Transplanting Trees - The New Way

When I took a Master Gardener class a few years back, I learned that transplanting trees is more than just digging a hole and setting a tree in it. Done the correct way, your tree will thrive. Healthy trees require less maintenance once they are established. If you have purchased a tree or shrub and want to plant it, you are considered to be transplanting it.

Many of these plants are grown in the nurseries in the field and are harvested (dug up) bare root (without any soil). Other plants are balled and burlapped (ball of soil and roots wrapped in burlap). The last group is considered containerized (after being harvested bare-root).

Bare-root stock is the most economical nursery plants. You will want to purchase them in them in the late winter or early spring while they are dormant.

Trees and shrubs harvested in nurseries are often grown by using special techniques such as root prunning. This prepares them for harvesting and eventual transporting to retailers.

These plants grown in the field may have 75% of their root system intact after they are dug. Trees and shrubs that are dug in the wild or from your established landscape probably only have 25% or less of their root system intact.

Plants that you transplant in your garden have not gone through any of these special procedures. Increased stress on these unprepared plants will make a difference between a beautiful, healthy plant and an ugly, unhealthy tree or shrub.

Transplanting a Tree

Here are a few tips to transplanting your tree.

• When you decide where you want to transplant your tree or shrub, dig your hole 12 inches wider in diameter and the same depth as the soil ball.
• For very large trees, those with 4-inch trunk or more, and large shrubs with a soil ball of about 3 feet or more, the hole should be made up to 24 inches wider than the ball.
• It's no longer advisable to fill the hole with soil amendments. Simply fill the hole with good soil. Replace subsoil or clay topsoil. Recent research at the University of Georgia has shown that roots tend not to push out from the original hole. They seem to be happy in their nice comfy environment. Aren't we all!
• If roots have become tangled within the pot, pull some of them apart. If you have a tree that hasn't grown any in years, this may be the problem.
• Remove any labels, tags, or strings that hang on the branches. If left they will eventually become imbedded in the trunk as the tree grows.
• If your transplanting a bare-root tree, dig a hole large enough to spread the roots without crowding. Add a mound of 6 to 8 inches of backfill before placing the plant in the hole. Place the tree at the same depth it was before. You can tell by the darker area of the trunk. Firm into place to reduce the settling of the soil. You want the top of the soil ball to be at a slightly higher level than the surrounding soil. The plant should be at the same level as it was when it was growing in the nursery or in your landscape.
• After you plant, be sure and water in your plant well. This will help settle the plant as well as water it.
• Mulch the soil surface and leave a surrounding doughnut like ridge about a foot from the tree trunk to hold in the water from rains or when you water. Believe me, we have lost plants that we shouldn't have simply because we didn't do this. We knew better! We get into a hurry sometimes.
• Although most trees will be pruned by the nursery or retail center, there may be some broken or crowded limbs to contend with. Prune lightly to the shape you want the tree to start taking.
• Stake the tree on the side where the wind blows.

Transplanting trees is that simple (note that I didn't say easy) !

Good luck transplanting!