Question by Carolyn B.
I live in W.A. and have an arbutilon which I would like to re-position. When would be the best time of year to do this and will it survive?
Sarah's answer
Hi Carolyn,
For most trees and shrubs, the best time to move them is in the autumn and into winter, when growth slows for most plants and the soil isn’t too cold or too wet. This time of year reduces the chance of transplant shock. There is always a chance that a plant may not survive the transplant process and the larger or older the plant, the lower the chances of survival. However, if you take these steps, you may have a successful outcome:
- Prune the plant back by a third to a half to reduce the potential stress from having to sustain a large canopy.
- Select a new site that has full sun to partial shade and is protected from the wind. It will need at least 6 hours of sun for good health.
- Prepare the new hole before digging up the plant so it spends as little time as possible with exposed roots. Make the hole bigger than you need, to make it easy for the roots to grow into the new soil. It likes a fertile well-drained soil.
- A cool cloudy day will give the plant less stress than a hot sunny one.
- Dig the plant out with a clean sharp spade and take as big a root ball as you can.
- Soaking the root ball in seaweed tonic will help reduce transplant shock.
- Make sure the plant is at the same soil level as it was before and backfill the hole with native soil and water well.
- Add a thick mulch layer to the top to reduce moisture loss, although avoid putting it around the trunk to avoid the risk of rot.
- Keep well-watered as it settles in.
I hope this helps and all the best with the move.
Cheers Sarah
