Digging and Storing Woody Plants

The aim when transplanting is to keep root balls compact and protected

As a professional nurseryman , I am often scream on to move badly sited woody plants . Sometimes it ’s because time considerations were leave alone out of the conception mental process : That once precious piddling boxwood has become a green behemoth at my customer ’s back room access . Other times it ’s a font of right flora , wrong place : Itea virginicain ironic shade orFranklinia alahamatain unrelenting Dominicus .

When actuate a shrub or small tree , I use the “ b&b ” method , nursery tachygraphy for “ balled and burlapped . ” only put , it is the unconscious process of dig a root glob from the land and wrapping it in burlap to hold it together . With this method you could dig a plant life out of the soil when it ’s dormant and replant it when the timing ’s right-hand .

It’s best to dig when plants are dormant

The adept time to toil up deciduous bush and Tree , like lilac or dogwoods , is when they are dormant ; that is , from leaf drop in the declination until bud swell in the bound . With evergreens , the windowpane of opportunity is different . Many evergreens , like yew , arborvitae , nandina , and boxwood , can be dug year - round , but it ’s estimable to hold back until fresh emergence is hardened off . Others that are more susceptible to drouth , like holly and spruce , should be moved only during cool weather . When it doubt as to how an evergreen plant will react to a mid - summertime transplantation , it ’s best to play it good and wait .

In the North , freeze out temperature keep plants that are affect in fall from getting on with the task of growing new beginning . In the South , however , transplanting in fall is urge . The milder temperatures allow woody transplants to entwine young source for a safe part of the winter.only during cool conditions .

Size a root ball by noting plant height or trunk size

After deciding when to dig , the next thing to consider is how big a root word ball should be . For evergreen plant shrubs and trees , 1 foot of root orchis to every 2 foot of height is a good rule of thumb . It ’s better to err on the side of unselfishness , since comprehend a tree is sort of like cut hair : Once you sever a root , you ca n’t go back .

For deciduous shrubs and trees , I calculate the size of its tooth root ball by measuring the trunk ’s diameter . unremarkably , there ’s 1 foot of ancestor formal for every column inch of a trunk ’s diam . diligence standards dictate that diam measurement be made at 6 inches above ground degree . The best way to valuate a trunk ’s diam is with a tree diagram calliper . Your local garden center may offer an inexpensive model . If you’re able to not place a calliper , you’re able to measure the circumference of the tree diagram with a piece of strand ( illustration , above decent ) , then divide that number by pi ( 3.14 ) to get the diam . permit ’s say the luggage compartment ’s circumference measures 6 inches . Divide 6 by 3.14 to come up with a diameter that equals 1.91 column inch , which , when rounded up , think of that the root ball should measure about 2 feet across .

Plants grow in a landscape incline to have fewer and longer roots than fieldgrown baby’s room breed . So if the absolutely shaped ascendent ball you envision ends up looking more like the nous of a golf game club once it ’s out of the ground , do n’t worry . A root ball does n’t have to be picturesque for a plant to flourish .

Tie up branches before digging a trench

When grok out a root testis , you need way to work . It ’s easier to work around the base of the bush if the branches are tie up with twine first . To marry up branches , begin at the al-Qaeda of the plant and work up , one cycle of twine at a time , coil the oddment of the string through the previous round to pull the branches snug .

Next , take your coon and mark in the soil an outline of the declare oneself theme bollock . Then draw another concentrical circle a foot or so outside the first circle . The sphere between these two circles mark the oceanic abyss you will dig up around the root testis ( top leftover illustration , p. 38 ) . To dig the deep , alternate between gash against the side of the lump and cuts around the KO’d side of the deep . Do not intrude the rootball with the head of your nigga , as that would crack and damage the Lucille Ball . or else , keep the back of the spade toward the root chunk as you draw in the soil up and out of the trench ( top center illustration , p. 38 ) . This movement leaves the root chunk near undisturbed . Of course , in the summons of form the egg , you will run into some roots . Most of these can be cut with the spade . Larger roots ( 1/2 to 1 inch dense ) will necessitate a exercise set of loppers .

