Hello friends! Today I will tell you about how I transplanted my Dwarf Alberta Spruce.
1. Transplant in early spring.
To ensure that the transplant goes smoothly, do it in early March. The Dwarf Alberta Spruce should still be in hibernation or just coming out of it.
The best weather for transplanting is a cloudy, cool day. It is best if you transplant in the evening.
Avoid transplanting in the second half of spring when young growth has already appeared on the spruce. Also, never transplant in the summer.
2. Prepare the Dwarf Alberta Spruce for transplanting.
I succeeded in transplanting Dwarf Alberta Spruce using one trick. A week before transplanting, I watered the tree with a liquid multi-purpose fertilizer. The second time I watered it the day before the transplant.
This way, the tree accumulated enough nutrients and water to last until it took root in its new location.
3. Avoid damaging the root ball.
Dig up Dwarf Alberta Spruce very carefully. Leave at least 1 foot away from the trunk, but better if the distance from the trunk is equal to the radius of the crown.
The depth to which you should dig should be at least 1-2 feet. The larger the tree, the deeper you need to dig.
When digging, try to damage the roots as little as possible. When removing the spruce from the ground, hold it by the root ball and not by the crown. The less soil that falls off the roots, the better.
Never soak the roots in a bucket of water. Otherwise, you will wash out the beneficial fungus and the roots, and the plant will have a very hard time transplanting. Do not shake the soil off the roots.
Carefully place the spruce in a wheelbarrow and quickly it to its new location.
4. Plant Dwarf Alberta Spruce at the same level.
Immediately after digging up Dwarf Alberta Spruce, move it to a new location. Do not let the root ball dry out even a little, as otherwise, the spruce may not survive transplanting.
Place the tree no closer than 5 feet to other plants or buildings. The location should have good air movement and be sunny.
As I mentioned earlier, the planting hole should be twice the size of the root ball of the spruce. Place the tree in the hole so that the root ball is level with the ground in the garden. If necessary, fill the bottom of the hole with prepared soil.
Backfill all the free space with a mixture of compost and native soil. Water the spruce with 1-2 gallons of water. If necessary, add more soil to fill in any voids. Lightly tamp the fresh soil with your foot.
5. Use rooting hormone.
I often use rooting hormone powder for cuttings. Once I tried to use it when transplanting a spruce and got a great result.
Before placing the Dwarf Alberta Spruce in its new location, sprinkle some rooting hormone powder into the planting hole. Also powder the root ball a little. As a result, new roots will form faster.
6. Water regularly.
Immediately after planting, water the Dwarf Alberta Spruce with 1-2 gallons of water. The soil should be well saturated with water but should not become a bog.
Keep a close eye on the soil throughout the year. As soon as it is 1 inch dry, water the spruce immediately.
7. Provide shade for the newly transplanted Dwarf Alberta Spruce.
Be sure to create shade for the spruce. This will greatly reduce the water loss of the tree and will help it to take root in a new place.
To create shade, I use a shading net that filters 50% of the sun’s rays. Usually, shade is needed for a month after transplanting. However, if your spruce looks pale and has not produced new shoots, it is better to leave the shade until the fall.
8. Mulch the root zone.
The last thing to do is to mulch the area around the crown. Mulch has many advantages, not least of which is preventing the soil from drying out quickly. Use only organic mulch (compost, pine bark).
The mulch layer should be approximately 1-2 inches thick. There should be a gap of at least 1 inch between the mulch and the spruce’s trunk. Cover the surface around the tree to twice the diameter of the crown.
🌲Do you have any questions? Ask in the comments!🌲
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