Gardens grow (well the good ones anyway), evolve and change over time.  And sometimes what you’ve planted and thought would be a permanent fixture years ago no longer suits the new aesthetic of that area.  Now, the easiest thing is to rip it out so you can replace it with what you want, but if it’s a plant you have nurtured for years, it seems a bit heartbreaking to throw it on the bonfire.  So here is Big Farmer Trev’s tips on how to transplant a tree!

Note: This only works with smaller trees.  With big ones you need an excavator and a crane!

 

I’m going to use the example of the Bay Leaf tree I had planted four years ago.  I did not realize just how slowly they grow so it was being dwarfed by all my natives.  Plus I had a new orchard area set up it would go great in so I wanted to move that sucker – here are the steps I took.

Step 1: Dig a moat at least a two feet radius from the base of the tree, half a foot or more deep and pop the hose in.  Let it flood and flood and flood!  The main thing that will kill a tree during transplantation is losing all the soil its roots are attached to so you want to be able to pick it up as one big sticky mudball.

 

Step 2: Prepare your hole where the tree will be going. Unlike a normal tree planting where you want a small radius and really deep, this hole you want only a bit deep but very wide.  Remember, the root system of your tree will have spread out and you will be taking all that soil with you.  Fill the hole half way with compost and then fill that with water so that you will be setting your tree down in a big hole of nutrient rich slush!

 

Step 3: Dig out your tree.  Keep working in a circular motion around the tree with your shovel, each incision getting deeper and closer to the middle, you are making a cone shape with the point at the bottom.  This will ensure you keep as many roots as possible.  Once you have gotten your cone, lever it out and straight into a wheelbarrow, ready for transport.

 

Step 4: Put your tree in its new home, making sure to fill in all gaps with dirt, you don’t want any roots exposed.  Pop some mulch over the top and give the whole thing a great big dose of seaweed juice to feed the tree and lessen the stress it has undergone.  Ta da – your tree is ready to start life in it’s new home!

 

Extra tip: If you can, wait until winter to transplant any tree’s you need to.  Even evergreen’s will be far less active during this time and the more of a dormant state you tree is in, the more likely it is to survive the procedure.