likely not live as a forever tree. Much better to get a smaller tree that was not pot grown and let it grow big than to have a containerized tree that is bound up and not able to grow.

Yup.

Best time to plant trees is months with the potential for freezing temps. The best month out of those is November. They get to go all winter building root, and not supporting what is above ground.

Texas A&M, look it up.

And, whatever size the root ball is, dig a hole double that diameter. Unspin the roots that came from a pot. Put dirt on, unspin your way up to the top, adding dirt as you go. Water big time, if the dirt sinks, add more. And do not put the the top of the root ball below the surface of the ground.

I always drive 3 t-posts around them, and pull the trees straight. 14 gauge wire, that goes through old 3/8' air hose around the trunk. Helps a ton in high wind days, and the tree is trained to grow straight.

I have heard before to break up the root ball from potted plants/trees, every time I have done it the plant/tree has died. The ones I just planted did fine.

You can really only do this (aggressively) when it's dormant and way before spring. You have to be careful on breaking roots and then you have to make sure and slow water (flood) it to get the air pockets out. Plant it high so when it settles the trunk flair stays slightly above ground level. Keep it watered and it will do fine.

Yup. Plant in the winter.

Last three trees I planted were on Feb 1. Months later than I wanted to, but I was walking by them, and bought them. Opened up the roots, being careful with them. Feb 2, they got covered in ice. They bloomed mid-May and are still doing good.

5 gallon bucket. Drill an 1/8" hole in one side, at the bottom. Fill it with water and the little 1/8' stream slowly soaks in. But I do give them a 30 second run with the hose directly onto the ground each time I water. It is a peach, plum, and pear. They've been getting watered around 8 pm every four days or so.

Probably the ticket mine have all been planted not in the fall.

$700 is a good price planted.

I would be interested to know the name of the tree farm

I have never seen a tree farm with the trees in the ground, they are grown in buckets so they can be delivered and planted.

What kind of tree farm digs them up and replants them?

Of course they wouldn't warranty it if you didn't water it especially us living in Texas. What kind of silly statement you made.

If you buy a fish for your aquarium and don't feed I bet they won't warranty it as well. Geez.....

I had two tree planted last August, I followed direction on watering the first few month, and now they are looking great in my yard this year.

I personally would not buy a live oak tree. I have had to clean up too many that have died.

I have a live oak that was 6' tall and newly planted when I bought this house in 2005. It's 25' tall now and has never had an issue. I don't know how much it should cost but $700 doesn't sound bad if it has a guarantee.

Several of the lubbock tree farms have them in ground. They bring the spade out, take the chunk of your yard, then spade the tree and drop it in the hole.

I have only seen those done by the City Of Frisco when they replant trees

I got a feeling that won't be a $200 install fee

I had 2 trees replaced last August due to freeze

3 Caliper I recall, to remove the old trees and plant was close to $4k

Came with 1 year warranty, I watered as directed when they were planted, in 2022 I have let the rain and yard sprinkler do the watering, so far they look good.

Last may I had 4 100gallon red oaks planted by my landscaper. They were 6" dia. and container grown. They charged me $500 for the tree and $500 to plant, Comes with a warranty. I live in Granbury.