By Wade Hutcheson
University of
Georgia
Any move requires packing to ease the transition. Moving plants
is no different. But instead of packing stuff, you have to pack
the roots for the move.
At Berry College in 1992, I was working at Oak Hill, Martha
Berry’s home. I had an opportunity to help transplant native
azaleas from a national forest back to Berry.
What was sold as an opportunity turned out to be a lot like work.
Over two days, three of us dug, tugged, wrapped and toted 35
native azaleas out of the woods to the truck. The truck was
always uphill. Each azalea had been carefully dug to keep as many
roots intact as possible.
At the end of the second day, even my hair hurt (I had some back
then). But I knew our effort would pay off and was glad to have
been a part.
Transplanting success
Then we got back to Oak Hill and, of course, our prizes had to be
replanted. And as my luck would have it, every planting site was
uphill. Fortunately for my aching back, there were more hands to
help replant.
All 35 azaleas survived and put on a spectacular bloom the next
spring, mainly because we had packed their bags.
We did this during the week after Thanksgiving, which brings me
to this point. If you have a tree or shrub in need of
transplanting, now is the time. Digging conditions are as good as
they’re going to get.
Fall is always perfect for transplanting. And due to our
unusually heavy rainfall in October, the soil is in good working
shape.
The key to success
The key to success in transplanting is taking roots — the more
the better. I’ve often heard people describe the process as
digging a big root ball, which to some means a lot of soil. If
there are no roots in that soil, it really doesn’t matter how big
the ball is. The roots need to go with it.
Start by exploring the soil at least 4 feet away from the trunk.
Use a spading fork or other probing tool to help find the major
roots.
Once you find all the major roots, gently dig, lift and pull them
out of the ground. Follow them out as far as you can. And try to
leave the big roots intact. Some may need to be pruned to keep
the job doable.
Then return to the trunk and dig under and around the main trunk
at least 2 feet around. You should find roots underneath that
will need to be pruned. Rocking and lifting (don’t forget the
grunts) will help you identify roots.
Keep root mass intact
Again, try to keep as much of the root mass intact as possible.
Shave away the soil to help lighten the load.
While you’ve worked hard to get to this point, it’s about to get
harder. Now the plant needs to be lifted and moved to the new
site.
You may need to call in a few favors from neighbors. Some will
carry the main trunk, and some may be needed to tote major roots.
Use a sturdy tarp or heavy burlap to wrap the main root ball with
while moving.
Try to keep as much soil around the roots as you can, but I’ll
trade soil for roots any day.
The new planting site should be ready to receive the plant when
it arrives, including amending the soil in a large area and not
just the planting hole.
Incentive to plant properly
All of your hard work to dig the plant up should be incentive to
provide a great new home. Heavily amend an area five times the
size of the root ball to be planted. Remove the burlap before
planting.
(Before you do any of this, think about the new site. Make sure
it’s suited for the plant now and in the future. Don’t end up
having to move it again.)
If all goes well, all that’s left is backfilling soil. You may
need to adjust the hole size and shape to accommodate the major
roots. Spread them out as they were in the original site. I’ve
even dug “ditches” in order to replant some of my transplants’
roots.
Water to settle the soil. It shouldn’t need much watering after
that until spring. Next summer, it may need weekly watering if
rainfall is short.
Not moving again is exactly my goal. Plants will travel
successfully, however, if you take time to pack their bags
first.
For more information, contact the University of Georgia Extension
Service in your county.
