Digging out fruit trees

[quodlibet_ens]

I'm considering digging out some fruit trees (1 × plum, 2 × pear) in order to landscape the back yard differently.

Would it be best to:
a) leave trees in ground but trunk chop them now the dig out next spring;
b) dig out and trunk chop now;
c) leave till spring/summer *then* dig out and trunk chop;
d) other scenario?

Leaves haven't started to drop yet if that makes a difference

Cheers.

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[juan73870]

Lock in "A", Eddy.

[quodlibet_ens]

Lock in "A", Eddy.

How much would you leave? 100mm? 200mm? 300mm?

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[shibui]

I don't think I have enough info for a considered opinion.
Are these trees grafted?
How big? Tall/ thick
How old?
What is your intention after digging them?

All these factors will influence how well they manage transplant. The first will be important in whether the trees can be used for bonsai and how low to chop. If you chop near or below the graft the tree that grows back will be the root stock and will be quite different to the tree you thought you had.

Plums are relatively easy to transplant. Pears can be a little more challenging.
Personally I think it is just a little late in the year to be chopping hard. Maybe Sydney would have enough season left for the trees to grow new shoots before winter but it would be touch and go down here. Some maples I pruned late one year did not drop leaves in winter. Did not seem to do long term harm but it was odd to see leaves on deciduous trees right through the colder months.
I have no experience transplanting deciduous in autumn though we have had success with olive transplant in March. There are plenty of people all round the world starting to advocate for late summer collecting of conifers but occasionally other species so there must be something in that.
My option would be to dig in late winter/ early spring before they start to grow again.

In my experience it does not seem to matter if you chop and dig later or if you dig and chop in one operation.

[quodlibet_ens]

Are these trees grafted?
How big? Tall/ thick
How old?
What is your intention after digging them?

The two pear trees are definitely grafted, though the plum tree isn't. I'm not terribly fussed on the pear trees and whether they end up as either kindling or turning blanks, but the plum I'd really love to train as a bonsai after digging.

The trees are all about the same size, I gave them a heavy pruning last season, but they're about 3.5m tall with the very base of the trunk being about 80-100mm in diameter. They're about 10 years old I think.


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[shibui]

10 years is not old for most trees so they should handle transplant OK.
Pears are usually grafted onto a clone called D6 which is a Pyrus calleryana selection. They flower well but have coarse growth habit and short, spiky side shoots so can be painful to work with.
Plums do make great bonsai and are very easy to transplant but it can take some skill and imagination to convert a straight, thick stump with no taper into a good bonsai. i hope yours has some low bends and taper or some smaller trunks to cut back to.

[quodlibet_ens]

Plums do make great bonsai and are very easy to transplant but it can take some skill and imagination to convert a straight, thick stump with no taper into a good bonsai. i hope yours has some low bends and taper or some smaller trunks to cut back to.

The first two pics are of the plum tree and the next two pics are of one of the pear trees. You can see by the tape the measurements.

I have some ideas on creating a nice bonsai aesthetic by carving some deadwood into the trunks. I'll try and upload a pic later if I get the time of a possible design for the plum.

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[shibui]

I think I can see reddish leaves on the plum so it is either an ornamental or a feral seedling. With such a large trunk and so little taper carving the trunk was what I had in mind when I said

it can take some skill and imagination to convert a straight, thick stump with no taper into a good bonsai.

Sounds like you have already considered the ramifications.

That pear has already suckered from the roots. You will probably find that smaller section has quite sharp short side shoots. That sucker should just about have a few roots of its own by now. Even just one or 2 tiny root hairs is enough to keep it alive after you separate from the main roots and they are forced to quickly grow more new roots to stay alive.
The larger trunk may or may not be grafted. It is hard to tell from this far away. As usual there's almost no taper in the trunk which means a big chop and then either carving or regrow a new tree and wait years for the cut to heal.