I would personally say digging them up to root prune, planting back in the same spot, then digging them back up in the spring to repot would be a bad idea. It seems like it would do more harm than good... when I transplant it's always in the early spring/late fall. I dig them up while dormant and relocate them the same day.

Being that some are 3 years old, I doubt you will be able to get them into 1 gallon pots. Depending on how far away you are moving, why not just dig them up and either repot them next year or drive them to the new location and replant them?

Interesting question but I'm inclined to agree with ricksample. Also would highly recommend the all-at-once moving like rick's saying too. And don't forget, should you elect to simply dig them up and move them when the time is right, to their new permanent homes, you don't need to be digging very deep balls, often more of a wide pancake sort of thing, and that if you get a lot of this, replant it, and water it in good, success is reasonably likely.

Or maybe you do have some reason why that can't work, in which case, never mind!

digging up .. is extremely stressful ...

thinking along that line ... do it as INfrequently as possible ...

i am not going to go any further w/o a few more facts ...

do you have any clue when you might move???

spring or fall.. or next winter ????

when you are targeting.. is important.. as to what i suggest ...

how far are you moving??? .... how will you move them??? ....

is there anywhere else local ... like moms... sissy's ..best friend .... etc ... where you might park them for a season ... as in.. move them now.. sell house.. move.. settle in.. and get them back next fall ...

i would suggest at least a 3 gallon pot ... and i would start going to nurseries.. and see if they have a recycle bin you can get them out of ...

then you will need to get a good potting MEDIA ... no dirt .. if they will be in the pot more than a week ...

and .. having moved 1650 pots when i moved... let me be very clear... no matter what you think.. you arent going to be out there for some time.. to plant them ... as you will have to set up the house ... unless you just happen to buy a new house.. with a prime garden to immediately plant in ...

there is no reason this cant be done.. you are just not thinking about a vast majority of the issues involved ...

we will get you thru it ... if you give us more to go on ... and start by telling us where you are .. and where you are going.. big city names ...

ken

ps: and if any of these are rather cheap.. easy to get plants... may i suggest you leave those behind.. really now.. if you are going to spend $200 bucks on pots.. media... renting a uhaul ... plus your time and labor... it might be a lot easier.. to just set aside $200 and have new ones sent to your new house.... i had to beg 4 friends with trailers to drive 65 miles.. plus maybe $500 in potting media... etc ....

If I were in your situation, my plan would go something like this: First, evaluate the different specimens based on how much they mean to you, then secondly on viability for transplant. Then purchase a number of cheap plastic nursery pots, make sure to get larger sizes (3 gallons or more). Dig up each tree one at a time, placing them in the plastic pots so that the base of the trunk is slightly above the lip. Make sure to choose a large enough pot so that 2 inches or so of space needs to be filled around the root ball. This will allow for up to a two year planting without root issues.

It takes some patience, but the next step is to widen and deepen the original (or possibly new) tree hole so that the re-potted conifer can be set so that the lip of the pot is maybe ü inch below grade in the garden bed. After backfilling, tune up your bedding surface with some new mulch or whatever suits.

Granted this takes quite a bit of work, but I know it would be my course of action. When it comes time to move, inform the buyer some of the garden trees will go missing. This would probably not be an issue for the new owner. Simply pop the trees in pots from the ground, and theyâÂÂll be ready for re-planting at your new home.

IâÂÂm actively using this strategy in order to make for easier transplanting in some of my beds, and think itâÂÂs worth the effort.

i too used skeena's method ... for the trees i wanted to move ...

but you have to have high draining native soil ...

you cant pot a plant.. and then plant ..... pot and all ... in a clay cauldron.. that retains water ...

and to emphasize her words.. the pot must be below the soil ... so it does not heat up in the sun .....

i dont think OP is ever coming back .. lol ..

ken

Thanks for the information. Gives me some things to think about.