Transplanting Trees and Shrubs

May 11, 2009 - PRLog -- Whenever trees and shrubs are purchased and planted, they are being transplanted. These plants are often field-grown and harvested bare-root (without any soil), balled and burlapped (ball of soil and roots wrapped in burlap), or containerized (after being harvested bare-root).

Trees and shrubs harvested in nurseries are often grown using special cultural practices, such as root pruning, to prepare them for eventual harvesting and transporting to the sales area. Field-grown nursery plants may have 75% of their root system intact after they are dug, whereas trees and shrubs dug from the wild or established landscape plantings may only have 25% or less of their root system intact.

Woody plants that are transplanted in the landscape often do not undergo any of the special procedures used in nurseries before the day they are transplanted. The increased stress on these unprepared plants can make the difference between an attractive, healthy plant and an unsightly, declining tree or shrub. Nursery stock grown in containers is often much more tolerant to transplanting than field-grown or established trees and shrubs. For additional information on selecting and planting nursery-grown stock, see NDSU Extension Service Circular H-531, Planting Trees and Shrubs.

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