Plumeria Experts - Advice Please

[cockroach]

The company I work for are moving sites in 2 years. The new land will start development in January.
Our currently location is in a business community that the government has decided to use to put a tarred through road in.
As such the trees in the community were going to be moved by the community owner. This morning he decided to remove all of them. My boss realising the value of the three got on the blower and has a tree moving company coming in a few hours to remove them.
Our biggest concern of the huge Plumeria trees we scored. The tree company has said the following:
-They will remove as many roots as they can and then plant them at the new site about 3 km away.
-We shouldn't remove any foliage.

Now my concerns and questions:
There are 8 huge plumeria to move. Most trunk diameters are about 20~30cm (8~12") or so. We will plant them in a loose group near the sunniest end of the new land.
- Some of the branches are already damaged, I will remove those.
- As it is out of season for transplanting, we are in "fall" here, but still T-shirt and shorts weather. Is there anything else we can do to help the survival chances?
- I will be asking the company to add support beams for each tree to stabilize it in the soil.
- I have also seen most newly transplanted trees here that are large are wrapped in some grasses around the lower trunk. Would this help with Plumeria? Other than protecting from cold wind I am not sure why it is done.
- The holes that will be dug are in a part of the land where water drains down to so in the very near future we will dig some drains into the soil to stop it getting water logged.

As none of the buildings are built yet we cannot put the trees where we want them for a final location as the construction vehicles need unrestricted access.

Thanks for any help and advice.

 

[ShadyStump]

No experience with plumeria specifically, but...

I have also seen most newly transplanted trees here that are large are wrapped in some grasses around the lower trunk. Would this help with Plumeria? Other than protecting from cold wind I am not sure why it is done.

I can answer this question.
The trunks of larger landscape trees are often wrapped to protect the young bark from harm, and to help prevent branches from growing low down on the trunk.
Wrapping the trunks in this case will not do much to help the trees survive.

Do you know how long it will be before the trees can be planted in the new place? It might be best to find a temporary place to plant them if it's going to be more than a month or so, and then wait a year to plant them there.
While the trees are waiting to be planted, the root balls should be wrapped in burlap or the like, and will need frequent watering.

 

[cockroach]

Thanks for the reply.
They will likely stay where they are for up to a year or more.
The trees are being uprooted and replanted within 2 - 3 hours. The company said they will try to keep as much soil in tact as possible.

 

[ShadyStump]

If they're staying put for a year or more, you are definitely better off planting them in the ground somewhere.
Good luck!

 

[cockroach]

So as per usual there was a snag.
Digging up mature trees between community lanes was never going to be as easy as they thought.
They were Digging up this afternoon. Wrapping the roots in plastic wrap.
Then tomorrow, presumably morning, moving them to new site. We reckon that at least 5 of the 8 will be a permanent spot.

Some pics from the removal process. They sure did a lot of damage for a "professional" company. I guess living a subtropical climate allows for a little less care.

 

[penumbra]

That is a pretty brutal digging tool. I guess they don't have tree spades there and don't feel like hand digging.

 

[cockroach]

Hand digging would take ages in this soil that is full of river rocks and construction debris.
Unfortunately I feel they may not be as professional as were led to believe.
Hopefully they make it.

 

[penumbra]

Hand digging would take ages in this soil that is full of river rocks and construction debris.
Unfortunately I feel they may not be as professional as were led to believe.
Hopefully they make it.

Understand, still, I have moved hundreds of trees up to 10 inch caliper, seldom with the use of a backhoe except to carve a channel around what would become the root ball which was shaped by hand. I can't testify as to what is "professional" in your part of the world, but Here, I would call that butchery.
But, tropicals are different and they will probably do ok. Plumeria grow roots rapidly.

 

[cockroach]

It's not what I would call professional where I come from but here it seems to be accepted. It is expected to rain for the next 3 days starting tomorrow so hopefully an afternoon crying broken ends and then good watering will work.
The temp is good in that it's not too hot and not cold either.

One the smaller trees going in and getting soil compacted around root ball



The root ball on a larger tree


On the largest trees about to go in. It lost way more leaves and branches than I expected.

