Max container size for solo planting

[GMann]

What is the max container size people are confident they can plant by themselves without help or machinery?

I have a dolly that allows me to move heavy containers around my yard, so the hardest part is getting it off the back of my mini-van and then lowering it into the whole I dig.

I have done 25 gallon containers in the past without any problem. But what about 45 gallon? Is that too heavy to do by one's self?

[GDLWyverex]

I have containers as small as 150 Liters and as large as 300 liters, neither of which can I lift by myself. I use the Egyptian technique of putting them on 3/4"  galvanized tubes that allow me to roll them around without any problem, However they are above ground, not within the ground.

Richard

[Ben in Norcal]

24" box is where I max out for a solo planting (up to a 10-12" multi king palm, for instance.)

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

24" boxes are good. I planted a 65g date on tuesday but i had to cut the pot off.

[GMann]

65 gallon? All by yourself? That must have been heavy to move. Did you have to lower it out of a truck?

 

[DoomsDave]

GMann:

Archimedes is your best bud moving big plants. Levers and leverage. If you're a bit on the heavy side, so much the better. If not, you can manage well. Friends can help, but be prepared for other engagements once the magnitude of the task is explained.

I've planted many 32 gallons. It takes deep holes, and ingenuity. Use boards for levers to horse that rootball into place, and, if needed, straighten it out. If you know you're going to be handling a lot of big plants for a while, get some 2 X 10 (or 2 X 12) by 10 foot boards, and paint them with some Rustoleum to keep them tough. Use to push things, up into the truck, down from out of the truck, and to lower plants into holes. Shorter boards will work, if you're Arnold the Austrian Oak.

You can also lay 2 X 4s on the ground to make a kind of track, then use pipes as rollers for the really big stuff.

Also, it's a good idea to see how heavy the rootball really is, that is, whether it's a total mass of roots, or less so. In the latter case, it often ends up being easier because the ball falls apart, making it lighter.

If you're rasslin' big Phoenix, get some heavy cover for your torso. I recall a cop who used his body armor when planting some.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

I usually carry three 45 gallon containers at a time.  Yeah, I know I only have two hands but I will share a trick I use.  If you juggle them, there is always one in the air.  See!  I lessened the load by 1/3!

[DoomsDave]

49 minutes ago, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

I usually carry three 45 gallon containers at a time.  Yeah, I know I only have two hands but I will share a trick I use.  If you juggle them, there is always one in the air.  See!  I lessened the load by 1/3!

Works even better with nuclear warheads.

[Kim]

I guess I would question the point of planting such large containers.  My limit is 15-gal. mostly due to availability, price, and health of the palm in the pot for being planted out.  Sure, I could learn to juggle 3 45-gal. containers too, but WHY?

[DoomsDave]

Here's my two Palm Boards.

[Ben in Norcal]

3 hours ago, Kim said:

I guess I would question the point of planting such large containers.  My limit is 15-gal. mostly due to availability, price, and health of the palm in the pot for being planted out.  Sure, I could learn to juggle 3 45-gal. containers too, but WHY?

Spoken like someone who's just a bit too used to the growth rates achieved in Hawaii. 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

 

 

65 gallon? All by yourself? That t have been heavy to move. Did you have to lower it out of a truck?

 

 

No, I have a tilt bed trailer.  No way I could get a 65G out of the back of the truck without ramps.

[DoomsDave]

4 hours ago, Kim said:

I guess I would question the point of planting such large containers.  My limit is 15-gal. mostly due to availability, price, and health of the palm in the pot for being planted out.  Sure, I could learn to juggle 3 45-gal. containers too, but WHY?

A massive fit of machismo?

 

[msporty]

I just dragged a 24" boxed Tabebuia down a hill and across my yard and planted it alone. I wished I had called a friend or used Dave's Rollers of Doom™...

[DoomsDave]

1 hour ago, msporty said:

I just dragged a 24" boxed Tabebuia down a hill and across my yard and planted it alone. I wished I had called a friend or used Dave's Rollers of Doom™...

Yeah, been there done that.

32 gallon pots are that size, but a lot deeper and harder to dig holes for.

 

[rprimbs]

11 hours ago, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

I usually carry three 45 gallon containers at a time.  Yeah, I know I only have two hands but I will share a trick I use.  If you juggle them, there is always one in the air.  See!  I lessened the load by 1/3!

You could just balance one on your head!

But seriously the heaviest I handle by myself are just the fifteen gallon ones.  I gave up on crazy feats of strength after idiotically carrying a large front load washing machine into the house -- by myself -- five years ago.  I kind of hurt my lower back a little, even though I competed in powerlifting in my twenties.

[topwater]

As I toddle into my dotage I'm reluctant to wrestle big plants anymore, especially when there are lots of people who will do it for cheap. My most recent planting was a Sabal mexicana.  It was a beast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GMann]

Thanks for all the responses.

This week I learnt that 25 gallon is my limit. I bought a very heavy 25 gallon palm and was just able to get it out of my mini van without breaking my back.