Do landscapers ever buy mature trees and plants from homeowners for resale?

[dianne]

I have a rather large Japanese Maple that the previous homeowners planted too close to the house and driveway--probably 9-10 years ago. So far, there is no indication of damage but I fear the more time that passes the roots will damage either foundation or concrete drive and walkway. I understand that these trees are highly desirable and would consider selling to a landscape company that would have the equipment to remove safely and protect the tree for resale. Anyone heard of this? I love the tree but not interested in paying to have it replanted elsewhere on the property so thought I would try to make some money since it will probably have to go soon, anyway. Good idea?...or crazy, hopeful way to make some extra money?

 

[neatfreak]

I''ve never heard of this (my parents are in the business) but I bet that you could put an ad on craigslist or something for it and let someone who wants it pay for a tree removal/landscaper to come out and dig it out...

 

[dianne]

I called a local nursery and there is some interest. The manager will be notified this afternoon and may come out and take a look at the tree. It was worth a shot just to see what happens. Craigslist is a wonderful idea with the stipulation that a professional do the removal to protect the plant and my house. Thanks, Neatfreak!

 

[strmrdr]

It is very common in some areas.
A friend of mine got like $500 each for 2 of his trees.

 

[dianne]

strm: Do you know if he contacted a nursery or sold to an individual?

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 12/29/2008 5:53:53 PM
Author: dianne
strm: Do you know if he contacted a nursery or sold to an individual?

tree farm bought them

 

[Steel]

How very industrious of you.Kudos!I hope it works out.

 

[dianne]

Date: 12/29/2008 9:59:05 PM
Author: Steel

How very industrious of you.Kudos!I hope it works out.

Why, Thank You, Steel

....no call back yet from the nursery...i may call a few more nurseries or, as Storm mentioned, try to find a tree farm...not sure if there is any around here. Won''t cost anything but a phone call, ya know?

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 12/30/2008 1:04:27 PM
Author: dianne

Date: 12/29/2008 9:59:05 PM

Author: Steel

How very industrious of you.Kudos!I hope it works out.

Why, Thank You, Steel

....no call back yet from the nursery...i may call a few more nurseries or, as Storm mentioned, try to find a tree farm...not sure if there is any around here. Won''t cost anything but a phone call, ya know?

Do a Google search for: tree transplant [ your city , state ]

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Yes, you can sell mature trees. Our previous home had tons of Japanese maples, one "Lion's Head" valued at over $10K, and we could have sold that and the others (but we didn't) even though a few needed to be moved to another location in the yard. The deal is although you can transplant them, it's very tricky and takes a knowledgeable botanist to do it correctly, especially if it's a larger tree.

I've seen Jap. Maples up on Craig's List.

 

[dianne]

Well, I just got a call from the local nursery. They are interested in the tree BUT said it was close to my water line and are afraid to dig for it....AARRRGGGHHHH!!! So close yet so far...LOL

Well, we did have sewer line problems last November and had the front yard dug up, and I have pics of it showing the water lines are 6 ft underground....and all tree roots were poking out at about 3 ft. I can''t imagine they would need to dig that deep so I offered to show them the pics to see if they would reconsider as long as they felt they could remove it safely. Perhaps there is still hope, after all. (crossing fingers)

 

[Steel]

Hmmm. That sucks. You should weigh up the profit you will make versus the possible issues if they hit your mains pipe before you go further. Consider the worst case and work back from there.

If you are happy to continue then see if the nursery will get dirty and dig up your tree - they don''t have to dig the whole tree up to get a good root mass, so may not have to dig too far anyway.

I would suggest that you get an engineer to check out the tree before you do anything. There can be issues removing and not removing trees and an engineer will advise you. I know that some variety of trees are harmless even very close to the house and because of the root void you can cause more damage than good removing some trees. Get some advice.

 

[dianne]

Great advice, Steel. The nursery planned to take full responsibility of any issues...thus the decision to not dig up the tree for fear of water line problems. Not sure if they will change their mind. They are an incredibly reputable company and there would be extensive conversations about how they would plan to proceed...and we still haven''t talked money--and to be honest I have no idea what to expect. Anything is better than nothing...especially when the alternative is just to destroy the tree, for free.....plus, I simply hate to destroy it. It''s a gorgeous tree. I appreciate your comments and advice.

 

[Steel]

Please come back and let us know what they say. The nursery does sound good. Best of luck.