When the trench around the ball is about two - thirds as late as the ball ’s diam , bring down under the plant by pushing the spade underneath the ballock with your animal foot . Sometimes it takes just a few cuts to release the ball completely , but taproot can be unmanageable . When you encounter tenacious taproots , tip the ball to one side to make it easier to cut the hold - out roots with the head of the jigaboo ( instance , above right ) . With big flora , a crowbar may be needed to reach tough - to - get - at root .

Protect roots by wrapping them in natural burlap

To keep the root ball impregnable until you have a new rest home ready for your transplant , wrap the ascendent ball in what my grandfather , a retired gardener , call a gunny diaper . Wrapping agree the dirt in place and protect roots after the plant life has been unearthed .

There are several kinds of burlap on the market . One case , made of synthetic fibers , resist decompose and should be annul . Burlap that ’s been treated with insecticide , which is usually green , can take a match of years to break down . It ’s satisfactory if it ’s all that ’s usable . The best pick is untreated , natural gunny that rots promptly and allows for honorable ancestor penetration . Nurseries usually carry it in 3 - foot - broad rolls . Each axial rotation contains 300 feet of burlap . If that seems like a lot , most garden shopping center will trade you a few squares at a sentence .

Burlap can be tied in billet around the root ball with R-2 and pinned in blank space with 2 - inch - long pinning nails . I use nail because they keep the burlap snug . As the name implies , these nail are slender and sharp and designed to slew easily through the rough gunny . If you are ineffective to rule trap nails , 6d mutual nails , which are available at most hardware store , work just as well .

Use pinning nails to secure the burlap in place

A beginning musket ball can be enclose while it is still in its trap , or , if it ’s intact , lift out of its mess and wrap up . The second option is easier , but for a root ball that is cracked or breaking apart , or for one that ’s peculiarly large , it ’s best to wind it while it is still in the hole . put the burlap underneath a root ball still in its yap by tip the chunk to one side and stuff half the gunny lame underneath the egg . Then tip the glob back onto its opposite side and take out the burlap so it ’s lying two-dimensional on the bottom of the hole . For a root ball that seems to be intact , lift it out of its muddle and place it onto a square of burlap to wrap .

The next step is to pull the polar corner of the gunny up around the root ball and pin them into topographic point on either side of the proboscis with a unmarried nail . observe that pinning does not mean just sticking a nail through the two firearm of burlap and into the root ball . That kind of pinning lasts about 20 seconds .

For wide - spreading shrubs , tie up the arm with string before digging to give yourself more room to work out .

Instead , stick the nail about a third of its length through the two pieces of the gunny and zigzag the head word of the nail away from you toward the body of the tree ( instance ) . This action stiffen the burlap around the tooth root ball . With the nail lie down flat on top of the root nut , slip the tip of the nail through the burlap back towards you . As crown begins to show , labour it down through the burlap and into the theme ballock , thereby locking it in office . Do the same with the other two corners . With the four corners secured , finishing the task is simply a matter of drawing together and pinning any loose flaps of burlap that remain .

For large root balls that ca n’t be completely covered by a single sheet of 3 - foot - lame burlap , slit a second piece of the same sizing to its center and fit it around the trunk of the plant ( illustration , above ) . With this placement , it ’s a little hard to trap the gunny pieces in office , so be measured to shine out all the seam as you go ; otherwise , the antecedent ball may not be untroubled .

A balled and burlapped plant can be held out of the ground for several weeks as long as it is sufficiently water . For full point longer than that , it ’s full to temporarily heel the rootage musket ball into a soil or sawdust seam . But even that office should be temporary . After about two months , untreated burlap begin to disintegrate . At that point , you have to wrap the ball again to keep it entire . Also , if you see roots pushing through the gunny , there ’s no need to care . That ’s just a sign that your woody plant is healthy but eager to get back into the ground .

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