Backyard Gardening Tips

We have a few plants and shrubs that will be right in our garden if we don’t move them.

While winter is the ideal time to move plants they can be successfully moved at any time throughout the year provided care is taken. I kinda like that as winter is just not the time for me to go outside. I would rather be south sipping drinks while my neighbours enjoy all the ice and snow.

Smaller plants, under three feet high, are the easiest to move.

• The first step is to trim the plant by about one third.
• The next step is to dig the plant out ensuring that the root ball is approximately the same diameter as the plant.
• The plant can then be transplanted in the new position in the garden and the soil around it firmed.

The procedure with bigger plants in the 3-foot to 5-foot range is much the same but will take a little more time.

• Once you have dug around the plant to a depth of approximately 1 to 1 1/2 feet, you should leave it for a week before finishing the removal.
• After a week ease the plant out by digging under the roots and trim off long or damaged roots before transplanting.

For bigger plants and trees the procedure gets a little more involved.

• The first step is to dig down deeply on two sides of the plant, through the roots at the drip line.
• The plant should then be left for a week or two before the same procedure is repeated on the other two sides of the plant.

As with the smaller plants you will need to trim the plant back by about one third before starting. After having dug around all sides of the plant you should wait another couple of weeks before digging under the roots. Again, you will need to trim off long or damaged roots in preparation for the transplant.

Let another week or two pass before removing the plant and wrapping the root ball with Hessian to protect the roots.

You should have already prepared a new hole that will be slightly bigger than the root ball of the plant you are replacing. Add compost, mix and slow release fertilizer before transplanting the plant.
Top up the soil and water it well. Provided you have taken good care along the way the plant should settle in to its new location without any problems.