Moving 1 Year old Fruit Trees

Hello All,

Last spring I planted a number of fruit trees, apples, plums, pears. I thought I had picked the perfect location but I am planning to install a natural swimming pond in that area. So I need to move them. Further more I will likely need to store them for a few weeks before transplanting, as I will have an excavator working in the area to dig the pond. Once it's been dug then I will be able to replant them.

I have been told that this should not be a problem. My plan is to dig about 24" around the tree, then use a pitch fork to uproot it keeping the football intact. I will wrap this in a burlap sack and tie it up and the base of the trunk. I will bring all of the trees up near the house and cover them in mulch.  I will keep this all moist until I can replant in a few weeks to a month.

What do people think? Will this be OK?

Thank you!

Hi Richard, and welcome to permies!

The prevailing wisdom regarding moving fruit trees is to do it when they're dormant. If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, that ship has probably sailed and unless you're willing to wait until winter, then keeping the soil around the roots as intact as possible will give you decent results.

Your plan is good...you probably don't even need to go out that far from the trunk if the trees have only been in the ground for a year, and don't forget that soil is heavy. If you can, lift each root ball out and set it on a big piece of burlap, then gather that up and tie it around the base of the trunk to keep the soil in place. When it's time to plant, you can untie the "bag" after you've set each tree in place and leave the material to rot in the earth.

Ok so it sounds like I am on the right path. I am in Ontario Canada, so I guess the trees are just emerging from dormancy. No leaves yet. But I will be moving ahead with this in the next day or two. And hopefully will be able to replant within a few weeks.