Can You Transplant Conifers?

Regularly we get from our readers the question: can I transplant conifers? Perhaps at some point the moment will come when you want to lay out your garden differently and give your conifers, which grow as individual plants in your garden, another location in your garden. Or maybe you’ll move and your conifer hedge will move with you. Whatever the reason, sometimes there is no other way and the trees must necessarily be replanted. If you then follow our tips, then everything will also go well and your evergreen conifers will be in top condition even after replanting!

When can conifers be transplanted?

Many people think that conifers are difficult to transplant. People then immediately think that these hedge plants will surely dry out quickly, and that transplanting them will worsen the condition of these little trees. However, if you proceed properly, then you can avoid your conifers from drying out or being damaged in other ways. First, it is recommended to transplant the conifers at the right time. The best time to do this is when the trees are almost retired. This applies not only to individual plants, but also to an entire conifer hedge. Of course, this also applies to all other varieties of conifers: from the Taxus to the Thuja and from the primeval sequoia to Leylandii conifers. Therefore, August and September are particularly suitable months for planting or transplanting conifers. A little earlier or later is also possible, but during frost, however, you should not transplant your conifers.

Transplanting conifers: here’s how you should proceed

Choose a new location for the conifers and then first start digging new planting holes for the conifers in the right place. Once the conifers are dug out of the ground, then they should also be planted back into the ground as soon as possible. The shorter the conifers have to wait to be dug back in, the better for their condition. Dig new planting holes that are large enough. It is recommended that the respective planting holes be at least twice the size of the conifers’ root balls and half as deep. Mix the soil of the planting holes with a decent amount of fresh planting soil. This way, your conifers will also be able to get off to a good start right after transplanting: after all, the hedge plants can really use extra nutrients and minerals after transplanting! But what does a conifer cost?

After that, you can start digging the conifers out of the ground with a spade. However, carefully dig the little trees out of the ground and poke the spade all around the trunk, but you should maintain a sufficient distance from the trunk, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the roots of the conifers. The best you can do is to use twice the diameter of the tree as a guide. Always use a sharp spade to do this gardening job. Poke the spade vertically into the ground when prying the plant out of the ground. Also dig deep enough so you can get the entire root ball out. Conifers in containers are also a pretty option for your garden.

Other tips for transplanting conifers

Do you want to transplant an entire conifer hedge? Then make sure you don’t plant the conifers too close together in the ground when you transplant them. This is because the conifers need enough time to recover after transplanting. To do this, you also need enough space for their roots to continue developing. Another tip is that you should wait a little while after you have transplanted your conifers before pruning them. It is also better to give conifers a good basic fertilizer in the spring. You should also prune conifers again in the spring if you plan to replant them in the fall.

Then we have one last tip for you: take good care of your conifers! Although transplanting conifers is fine, it is of course rather not so good for the plants. Therefore, you should take good care of your conifers. When pruning, make sure that your conifers are slightly narrower in the upper half than in the lower half. This way, after a period with a lot of rain, a conifer hedge can also dry faster everywhere, including the bottom and the inside of the hedge. Also, fertilizing your conifer hedge once a year can improve the condition of your conifer hedge, especially if that hedge has been transplanted before. Conifers are hedge plants that have a wonderful function in your garden: they create a pretty, natural atmosphere en they form an evergreen hedge that is also opaque. With good care, you can enjoy this particularly robust hedge plant for a lifetime: in this way, you can continue to enjoy these wonderful little trees in your garden for many years to come!