Question
Hi Nick, I need to transplant 2 queen palms, both about 10-12 ft. tall, this month.  This needs to be done now to make room for a new project.  I live in Santa Barbara, Ca.
Please advise on how to do this(keep in mind I know nothing on transplanting one of these beauties)and/or should we pot them and wait to plant until spring?  Thanks for your advice.

Answer
Hi Wendy, those are pretty good size Queens, but still should be manageable; you will need to begin about 4 feet out from the base of the trunk and begin digging down, carefully getting as much of the extraneous roots as possible, (soak the ground prior to make the job easier). Queens are pretty resilient, but this is about the maximum size I would recommend without use of a bobcat or some other type of excavating equipment. The key here is to get the root system intact without cutting too many of the outreaching, secondary roots. Contact your local Cooperative Extension Service and talk to the Master Gardners there, maybe one may be kind enough to come out and advise you on the spot. Once you have removed them (definitely a two person job) have the new hole dug, twice the width and depth, so the palm can be placed immediately into the new hole, but make sure that it is not planted any deeper then it was in its old hole, so after digging the new hole, backfill with loose soil to bring it up to where the root ball can sit right on top and be even with surface; it is imperative that the junction where the trunk meets the soil isn't covered at all once the the new hole is filled in. Once it is planted, it will need to be watered well, and then every other day for 3 weeks. Nick