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Can I transplant Kousa dogwood now?

greenhavenrdgarden

12 years ago

A friend of mine has a young Kousa dogwood she needs removed and has said I could come take it for my garden. It's a tree I have been dreaming of for my yard. I live in CT and we've have had an unusually warm winter. The ground is still soft and workable. Can I transplant it now or will I kill it? Any advice if I can transplant? It's about 5 ft tall, a young tree but it's free so the price is right :) Thanks in advance for any help.

Laura

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Comments (7)

denninmi
12 years ago
If it won't be there in a couple of months, I would try it, taking as large of a soil mass as possible, and mulching the ground heavily after you replant it. It will probably work if you can get a good root mass without too much disturbance.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
its dormant.. it wont care..

proper replanting and aftercare is the issue ...

insure it stays dormant ... no leaving it on the driveway in the sun for days ... dig new hole first.. go get it.. dump it in ASAP ...

if you have proper drainage.. water it in ...

mulch it very heavily as denni notes ... remove excess in late winter ...

go for it ..

you are COMPLETELY responsible for deep through watering with near drying in between all next summer ..

i could not really do it now due to frozen earth ..

might not hurt to protect it from wind in winter .... a few stakes and some burlap ...

ken
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one should always presume.. they get healthy plants from dealers ... thats kinda the whole point of plant inspectors etc ... you planted it less than 2 weeks ago .. the ONLY thing it could be is.. transplant shock .. could be sunburn associated with the shock .. you and your neighbor have been busy if he cut the tree down in the last two weeks ... whats your base soil ... does it really drain all that rain??.. did you amend the hole with a lot of peat product??? whats the kite string for .. the neighbor on the other side??? .. lol.. that is a shipping stake.. not a proper tree stake ... pic of the whole if you want help with that ... i wouldnt be overly concerned about some leaf coloration.. i would simply make sure it is PROPERLY watered for this and next year ... i dont know if i would move it.. how many hours of sun does it get.. and at what hours of the day?? ken
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The only reason I asked is that both plants are on the "best to transplant in spring". ==>>> what is the source of this knowledge.. if its some guy in warm z6 or hotter.. it is correct.. Really?? Sez who?? Most horticulturists concur that fall is an almost ideal time for planting and transplanting trees and shrubs regardless of location. Soil temperatures remain warm well into early winter, air temperatures moderate, rains become more frequent and roots are very active at this time of year. All of these factors combine to hasten and encourage establishment before the onset of winter and the trials of the next growing season. Exactly when in fall this should or can be done is somewhat more dependent on location. One should allow about 6 weeks before the first hard frost or temperatures that dip below 28F for a sustained period. After that, soil temperatures cool sufficiently to limit significant root growth. If soils don't freeze to any significance (zones 7, 8 and above), one can continue planting and transplanting throughout winter......root growth and development is still present but to a greatly reduced degree.
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I don't think dogwoods are nearly as hard to transplant as some other types of trees. Maybe they are not as easy as some. In this case (where the tree was only planted last year), I think it will be easier to move than a field grown specimen. Here is a rough/generic rootball size guide for transplanting trees and shrubs. Soil type, tree species, and other factors are not taken into account, but it will give you an idea: For trunk diameter below 1/2", multiply the diameter by 20 to get approximate rootball diameter. For trunk diameter between 1/2" and 1", multiply the diameter by 18 to get approximate rootball diameter. For trunk diameter between 1" and 1-1/2", multiply the diameter by 16 to get approximate rootball diameter. For trunk diameter between 1-1/2" and 2-1/2", multiply the diameter by 14 to get approximate rootball diameter. For trunk diameter between 2-1/2" and 4", multiply the diameter by 12 to get approximate rootball diameter. Here are guidelines for rootball depth: For a rootball with a diameter of 1', depth should be approximately 8". For a rootball with a diameter of 2', depth should be approximately 1'. For a rootball with a diameter of 3', depth should be approximately 15". For a rootball with a diameter of 4', depth should be approximately 18".
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i would start trimming it up .. if that is your goal .. and ignore the top ... its sorting itself out.. in tree years ... i would let it ... ken
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taxo_man
12 years ago
I also live in Connecticut. Due to our mild winter so far, I have also be transplanting trees and conifers of small size. So I would say go for it..
Good Luck.
J
brandon7 TN_zone7
12 years ago
Laura,

Here's a couple of links that will give you more info about the process. The first one is a link to what I think is a pretty good set of instructions about how to plant a tree, and the second is a generic rootball size guide which can help you determine how large you should dig the rootball. There's not a lot of pretty pictures, but, hopefully, you'll find the information beneficial. Just ask if you have any questions.

Planting a Tree or Shrub

Generic Rootball Size Guide
greenhavenrdgarden
Original Author
12 years ago
Wow, thank you for all the help. I like this forum. Good advice and fast. I'm going to go ahead and try to move it. It needs to go soon so I have no choice. I was going to buy one this year so there is no harm in trying. If I don't take it, it will be removed regardless. Thanks again for everything and I bookmarked the links-useful info :)
terrene
12 years ago
I would say go for it too. What have you or the tree got to lose? (except a little time and gas) A 5 foot tree is fairly small and easy to manage. And aren't there people who plant their Christmas trees in late Dec./early Jan?

I transplanted about 20 shrubs and small trees this fall, all the way into December. Many of them were larger than 5 feet. We've had such a mild fall and winter so far! I would probably still be transplanting, except the ground is pretty much frozen now.
Kat2013
10 years ago
This is good info. I also live in CT and have a Kousa dogwood that is about 15 years old. It survived our October snow storm last year, with the heavy wet snow weighing the lower branches down to the ground. It also survived a heavy pruning due to its growth compromising our power lines. Last year, I noticed a small tree growing in the garden under part of the tree. I suspected it might be a Kousa, and this year I was able to confirm that it is. Does anyone know how these trees germinate? One friend thinks that the tree came from the roots, like the aspens do. Another thought one of the fruits germinated the tree. Does anyone know? Thank you for any info. (I will be moving my little one this weekend, I hope it's successful!)

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