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Changing the Landscape

By Jos Van Hage

-by Jos Van Hage

Even the best planned landscapes may need to be changed and this is a good time of year to be making any needed changes. 

Although I do not like to transplant large trees and shrubs, sometimes there is no choice due to lack of space or building renovations. Transplanting large well-established trees and shrubs is not always successful. Success depends on type or variety of tree or shrub as well as how old the tree is (the younger the tree/shrub the better it transplants). 

For the best results you want to make the transition as stress free as possible. 


The first thing you need to do is dig a large enough large root ball including as many roots as possible on the tree to be able to support the tree. If you know a year in advance that you are planning to move a tree then you can prepare it a year before you dig it up and move it by root pruning. 

Root pruning is done by cutting a circle at a depth of a spade through the roots of the tree that is a minimum of 10-12 times larger than the trunk of the tree. You want to get as large a root ball as possible. By root pruning a year ahead this will promote the tree to produce new feeder roots within the root ball. The next year you dig just outside the first circle to dig up the tree for transplanting and this will help ease the shock on the trees roots. 

If you cannot wait a year to move the tree or if the tree or shrub is small then you want to be able to dig it up and move it all on the same day. If there are a lot of branches you may want to tie them up so that they do not become damaged. Choose a cloudy day and dig up as large a root ball as possible (10-12 times larger in width and depth than the diameter of the plants trunk at ground level). Keeping the root ball in one piece is important so make sure that the soil is slightly moist which will prevent it from falling apart, you do not want the soil too wet as this will make it very heavy to move. If the root ball is very heavy you should place it on a tarp which makes it easier to slide over to the new site. 

Before you dig up the tree you should have the new site already prepared so that you can place the freshly dug up tree directly into the new hole. Depending on the soil type will determine how to prepare the new site. If the soil is well drained then the new hole should be twice as large as the root ball with the roughened sides tapered outwards and deeper than the middle plateau where the root ball will sit and be supported at the proper depth. Sprinkle a couple of handfuls of bone meal in the bottom of the hole and then place the root ball of the tree on top of the plateau so that the top of the root ball is even with the soil line. Backfill with a good well draining soil so that it is the same level as the surrounding area. 

After it has been planted, water it in well and in the first watering mix some ‘Transplanter’ in the water which aids in root formation. Continue to water the tree enough so that the soil remains moist but not soggy. To aid in the watering build a small ridge around the perimeter of the tree so that when you water the water does not run off. 

If you are on a clay poor draining soil you will want to plant the tree on top of the soil. This is done by digging a slight hole of 3-5 inches up to the hardpan. Sprinkle bone meal on the bottom and place the root ball in the slight hole and backfill with a good well draining potting soil so that the entire root ball is covered. Give it a good water mixed with ‘Transplanter’ for the first watering and then do not allow the plant to go dry until the roots have become re-established. This method will prevent water building up in the hole and eventually causing the trees roots to slowly rot. 

Spring is the best time to transplant when the plant is still dormant to semi dormant. I always say that as soon as you can get a spade in the ground you can transplant any tree, shrub, or perennial. 

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns three Art Knapp’s Garden Centres in the Prince George area:
-Highway 97 South at the Old Cariboo Highway
-Highway 97 North
-Highway 16 West

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