Q: I just moved into a new home, and there are some small trees that I think will grow too large too close to the house. They are still small enough I think I can move them. The trunks are about 2 inches thick a couple of feet off the ground. They are about 10 feet tall. I am not sure how big of a root system they need to have to successfully transplant. I want to donate a couple of the trees to a park (I have permission) for Earth Day and Arbor Day. I don't want to do all that work to not have them grow. What size should the root ball be?

A: There are several issues here. We have to figure out the proper time to dig, the size of the root system and the root ball, the transportation method, the site at the new location and the care after planting.

The best time to dig these trees is while they are dormant. They will lose a lot of roots during digging, and the dormant top will need less water, so dormant digging is best. That means that it might be too late this spring — or, at least, the sooner you move them, the better. Once the trees have started to leaf out, the success rate will drop. Can you move some now and the rest this fall?

A rule of thumb for the size of the root ball is 1 foot in diameter for each inch of diameter for trunks 2 to 4 inches, and 10 inches for each inch for larger trees. The depth of the root ball would be half to two-thirds as deep as the diameter. One- or 2-inch-diameter trees move easily with root balls that are manageable.

Another method for dormant trees is to dig the ball much bigger than the rule of thumb and to then wash off the soil as quickly and gently as possible. Then plant the tree immediately. Do not let the roots dry off. You will get more roots and virtually no weight. Roots are much more important to the tree than some extra dirt at the bottom of the ball.

If dug while dormant, the trees can be stored above ground for future planting by building a box around the root system and adding some temporary soil to the inside of the box for stability. A drip irrigation system can keep them watered.

A general rule is that after planting, the roots take a year of recovery for each inch of trunk diameter. That means a 2-inch-thick tree (at around 4 feet of height) takes two years to recover from transplanting. You will need to water and fertilize them for several years as they recover.

If they must be dug while they have leaves, the root ball will need to be much larger than the dormant ball size listed above. If the trees don't have to be moved immediately, then this spring, prune the root system by digging around the ball in several locations within the diameter of the future ball that will be dug to move them. The pruned roots will have more branches growing within the future root ball, which will produce better results. Then the trees can be dug this fall after the leaves fall off, or at least after they have begun having fall color.

It is more important to get roots than soil. There are arborist companies that use wind power and high-powered nozzles to blow the soil away from the tree's root system. They can get many feet of roots in all directions if they are careful, and the tree can be moved in the summer.

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at [email protected]. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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