I have asked this on a gardening forum but fifure the more places I ask, the better ;-)

I will be transplanting two fruit trees this weekend - pear and eating apple, I think.  Both are about 6/7yrs old but dinky - about 5-6' high and very well pruned, last time I saw them they were 3-4' across and may well be a bit smaller now as they were pruned again over winter.

I'm just trying to find out how much root to keep?  Googling seems to suggest bare root transporting should be fine (and preferable as it's likely to be just me or me and one other person doing it), I just want to be sure I'm saving enough to give them a good chance.

Soil is good for them, I already have a ~30yr old apple tree growing far too well lol!  That needs a serious hack-back in the next couple of days, so they definitely like the location!

I was told many yrs ago to dig around the width of the trees branches to avoid damaging too much of the roots so if the  trees circumference is 5ft then that's the width you dig out. Have no idea if it's correct though as I've never had to dig a tree out lol

I moved an apple tree a bit bigger than this a couple of years ago, got as much root as I could, and it was fine, still had fruit on last year :-)

Bare rooted means without soil,
Dig out as many roots as you can, say about 2' away from the trunk, and as deep as you can go, probably about 1', if you can go further down with ease then do so. if its too heavy to move then shake some of soil off.
Dig the new hole, put a handful of bonemeal in the bottom and rough up so no bone meal touches the roots (bonemeal burns when in contact) Put a can of water in the hole and then put the tree in.  Sprinkle another habdful of bonemeal on the pile of soil and then use it to Fill in the hole around the roots and then tread down with your heel. Another can of water on top :) :)
You are just in time moving it, but you will need to keep it watered :) :)
Lea :) :)

Thanks Lea.

One is moved - they are both apples it turns out, Breaburn (my fave!) and I forget the other.

The braeburn is in, they are both smaller than she though - about 4' high, the brae is only 3' across at the widest and the roots were almost non-existant!  Came out with no earth at all :-O So I will have to pop in a support for that one for a bit.

The other one is currently being dug out by her son cos I'm knackered :-P The support roots on that go out quite a way, it's about 5' across and lop-sided (looks like it's been put somewhere very windy although it hasn't) so it should be interesting to put in...

Don't suppose you've got any tips for pruning my resident apple tree? :-P

The one that needs a support, dont put the steak straight down, do it at an angle, so where it goes into the ground is about 3' away from the bottom of the trunk and it crosses about 3' up the trunk and put a tree tie on there. It means the steak wont break as easily :) :)
How big is the existing tree?????
Take off dead dieseased and dying branches first, then crossing.
Take off the water shoots, and prune down to 2 swelling buds.
It needs doing ASAP as your a bit late and its easy to knock off the buds as the swell!! (but better pruned now then left untol next year :)
Rule of thump :-
Apples are pruned to an Apple Shape
Pears are pruned pear shape.
You should be able to throw a hat through them, or a bird should be able to fly through them :)
HTH
Lea :)

Righto.

The one possibly needing a support I think *might* be ok now - I have finished backfilling the hole properly and it seems pretty stable, I'll keep an eye as the soil settles then decide.  Other tree (Discovery apple, I have been reminded!) is in, bloody hard work to get out and transport but with the big support roots, no worries about stability for that one :-)

Now my big tree: it's I think about 6ft taller and wider in places than it should be!  Hugely overcrowded branches too.  In total I think it's around 20ft high.  When I moved in it was neat and a sort of umbrella shape, being so big that's more to do with being able to mow underneath without losing an eye :-P

Thats good then :)
Remove any of the larger ones that are crossing if you can :) :) And alwasy try to cut to a joint, not half way up to make a better look :)
Lift the canopy to where is comfortable for you, but remeber that you will still need to pick the apples :)
Oh and when you prune it, remember you need to climb in it or reach through it to pick the apples, so if you cant reach branches  when pruning, remove some so you can :) :) We have done loads this year that have been left, and have at least halved them by the amount taken out :) But they still look like trees and not pollarded!! :) :)
This is a video I have found that says about what I have said :-
http://www.landscapejuice.com/2008/01/how-and-when-to.html
It is for a small tree, but adapt it for a large tree :) :)
(Oh Vase shape is because it is a small tree, you would want an apple shape :) )
HTH
Lea :)

That's brilliant, thank you :-)

I do wish the last people had kept it relatively small - these two new ones are certainly not going to be allowed to get much taller than they are!!

Weeeeeell.  It's going to be a ladder job!

Made a start on the lower branches today, climbed up to have a go at the higher stuff but the inner thick branches are in such a structure that I can't physically get very high up, I don't want to lop them out so I'm going to have to borrow my old ladder from next door and do it that way!