I am in the process of purchasing a new home on a 2 acre lot. Its a nice upgrade anf it just fell into my lap and its not something I had planned on. I spent nearly a year researching and learning about fruit trees and finally started my mini orchard this past spring. It’s small right now with only 8 in-ground trees, 6 potted apple grafts, and 12 potted figs. Obviously I can take the potted trees and since I’m quite attached to the in-ground trees I’d like to take them with me. They are young and I know now is not the ideal time to dig up and move them. I talked to the realtor and she acted like I was crazy when I asked her about putting a clause into the selling contract stating that I had the right to come back in November and remove the trees so that I could plant them bare root at the new place.
What are your thoughts on this? Anyone ever deal with this? Worst comes to worst I could dig the trees up with rootball intact and transplant in the ground at the new place or even put into pots. However I worry about transplant shock in the middle of summer.
You need to tell your realtor to get off her butt and add that to the contract. The trees really should be dormant when you move them. That is not so infrequent out here where I live.
I’d purchase new trees but in medium-large containers. I believe the net cost and labor will be less and certainly insignificant compared to costs over the life of the tree.
It sounds like you still need to sell your old home. Yes, put the trees in the contract. You never know, the house might not sell until late summer anyway. Since the trees are young, you might also be able to carefully put them in large pots, set them in the shade and water well at first to minimize transplanting shock. After they perk up in the pot, then plant them at the new home. I assume the new home is in the same geographical area so moving them is not an issue.
Thanks Patty, Glad to hear it is not an unreasonable request.
Richard- these trees have only been in the ground for about 3 months now and are planted on mounds. They will take little effort to remove them. Especially if they are barebroot. The other part is that these trees were shipped from all over the country. Several of the trees were 4x1 combo trees and are not something I can find anywhere local around here. I have an attachment to these trees and I spent a significant amount of money on them. Especially the combo trees. I appreciate the cost/time analysis but considering I’m in the process of buying a new home and also trying to sell my existing home costs are serious concerns.
Even if you do put it in the contract, it would seem really awkward to go to somebody’s house and dig out a tree. And you won’t be able to list your house as a “fruit tree paradise”. I’d either do it right now or right before selling.
Bleeding, there are a lot of folks that do not WANT fruit trees and all the labor and effort they entail. In fact, if I ever sell my home, I will probably call upon my CRFG chapter to see if folks want to come and take away some of my trees. And, a contract is a contract. I would not feel awkward in the least going back in a few months and digging up my trees. Sometimes trees are hard to find, you’ve spent a lot of time an effort finding just the cultivars you want, etc. Plus, if the house is going on the market, it may take a few months to sell, a month in escrow, and that might mean the time is actually right to dig them up prior to even moving out. So, if you’re wanting your trees, make your realtor comply and put it in your listing agreement. The trees will have to be listed as excluded items, because standardly, anything that is “attached”, including landscape, is assumed to come with the sale of the house.
Here’s my take. What if the new owner calls it trespassing when you show up? People get very defensive about their homes. I bought my house as a short sale and the previous owner paid us a visit once. She hugged the granite countertops and wept like crazy. Then she requested to take one of the potted rose bush as it was an anniversary present from her husband. I didn’t have any problems with all this but my wife got an awkward feeling about it. I narrated this to my realtor and she thought I shouldn’t have let her in! She tells me story after story as to how her other buyer clients refuse to let the sellers in!
I’m smiling right now but that’s how people are I guess. Something about my home, my castle or mi casa
Well my thought was that I’d try to develop a cordial relationship and let the buyer know that I plan to give them a call and set up a time to come and remove the trees. Try to be friendly.
One additional concern would be that the trees are not harmed or destroyed by careless landscaping or mowing or even spite by the new owner. That’s not really something I could enforce though. I’d just have to cross my fingers and hope for the best.
It’s tough because I need to sell the house ASAP. I can’t afford to continually pay for 2 mortgages. If worse comes to worse I’ll do what Northwoods suggested and stick them in pots in the shade with plenty of watering and hope they survive.
bleeding, if you have it in a written contract, you can call it breach of contract and then it becomes a legal issue. I am not sure if you would be able to call the police to escort you onto the property, or if you’d have to go to court, but certainly I would hop that Dave would be able to develop a rapport with the new buyer, so he could exercise his contract. I know when we bought our home, we allowed the sellers to come by later, to pick up some things they just could not move out when we took possession. We wrote up a separate agreement, it was no big deal. But, I agree with Dave, I would try to get in and get the trees as soon as you could, because you just don’t know how well someone might take care of something that is ultimately not theirs. Dave, if this becomes too problematic, I would still make sure the trees are excluded from the purchase in your real estate contract, and just remove them at the last possible moment, prior to giving up possession.
David,
In my neighborhood, there were two homes that changed owners three times each. All former and current owners have had cordially relationships. To me, having a clear contract upfront and a decent relationship should make your plan work.
I also have many friends who look at fruit trees as burden, not attraction when purchasing new homes.
Your trees were newly planted. I think that there would be a decent chance that they would survive when moved at a less than ideal times.
3 months on the ground and on mounds should be minor risk of fatalities when dug up, especially if your soil is friable. Probably worth the risk if was in your shoes, especially if one’s worried the trees might be neglected or inadvertently damaged by the new owner during the interim.
You could guesstimate the percentage of roots damaged as you pull them out, and simply trim a corresponding amount of branches. Also trim all the leaves leaving only the apical and axillary buds.
maintaining root to branch/leaf ratios is key. The higher ratio of root mass to branches/leaves is what one needs to optimize survival.
Compared to the price of the house, your past cost of installing the trees is negligible. I’d let the new owner do as they please. And again I’ll restate my opinion that you simply buy new trees, now that you know what you want to plant. You can buy larger trees that will surpass the ones at the old home. I have some experience with the situation (40+ trees worth) I believe this British adage applies: don’t be penny wise and pound foolish.
If the trees are only in ground for 3 month and they were barefoot, they cann’t possibly be too big or develop too much root, right? Can you find some big containers, and start to put the trees in the containers now? That way you can move them to the new place easily when you are ready.
Aside from Honeycrisp there is not a single tree in my small collection that can be purchased locally. I would need to order new trees again next year. It would set me back an additional year. I own the trees, I’m not lazy, and I’m willing to do the work to transplant them. Im not a commercial grower. I dont look at my time with my trees as wasted time. I enjoy what ive done so far. I’m not willing to just give them away to someone who may not even want them and then try to track down “large” versions of the trees just to have them shipped at additional expense. The new house will be less than 1 mile from my existing home which I will drive by every day.
Hi Sara. Since these are my first trees I’m not sure what 3 months worth of root growth would look like. Especially grown on mounds. I dont imagine they would be difficult to remove at all. The trees ranged from 5/8" to 1.25" caliper.
I did exactly what you propose- I put a clause in my contract of sale that I had x months to have a spade digger remove y number of specified (and flagged) fruit trees and I would fill and level the holes.
This is not unusual. Your realtor could be a lot more cooperative or well versed in your options. I brought some nice Asian persimmons to my new house this way.
Don’t hesitate to specify you’ll dig them during dormancy, not before.
David,
I planted a Winblo peach and a Castleton plum, both bare rooted, in the spring of 2014.
I move them to a new location in the spring of 2015. Winblo did not have a lot of root growth. Castleton had a lot more. I tried to dig as large a diameter around each tree as possible. Your trees were in ground for only 3 months. Root growth should not be too vigorous
I agree with Juju re. Roots vs branches ratio. I would say. Take them with you wirh the best possible option you can.
I believe this British adage applies: don’t be penny wise and pound foolish.