A Del Mar homeowner planted a tree so large it had to be planted with the help of a crane.
The 39,000-pound tree was planted Thursday, lifted over the home and into the backyard where an enormous hole had been excavated
The hole where the tree was planted had to be 12' x 12' and 4.5 feet deep.
A San Fernando Valley nursery supplied the tree. Moving it required special permits since it took a lot of space on the freeway. The landscaper told NBCSanDiego some streets needed to be closed to let the tree pass.
The purchasers were thinking of adding a living patio cover when they decided to hire Steve Jacobs, a certified arborist from Nature Designs and Landscaping, but ended up talking about planting a tree.
When the owners inquired about how big a tree could Jacobs deliver, he told them “Sky's the limit.”
The owners surprised with his answer, agreed to get the biggest tree he had planted in his 30-year career.
When the gigantic plant arrived at the residence, neighbors and friends gathered around to watch.
As you'd expect with a job this big, there were a few complications.
Local
The crane could not lift the tree because of its weight and Jacobs had to think fast because he was renting the crane for $800 an hour.
Almost 4,000 pounds of lumber and soil had to be removed from the root ball so that the crane would be able to lift the gigantic plant into the residence’s yard.
The cost of the tree itself was $50,000, not including the additional transportation and installation costs Jacobs said.
The tree is now resting in its new home at Del Mar.
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