When to Dig Up a Fruit Tree and Transplant It

You need to consider a variety of factors when you transplant a tree. It needs to be handled carefully and planted in a location with conditions ideal for your specific tree species. But regardless of what species you are transplanting, making the move at just the right time will increase your tree's chance of surviving and thriving in its new home.

Time Frame

• The best time to transplant a tree is during the dormant season, sometime after the leaves have fallen and before new buds have grown. Timing is more important for deciduous trees than evergreens, but transplanting during peak growth season -- late spring and summer -- should always be avoided.

Considerations

• The exact time to dig up a tree and transplant it depends on where you live. If you live in the south, you should be able to safely move a tree any time over the winter. In areas where the ground freezes, you should transplant trees in either late fall or early spring; the University of Michigan recommends transplanting trees as soon as the frost has left the ground in spring.

Tips

• To give your trees the best chances of survival, keep the transplanting process as quick as you can. Trees should be dug up (leaving as much soil around the roots as possible) and replanted all in one day. Replant in a hole that is twice as wide as the root ball, but no deeper.