Not everyone appreciates the unfortunately poisonous yew in the garden. If the tree is to be removed or replanted, you have a lot of work to do. Therefore, you should think twice before digging up the yew tree. What do you have to consider when digging up?

Only small yew trees can be dug up

Yews are deep-rooters

Yews are deep-rooted. This means that the roots of old trees go very deep into the ground. In addition, the tree forms a dense network of small roots, even just below the surface. So if you want to dig up a yew tree, you have to dig deep and wide.

Transplant only young yew trees

You should only replant young yew trees whose roots have not yet spread that far. You can only get older trees out of the ground with heavy equipment. The roots are usually severely damaged.

If you want to transplant a young yew tree, you must keep a distance of at least 1.5 m around the trunk when digging. Use a digging fork to cut off so that you don't unnecessarily injure roots. Keep checking how deep the main root goes into the soil.

Find a spot in the garden where the yew can remain. Remember that yew trees can get very old. Prepare the soil well and dig a planting hole at least twice the size of the yew root system.

Remove old yew trees from the garden altogether

Removing an old yew tree from the garden without digging it up is almost impossible. New shoots will constantly sprout from the roots. Some gardeners swear by cutting off the new shoots from the remaining roots, so that the roots die off at some point. But that can take many years.

If you don't want to dig up the yew tree, you can try sawing off the trunk, or having it sawn off, right at the surface of the ground. Then stretch a strong film over the stump to prevent new growth.

tips

To remove an older yew tree from the garden, you should hire professionals. Only with the right gardening tools is it possible to get the root completely out of the ground. The wood is also very heavy and can hardly be moved by hand.

Category:

Trees