Transplanting: Now is ideal time

During the past few weeks, I have been asked the same question: "I have a plant in my landscape that seems to be out of place. I want to move it to another spot in my yard. Is now a good time to transplant it?"

The answer is, "Yes, now during the dormant season, is a good time to dig up and replant a shrub or tree that seems to be out of place in your yard."

Now is a good time to dig up a tree or shrub because they are dormant during this time of year. You will cause less stress by digging them up now if you do it correctly.

To do some transplanting, start by sharpening the cutting edge of a round-point or square-point shovel. You will be inserting the shovel into the soil, cutting the roots around the shrub to be transplanted. A sharp cutting edge on the shovel is a must.

Insert the sharpened shovel into the ground at a slight angle and push it into the ground. Go around the entire shrub this way. When you have dug around the entire plant, pop the root ball of the plant out of the ground using the shovel inserted as deeply as possible under the shrub.

The diameter of the root ball will depend on the size of the plant to be transplanted. Usually most young plants require a root ball of about 12 inches in diameter. Larger plants may require a root ball of 24 inches. I have seen one transplanted tree that required a root ball of 8 feet.

When popping the root ball out of the ground, be sure to handle it carefully. You don't want to have the soil of the ball separate from the roots of the plant.

If you are going to move the plant several feet, you may want to place the plant in a pot for transporting. This will reduce the chance of soil breaking away from the root system.

Now go to the area where you want to replant the tree or shrub. First dig a hole about twice the diameter of the excavated root ball of the tree or shrub. Do not dig the hole any deeper than the root ball. Then rough up the sides of the excavated hole.

Next mix peat moss with the soil dug out of the hole in the ratio of two-thirds soil to one-third peat. The peat will help break up a clay soil, while it will help a sandy soil hold moisture.

Now place the tree or shrub in the hole and backfill with the peat/soil mixture. Then water in the transplant with a high phosphorous fertilizer such as a 9-58-8 mixed with the water. The phosphorous will encourage the plant to spend its energy next spring growing new roots so the plant can quickly be reestablished.

Next spring, check the soil around the transplant on a weekly basis. When the soil is dry, water it, and when the soil is wet put the hose up. If you err in watering, err on the dry side.

With a little effort now, you can enhance the look of your landscape by simply moving some of the existing plants to better locations.