Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

rate this answer

Friday - January 22, 2010
From: Frederiksted, Virgin Isl
Region: Other
Topic: Planting, Transplants
Title: Transplanting mature guavaberry in St. Croix
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I live on the island of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands and I have a Guavaberry tree that is about 25 to 30 years old, between 15 to 20 feet tall and about 6 feet wide that I would like to remove from its present location and transplant it to another area in my yard. Can this be done without destroying or causing damage to the tree?ANSWER:
We are in a small dilemma over your question. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to the care, protection and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which it is being grown. St. Croix is in the US Virgin Islands, which is an unincorporated territory of the United States, but not North America. Myrciaria floribunda (guavaberry tree) is native to the Caribbean but not to North America, so we have nothing on it in our Native Plant Database. However, your question is a basic one, common to many gardeners, of how and whether to attempt the transplanting of a large, mature tree, so we'll see what we can come up with.
Since we know nothing about this tree, we did some research and learned that it is a fairly rare tree, native to the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America. It has been introduced into the Phillipines, Hawaii and Florida. Most of the literature we found had more to say about the berries, from which a popular liquor is made and featured in Christmas traditions. The berries are apparently not easy to harvest, because it is a very stout tree and may grow from 33 to 60 feet high and resists shaking to dislodge the fruit. About the most informative article we found was from nutritiousfruit.com Guavaberries. From that article, we excerpted this statement:
"It is a temperamental tree often not bearing fruit due to high winds and insect infestation. Under favorable conditions the trees can bear fruit during various times of the year. For tropical plant enthusiasts, it can be grown indoors. As an indoor shrub it can potentially reach a height of about six feet."
Now we come to whether or not you can, or should, attempt to transplant this tree. We were unable to find anything on what kind of root system this tree has, other than that it is a member of the Myricaceae or bayberry family. There are a number of members of that family native to North America, including Morella cerifera (wax myrtle). They are usually purchased as small shrubs in the nurseries, and transplanted immediately, so we still don't know how the family feels about transplanting a large tree.
Back to the basics, how do you transplant a large tree? We found two articles with pretty comprehensive information, Popular Mechanics Guide to Planting Mature Trees and, from North Dakota State University Extension Transplanting Trees and Shrubs which has a section on large trees. If you can, we would suggest you consult a professional arborist on the possibilities and consequences of this move. As large as the tree is, it would appear you are going to need expensive equipment and quite a few manhours to accomplish it, and the tree still might die. Without knowing your explicit reasons for wanting to move the tree, that is about the best we can do.
More Planting Questions
Will desert rose (Rosa stellata) survive in south Florida
July 30, 2008 - I have a mature desert rose and I wanted to plant it in the ground. I live in southwest Florida.I want to know will it survive and should I wait to plant it next year?
view the full question and answer
Damage from Hurricane Irene in Burgaw, NC
August 27, 2011 - We live in Burgaw, NC and have begun the clean up efforts of Hurricane Irene which has made a full grown crape myrtle lean to one side. Its a very large tree and it is not uprooted. Is there anyway ...
view the full question and answer
Young pecan trees with leaf and branch problems from Gatesville TX
November 18, 2013 - I have a young pecan tree that had very rapidly browning Leaves. They became brittle and so did the branches with affected leaves. The branches soon fell off. We treated with fungicide during that pro...
view the full question and answer
Transplant shock in Texas Star hibiscus
July 31, 2008 - Why is my Texas star plant wilting and now is starting to turn yellow? I just bought it from a nursery and put it in a new pot.
view the full question and answer
Propagation information from Queens NY
October 04, 2012 - Hello. I would appreciate information on when to plant the following plants. I found on the USDA website that all these plants could withstand the cold. ALthough they can withstand harsh weather, ...
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |