Transplanting a tree

Some trees outgrow their space and need to be moved to avoid tangling with things such as the side of the house and power lines.

Extension Agent Dennis Patton at Kansas State University says the best time to move a tree is when it's dormant, in early spring, before it starts to break-bud. Very small trees with pencil-size trunk diameters can be transplanted with bare roots. Larger trees need a proper-sized root ball.

Patton says a good rule of thumb is to follow is the nursery industry standard of a one-inch-to-ten-inch ratio.

"So in other words, if the trunk is an inch or so across, or in diameter, maybe oh, a foot or so off the ground, then you need about 10-inches of rootball – 10-inches wide and 10-inches deep," says Patton. "So that's kind of the best guide for people to follow."

When digging, be sure to use a sharp spade so you make a clean cut of the roots. It's easier on the tree if you plan ahead and start the process with a spade several months before moving it.  

"So for instance this summer, go in around the tree and just sever the root ball. So in other words, slice down into the soil where the root ball's going to be, then let it grow all summer long and then move it this fall or next spring.  Because what you do at this point in time is help develop a little bit more fibrous root system," he says. " Where those roots were severed they're going to branch out so you have more roots up around the root ball, it's called root pruning."

If you don't want to do the work yourself, hire someone with a tree spade. This machine slices into the soil and digs out the tree with a cone-shaped root ball. When it's out of the ground, cover the root ball with a damp material like burlap to keep it moist until planting.