Spring tree harvest is under way at the nursery. This means that if you have been thinking about moving some trees or shrubs around your property, the next 15 or 20 days will be your best opportunity of the year for most varieties.
If you are able to move plants before they leaf out, the buds that swell up after you transplant will send a hormonal signal to the cut roots to begin very rapid growth of tiny new roots out into the surrounding soil.
Make sure to dig your planting holes extra wide so the new roots will have plenty of soft soil through which they can penetrate. Avoid heavy packing of the soil you fill around your relocated plant. Waterings and rainfall will settle the soil just fine.
Your plants will be especially happy if you mix some slow release fertilizer into the backfill soil before you bank it in around the roots. Be sure to plant no deeper than the depth at which the plant was growing in its previous location. Remember – even though it’s not a “new” plant for you, it has been newly transplanted so you will need to water it all season as if it were a brand new plant.
You’ll find this blog also posted on the blog post for the Northfield News.
