Question
hi my neighbor is pulling out two trees in her yard, Our development where we live in ca is two years old. I want to transplant these trees in my back yard (sence they are so beautiful) I think they may be crape myrtles trees, dont know what for sure. How can i transplant them? (one has some stripped bark from the gardner pulling it from the ground) Will they survive? What should i do to keep them To survive? thank you very much

Answer
Older deciduous trees and all ages of evergreens, can be successfully moved only if a ball of soil is left around the roots. The exposed roots should be protected with moist burlap or newspaper or with polyethylene sheeting. Every effort should be made to reduce root exposure to wind and sun, keeping the ball as moist as possible. It's best to prepare the hole before digging up the tree you wish to move.

Size of the root ball and size of the hole:

For deciduous trees and shrubs the soil ball should be:

Width = 9-12 in. in diameter/every 1 in. of tree diameter
Depth = 6 in./every 1 in. of tree diameter

For example: A tree trunk 2 inches wide would need a soil ball of 18-24 inches wide and 12 inches deep.

Dig the new hole twice the size of the root ball and as deep. fill with good top soil or potting soil mulch around the tree with not more than 3 inches of organic mulch and water good.


Pulling them out with bare roots makes the survival go real low. You can use the planting method above with bare rooted trees but make sure you water every other day for a couple of month if it does not rain.