Greetings from Appalachia, where it's basically been spring for the past two weeks, but will return to winter tomorrow (that's okay with me, I'm a snow lover). I have a small, less than a meter tall, A.p. 'Shirazz', (I know there's been lots of controversy on the name, but that's what it was labeled as), that is in an area where a lot of water flows when it rains very hard. So much water, that a small area of the roots are totally submerged for a brief time, as the soil is quick to drain once the rain stops. Thus far the little guy is doing fine, but I feel like it's just a matter of time before the runoff water causes a problem. So I have decided to move it. When is the best time to do so? I would guess now before the roots started growing, but I wanted to get advice from you all who have much more experience than myself. All the best, Kyle
I think that as soon as the ground is no longer frozen would be a great time to move it. Spring rains should get it off to a good start and provide much better odds of continued success than moving it later in the summer. I would say the best time to move a tree, especially larger specimens, is in late fall when the tree loses its leaves. The roots will grow throughout the winter and, assuming you get generous rain and snow through the fall, and the tree will be off to a good start in the spring. Good luck with the Shirazz.
Can you be a bit more specific where you are and what your zone is? In general the best time to transplant/repot is when the buds are swelling, but before they open. You also don't want to do this just before colder weather hits, as a newly transplanted/repotted tree will be more sensitive to temperatures - especially a smaller/younger tree. My advice would be, if you know with reasonable certainty that your temps won't get much below 35/40 for at least a month (?), I'd say you're safe to go ahead. But if there's a chance you'll be below freezing, especially for more than a night or two (or day), I'd hold off. With a pot at least, you have the ability to bring it into the garage, etc, if there's a cold snap; not so much when it's in the ground. I'm in a similar predicament here in northern Alabama: Most of December was relatively warm (50s and up - Christmas was 75), and with the exception of that first weekend/early second week of the new year, we've been 60-70+, so things are really starting to chug along. But, thankfully, temps look to be more seasonal the next 2-3 weeks (30-50), so I'm going to hold off on repotting and planting to be on the safe side.
I'm not too far from you. I'm in the mountains of East Tennessee. Zone 6b/7a. So my weather has been pretty similar to yours, just a little bit cooler.
