Arlington’s Guide to Safe Tree Transplanting

It’s sometimes necessary to transplant or move a tree from one property area to another. Property owners must take specific steps and precautions to keep their trees healthy and safe. This comprehensive guide to safe tree transplanting in Arlington can help local property owners when moving trees to ensure they don’t harm them during the process while beautifying their outdoor space.

Water and Prune the Roots

Image via Flickr by Lara604

The first step in transplanting a tree is to water it and prune the roots. A tree’s root system becomes entangled and spreads throughout its life. After watering the roots, property owners should mark a circle around the tree to identify how much of the root system they want to move with the tree. They can then dig carefully along the circle using a sharp blade or shovel to cut the roots cleanly where they touch the circle, which should free the tree from the ground, allowing its removal.

Prepare the Soil in the New Location

After pruning the roots, property owners should prepare the soil where they want to replant the tree. Preparing the area involves checking for pests and sunlight access and ensuring the soil is suitable for the species. For extra nutrients that can encourage a tree to thrive in its new home, property owners can consider soil conditioning and aeration to enrich and loosen the soil before planting. When digging a new hole, they should ensure it’s large enough to fit the ball of roots after pruning it.

Remove and Transfer the Tree

When everything is ready, property owners should tie up the lower branches to keep them away from where they’ll be digging, then dig up the soil completely around and under the tree, being careful not to damage the pruned roots. They should carefully lift the tree out of its initial location and onto a tarp large enough to hold it and its attached roots, then move it to the new location and gently place it into the new hole.

Secure and Water the Tree

Once the tree is secure in its new hole, they can replace the soil around it, ensuring they’ve fully covered all the roots. It’s essential not to compact the soil too tightly, as this can prevent the roots from taking in enough water and spreading out sufficiently. They should water the tree as soon as it’s in the ground and stick to a regular watering schedule to ensure it thrives in its new home.

Let TreeNewal Guide Your Transplanting Efforts

These are the main steps when transplanting a tree on your property. If you’re making a plan and need some help getting started, reach out to the team at TreeNewal. When you hire our tree doctors to care for your trees, we’ll help with every step of the process, whether you need tree trimming and removal, soil enrichment for your newly transplanted tree, or soil testing before you begin. We can’t wait to give your trees whatever they might need after being freshly transplanted to keep looking and feeling great.