 

[Cajunrider]

Plumeria back bud very easily. It really doesn’t matter how many branches you lose. Just make sure you don’t over water afterward. Root rot is about the only thing that kills plumeria.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I normally think of plumeria as a woody succulent versus a tree (similar to a yucca). They are extremely hardy as long as you don't over-water. In Southern California they were deciduous, and with a little attention to pruning to develop ramification they did well.

I have no experience with moving a large tree like in your photo, but with smaller plants they tended to have slow roots and establish themselves slowly. Be careful they don't blow over - make sure to stake the tree down with cables for several years.

 

[Cajunrider]

I normally think of plumeria as a woody succulent versus a tree (similar to a yucca). They are extremely hardy as long as you don't over-water. In Southern California they were deciduous, and with a little attention to pruning to develop ramification they did well.

I have no experience with moving a large tree like in your photo, but with smaller plants they tended to have slow roots and establish themselves slowly. Be careful they don't blow over - make sure to stake the tree down with cables for several years.

I have friends in Louisiana and Tennessee who routinely uprooted 15-20ft tall plumeria every winter, put them in storage, then replant them in the spring every year. That's how hardy the plumeria is.

 

[cockroach]

Trees seem to be doing okay for the time being.
Been watering lightly. Some new growth but I know that doesn't mean it's all good in the wood.
We are buying staking poles this week and will secure them in place.
One tree bothers me as the bark was wringed. Going to research now if this is serious for plumeria or not. Any thoughts/knowledge?



That's ma plastic pony in the pic.


My faithful Jack Russell named Ritalin helping inspect.


Some growth



The tree I am concerned about. It was wrapped in plastic and boss removed it.

First thoughts is not good.

 

[Crazy Diamond]

If all the bark have been removed around the trunk is not good at all, the vascular tissue is disrupted and damaged, probably is going to die, very difficult for the tree to heal over that

 

[rockm]

If there is no bridge of live tissue between the upper and lower sections, the upper portion is going to die. Nothing you can do about it, unfortunately.

 

[Cajunrider]

Trees seem to be doing okay for the time being.
Been watering lightly. Some new growth but I know that doesn't mean it's all good in the wood.
We are buying staking poles this week and will secure them in place.
One tree bothers me as the bark was wringed. Going to research now if this is serious for plumeria or not. Any thoughts/knowledge?

View attachment 463078

That's ma plastic pony in the pic.
View attachment 463079

My faithful Jack Russell named Ritalin helping inspect.
View attachment 463080

Some growth
View attachment 463081
View attachment 463083

The tree I am concerned about. It was wrapped in plastic and boss removed it.
View attachment 463084View attachment 463085
First thoughts is not good.

Hang on. All may not be lost yet. The cambium layer in plumeria is thicker than the thin outer bark layer. I have seen thin outer peel off that did not kill plumeria. Except for one very deep spot where I can see the cut all the way through the fibrous bark, the rest does not seem that deep. Keep taking care of it. It may be alright. If not the tree will bud below this damage layer and regrow. Plumeria grow very fast, you can easily grow back 1 to 2 meters in a year given Taiwan climate.

 

[cockroach]

This island always finds a way to surprise me. Even after all these years.
These are the trees growing well a few months ago. The company told us......."Don't worry. Water every 2 days for 2 months. We planted them deep so you don't need supports."
They have survived a typhoon, winter and summer.
Did I mention they were moved a second time about 2 or 3 months after initial planting. Still soldiered on.


With this climate, even a branch that broke off and was shoved into the ground had grown well.

 

[ShadyStump]

Nice!

 

[Cajunrider]

This island always finds a way to surprise me. Even after all these years.
These are the trees growing well a few months ago. The company told us......."Don't worry. Water every 2 days for 2 months. We planted them deep so you don't need supports."
They have survived a typhoon, winter and summer.
Did I mention they were moved a second time about 2 or 3 months after initial planting. Still soldiered on.
View attachment 518085View attachment 518087View attachment 518088View attachment 518089

With this climate, even a branch that broke off and was shoved into the ground had grown well.
View attachment 518086

I thought I saw the tree with damaged bark among the bunch.

 

[cockroach]

Yeah, amazingly, we didn't lose a tree.