Rescuing tree seedlings

There are various volunteer tree seedlings around our yard, many in places where they won't have enough room to grow properly. I was wondering if I could dig them up and move them. What would be the best time and way to do this?

Thanks!

go ahead and dig them up. Make sure you get plenty of root. Your going to find that that seedling has 1 tap root, a long center root, and very little roots coming off the sides oof that. It's ok to break the tap root because that will give you a nice fibrous root system. I dig up things all the time, place them in little pots until they get almost root bound then plant them in the yard. I did this with a pin oak several years ago and it stands 10 ft tall now. It's a great project for the kids they love to see things grow.

If they are going to be too close to anything, depending on what size they are right now, I would dig them up and if really small, then pop them into pots and keep them protected over winter IF you have somewhere to do this, then early next spring time when there is no frost around, set them out somewhere for another few years to grow larger, you may need to give protection from deer or other plant eating animals as they just love the nice soft tender shoots that all low growing trees have springtime, once you are happy these seedling trees are strong and healthy, say another few years. then plant them in their final spot and care for them as any new trees, the best time to plant/replant trees is early spring or early Autumn when the soil is just warming up or still warm from the summer months deep down under the top soil, I stick an empty clear plastic juice bottle into the soil for the first few years, you cut the bottom off and stick the neck end into the planting hole, then when you water, you fill up the bottle and that way you know the water is geting to the roots when the trees are so young, you can also add liquid feed this way, after the tree has gone growing more, you just remove the bottle and back fill the bottle hole, the young trees may need help with a stake to support them for a good few years. good luck. WeeNel.

It seems to me that if you use the bottle idea, that would encourage the roots to stay near the base of the plant. Why would they reach out if there is plenty of water right there, and the area further out is drier? If a larger area around the tree is watered, the roots will likely move out faster, and that is what the tree will need.

Different trees have different root systems, some grow deep into the soil for support to the top growth, while others spread their roots out more shallow, for very young trees, they dont have large root systems for a good few years as they need time to make lots of softer water searching roots either deep dow or out depending on the type of tree it is, so by making sure the roots are watered especially in the drier summer months, it will survive this, most warmer summer areas loose very young trees because the soil becomes either hard packed on the top and any water just runs off it, or there is not enough water getting to the roots due to competition from other surrounding plants, weeds etc, after a couple of years you remove the bottle as by then the young tree has a stronger stem, you know it is going to survive because the top growth looks good and healthy, so it is then time for it to put down it's roots to seek out it's own moisture/nutrients
there is nothing to say you have to do this, but I have planted enough expensive trees in my time to know the first few years of its life is dependent on us helping it along till it can grow away all by it's self. Some tree saplings like Beach and Ash known here as weed trees, will grow no matter what as they are the fittest and survivors while other need just a bit more babying along till they can support themselves. Good luck. WeeNel.

There are magnificent trees in the woods that managed on their own without being coddled by humans.
I'm talking about quality trees- mighty oaks, for example. The only trash trees we have are imports that have escaped cultivation and are blights on the countryside. Trees are going to have to make it on their own eventually. It is true that a transplanted tree will need supplemental moisture during dry periods for the first year or two years, but I still maintain that it is better to water a reasonable area around the tree rather than watering only at the base of the trunk, because the roots will be encouraged to spread. Lateral roots are the source of water for trees in our area. They are near the surface of the soil. Very few transplanted trees develop a tap root, and most trees don't put down a tap root even in nature. Good luck to you, too.

We seem to be getting confused here about trees and seedlings, Rosemary who asked the question said she had SEEDLINGS from trees, at the seedling stage they will only have the one main root till they form their proper roots called sinker roots, but by then it is not a seedling, here they are then called saplings which have then formed the thicker roots, you are right that the fine feeder roots stay withing a short distance from the top of the soil, normally about 25-30 cm but travel a fair distance from the trunk to search for moisture, but on drier soil the maturing trees of some species will send there thick sinker roots way down into the sub soil in search of water and these are growing mainly from the bole/trunk, under the soil the feeder roots die off as the sinker roots grow, feeder roots only grow at the tips of these roots. but it will be long time before she needs to think about that, right now she has to baby the seedlings along as she has to transplant them (preferably into pots ) because they are growing in the wrong place, when she does transfer them out to their growing site, she wont put the watering bottle right against the trunk as this could damage it as it expands, but place it about six inches away from this,
hope this helps clear up any confusion. good luck Rosemary, hope you have great success. WeeNel.

Oh, yes, after that definitive discourse, there is nothing left to be said on the topic. It's wonderful to have a certified arborist on Dave's.

Thanks, kitten0115 and WeeNel, I'm going to try potting them up. (Finally all those pots I couldn't bear to throw out will be put to use!)

Should I put potting soil in the pots around the clump I dig up, or just more garden soil?

I'd definitely use potting mix, garden soil is too heavy to use in containers.

I have found that whatever you have handy will work. I used the soil out of the ground because thats what i had avaiable. Use a pot with drainage and when you water it use tap water that is really warm, like bath water, this will allow the water to stick more readily to the soil particles instead of just going down the sides of the pot,(you can do this with house plants to). When your ready to plant it I'd use weenel's idea, it's cheap and fast. A plant that recieves 1 inch of rain (water) per week, will gain 1 inch of caliper (width) to the trunk. A fact I tested and proved in college. Once that seedling's tap root is cut if will never grow a new one, nor do any other plants that are dug up. And most trees in nature put down tap roots, it's the first root that emerges from a seed. From there lateral roots begin.