Hortline question received via phone: About to transplant a four year old Araucaria araucana (monkey puzzle tree) in September. How do I go about doing this? Response: This is a very difficult plant to transplant, in part because of the sharp scales. However, you could spray the entire plant (top AND bottom surfaces) with an anti-transpirant product, such as "Wilt Proof", cut a root ball of approximately 1.5-2ft in diameter and wrap that in burlap. You may also want to wrap the entire tree in burlap so as not to hurt yourself. Be careful not to step on the root ball, and do not let the tree fall over; the tree is quite fragile and if it breaks it likely wouldn't be able to recover. When you dig the new hole, place the root ball at the bottom of the hole and lay open the burlap, so that it is still somewhat protecting the roots of the tree, but not actually interfering. The burlap will quickly disintegrate and you can leave it in there. (You can also take off the burlap that it protecting the branches.) Then fill up the hole and give the tree lots of water. You will need to baby it for the next 2-3 years, and make sure that it gets enough water. This is always a risky process with this tree, so be careful! Good luck! UBC HortLine
