The following was received via email: I live in central Florida and have several camphor trees in my yard. I have a couple of small ones about 3 to 4 feet tall. How difficult is it to transplant them and how much root must be dug intact to ensure survival? Do the roots extend out very far from the trunk? Also, when is the best time to transplant?
The general rule of thumb when transplanting any woody plant (tree, shrub, or vine) is that the small/younger the specimen, the greater the success rate will be. If your particular Camphor Trees (Cinnamomum camphora) are approximately 3 to 4 feet tall, they can't have to large of a caliper (diameter), so you SHOULD be alright. Another general rule is that you always want to take a minimum of 11" on soil for every 1" of diameter. Meaning that if your trees are 4" in diameter, you will need a rootball a minimum of 44" in diameter. The depth of every rootball will vary, but you only need to go deep enough to get under the roots.............which is somewhere around 12 to 16" on a typically tree. Camphor's are known to be quite shallow rooted, so you may want to increase your rootball if possible.................the more intact soil that you can take to its new location the better the survival rate! Transplanting when the tree is most dormant, like the present, would be as good a time as any. Transplanters should try to avoid the hot, hot of summer. The damaged root system can not make up for the large quantity of water transpirated and will ultimately succumb to the heat. I hope that you have found this helpful. It's not very often that I give advice on Camphor's up here in southern Canada. With that said, if you have become leary about transplanting, call a local certified/creditable arborist and get another opinion. T. Shane Freeman PS: When dealing with nature, nothing is ensured!
