The Whole Art of Transplanting Trees 
WHEN THEY MAY BE SAFELY MOVED AND WHY HOW NURSERY-GROWN TREES ARE HARDENED AGAINST 
THE SHOCK OF TRANSPLANTING—JUST HOW TO AVOID FAILURE IN DOING THE WORK YOURSELF 
by W. R. Gilbert 
T HE PERIOD during which trees and shrubs generally can 
be transplanted with safety extends from the middle of 
October to the middle of April. At this time growth is in abey¬ 
ance, or at any rate, whatever activity may be going on inside, 
there is little or no visible exterior evidence of it. Whenever 
the weather is what is termed open, that is mild and moist, 
planting operations may be actively carried on at any time during 
the period named. There are, how¬ 
ever, circumstances and cases 
which require to be considered 
before a tree or shrub or plant 
of any kind is transplanted. For 
example, in dry weather the soil 
may be too dry for the operation, 
and the plant may suffer through 
the absence of moisture both at 
the root and in the air. On the 
other hand, there may be so much 
moisture in the soil, and rain may 
be falling so frequently, as to favor 
transplanting to an exceptional 
degree. Not only is the “soft¬ 
ness” of the weather propitious, 
but autumn transplanting is fav¬ 
ored by the bygone heat of August 
and September, which has the effect 
of forcing many plants to ripeness 
and to rest unusually early. There 
is danger of this early ripening 
being followed by premature start¬ 
ing in growth; indeed, there are 
often many evidences among hardy 
trees and plants of all kinds that 
this happens. Transplanting has 
the effect of checking and retarding 
growth, and therefore every plant 
that is dug up and planted now or 
at any time before March is likely to 
be favored. 
Deciduous trees and shrubs of 
all kinds or reasonable size, if 
handled with care and judgment, will bear transplanting at any 
time while they are leafless. They can bear the operation even 
before the leaves have fallen or after new growth has started, if 
they are well watered at the root and protected for a little while 
from dry winds. Some plants appear to recover best from root 
disturbance if they are transplanted late as May. Hollies, ever¬ 
green oaks, bamboos, Portugal laurels, magnolias, bays, and a 
few other less well known things never recover satisfactorily if 
transplanted before the middle of May, or just when they are 
about to burst into new growth. The same rule applies to the 
majority of evergreen plants and trees, spring rather than autumn 
planting being most to their liking. 
I here is a great deal more in transplanting than the layman 
would imagine. Too commonly one sees newly planted trees 
and shrubs dying and dead in situations where with proper care 
there should have been no failures. Nurserymen who have a 
reputation to maintain train their young trees and shrubs to bear 
the trials of transplantation by digging them up and replanting 
them again every two or three years. After such treatment 
quite large specimens may be safely transplanted. The training 
means simply the checking of the root growth so as to induce the 
formation of a compact mass of small feeding roots instead of a 
few long woody roots, which are formed when the young trees are 
not lilted, and which have to be cut when transplanting takes 
place. There is, of course, a differ¬ 
ence, often very considerable, be¬ 
tween the price of nursery trees 
that have been lifted every two or 
three years and those which have 
never been disturbed since they 
were first planted. To the inexpe¬ 
rienced the latter may be, and 
often are, better to look at than the 
former, and it is only after the 
planting has been done and the 
first season has been passed that 
the penny-wise and pound-foolish 
policy of the purchaser of cheap 
trees is revealed. The nature of 
the tree should never be overlooked 
while it is passing through the try¬ 
ing ordeal of transplanting. Too 
often valuable trees are spoilt by 
careless packing, by rough hand¬ 
ling during transit by rail or 
otherwise, and by u n reason able 
exposure before they are planted in 
their permanent positions. Where 
proper precautions are taken, trees 
of large proportions can be trans¬ 
planted without suffering appreci¬ 
ably, but where there is no care, 
no feeling for plants while going 
through the process, even small 
examples which with ordinary 
treatment would not have turned 
a hair, will perish by the wholesale. 
When a tree is ready to go into 
its new site, go over the whole root growth systematically and cut 
off with a sharp knife all broken or bruised portions. Spread the 
roots out naturally, that they may occupy as nearly as possible the 
same relative positions to the trunk that they had before being- 
taken up. Fill in gradually with fine soil, working it carefully 
under and about the roots so that no unfilled spaces will remain. 
Put the soil in layer by layer, carefully trampling it until it is 
firmly packed about the roots. Continue this method until the 
hole is filled to within two inches of the level. The remainder of the 
soil should bespread in lightly until the hole is filled to a surface 
level. If the soil is very dry pour in a liberal quantity of water 
before finishing off with the loose soil. There is usually a soil 
mark shown on the bark of the tree or shrub that indicates the 
depth it stood in the forest or nursery, and it should be set as near 
that depth as possible; never more than two or three inches 
lower, and certainly no higher. If these suggestions are followed 
there need be but little fear for a successful planting and growth. 
When putting the tree into its new setting, spread 
the roots naturally, and see that it is neither 
deeper nor higher than it stood before 
