How To Move Older Fruit Trees

It’s entirely possible to move older, deciduous fruit trees. They will, if care is taken – be totally fine. The only consequences from the uprooting, is that they’ll likely be dwarfed.

Take the punt – especially if you now realise, the spot you chose – wasn’t the best. Or perhaps you chose an awesome spot, but then the dear neighbour planted a tree that is now over shadowing it. Either way, if you are going to upstakes and move it on, choose your new position carefully. One move is fine, but 2… not so.

I wouldn’t bother moving a tree that’s doing poorly – cut your losses and start again with a strong young thing. A variety chosen with care to match your environment well.

Cut it free

Using a spade (a sharp spade will save your body and cut the roots cleanly) cut a circle about 40cm out from the trunk, all the way around the tree. Hark back to seaside castle making days – make a moat, about a spade deep. Cut through roots as you go. Try to capture as good a network of the fine feeder roots on top as you can.

Now to severing the roots beneath. Starting from the bottom of the moat push the spade under the tree, wriggling  and pushing as you go, to free the roots. Work your way all around. Then push the trunk over to one side as far as it will comfortably go. Cut any attached tap roots. Push to the other side and sever the last attachments.

Drag it onto a tarp or if you are strong as an ox, lift it into your wheelbarrow. Don’t obsess over keeping the dirt around the roots, it’s gonna fall off. Never fear, you can pack more in when you transplant it.

Prune + Prep the hole

Small roots cannot keep big tops alive, they need to be in equilibrium. Prune it before moving it – it’ll make your life alot easier.

Even though a cup of tea sounds really good about now. Keep at it. Get those roots below ground where they belong.

Make the hole big enough to fit the rootball – the advantage to doing this after realising the tree. It needs to be replanted to the same depth it was before.

Plant it

Position your tree in the new hole with care. Face the weak side north, it’ll fill out in the light. A nice opportunity don’t you think?

Be sure the roots are going out or down, that none are bent over. I know you’ve already busted your body, but you need to go the whole hog – dig more in whatever direction is needed to keep the remaining roots as long as possible. I hear you pondering cutting them off – oh don’t be lazy!, make a home for any roots that are longer than your hole. My finished hole usually looks like a starfish as I scrape extra lengths here and there to lay a root end in.

Use your fingers to push dirt under the rootball – filling in all those air pockets. Once the underneath is packed as tight as you can get it start filling dirt in between the roots. Pack the soil in firmly, so a tug doesn’t budge the tree. Give a generous dusting of minerals and then ever so gently, water it in. The water will further settle the soil around the roots so may need a top up.

Stake well, and mulch generously with a lovely wood mulch.

Treat them special for the coming year as they re-establish. Take off all the fruits so the trees can focus on growing another big, strong set of roots. Water them through dry spells. Cross your fingers.