Question
About 12 yars ago I planted what I thought was a dwarf Colorado type, short needle spruce on my front hill around many other conifers, mostly carpet shrubs and junipers.  the hill is approximately 3:1 slope.  The tree is very healthy, almost 12 feet tall and has a branch spread of about 7 feet.  The caliper at the base is about 3 1/2 inches.  The tree is too tall now and needs to be rtansplanted.  Can I wrap the tree and attempt to move it with a few men and a trailer?  What depth and size of root ball should I provide?  And would mid to late August be good?  Any other advice?  Am wanting to transplant it to another property with hopefully similar soils.  It would be within 20 feet of tall cedars though.

Answer
evergreen trees and shrubs may be planted either in the spring or the fall. Evergreens should be moved earlier in the fall than deciduous plants so they have time to form new roots. They need at least 6 weeks before the ground freezes. In the spring, Evergreens can be planted up to 4 weeks after deciduous trees have opened their leaves, providing that the newly planted trees receive adequate water.

When you want to dig up a tree or shrub for transplanting, retain as much of the root system as possible. 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.

The 3.5 inch tree should have a root ball of 31.5-42 inches wide and 21 inches deep.

The new hole should be twice the width of the root ball and the same depth. Fill the excess with good top soil and mulch and water. I prefer the spring planting but the fall may be ok if you and not in a snow belt.