Question
I am located in the upstate of SC.  I have several pine trees scattered across my property in the 2-5' height range.  I would like to transplant them up to the front of my property to create somewhat of a visual screen from the road.  I have tried in the past a time or two to do this but did not have much luck.  It always seemed like these pines had real long tap roots.  Also, the ground is mostly red clay and very hard and it is extremely difficult to get a decent size root ball without hacking a bunch of roots.  Do you have any advice doing this and what the best time of year is to do this?  Would I have better luck with the 2' trees rather than 5' trees?  Thank you for your help.

Answer
Without the root ball most of them will not survive.
The best time in your area will be anytime from now until the first of March before the new growth starts. Dig the tree with a root ball of roots and soil. Width = 9-12 in. in diameter/every 1 in. of tree diameter
Depth = 9 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 18 inches deep.

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.

The new hole should be twice the size of the root ball and as deep. Mulch around the tree with not more than 3 inch deep of mulch and water every third day until it rains.

The smaller the pine the better the success rate will be