Question
I have several new shoots of crepe mertle comming up do to seed.  I'd like to move them to my back yard.  Are there any special needs or directions I should be aware of

Answer
Woody plants are preferably moved in the spring after the ground thaws and before the buds on the tree  begin to swell. They may also be moved in the fall after leaf drop but before the ground freezes. Fall transplant success may be increased by transplanting hardy plants into sites with good soil moisture and wind protection. Woody plants that are transplanted in late spring and early summer, when shoot growth is at its peak, tend to show the greatest transplant injury.

Deciduous trees with a stem diameter of less than 1 inch and small deciduous shrubs may be dug either bare root or with a soil ball. Larger plants should only be dug with soil attached. Bare root transplanting should only be done in the spring and care must be taken to prevent damage to roots when removing the soil. Most shrub species require a root ball diameter of about two-thirds of the branch spread. The soil ball for trees should be a minimum of 12 inches for each 1 inch of trunk diameter.
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 new hole should be twice the size of the rootball and mulch the area around the tree with not more than 3 inches of organic mulch not piled up on the trunk and water.