After planting, careful attention should be paid to watering your tree correctly. Too much water which will keep the soil saturated and not allow the trees roots to breathe. Too little water will stress the tree and cause more severe transplant shock.
This causes a great deal of stress on the plant as it tries to reestablish itself. Research has shown that approximately one year of recovery is needed for every inch of tree diameter.
Dig the hole you're moving it to first (nice and big- give those roots room). Consider digging out far more room than you need for the root ball if you have particularly tough soil (compacted or clay) and then adding a nutrient-rich soil in your big hole so the tree has an easy go of it once transplanted.
Give tree roots at least one inch of water per week. Apply a two-to-four-inch deep layer of mulch from the base of the tree to the drip line. Keep mulch five inches away from the trunk. Don't over prune young trees, unless it's to remove dead or damaged branches.
Bear in mind that it is possible to overwater new trees. This is problematic, as new trees need to establish a healthy root system. If the soil is too saturated it can become anaerobic, or lacking oxygen. Roots need oxygen in order to respirate, which is an important metabolic process.
We recommend soaking the root ball slowly with your garden hose, gradually moving the hose around the perimeter of the tree. In addition to soaking the root ball, water the area around the edge of the tree well to encourage outward root growth.
The Weather Is Too Hot or Too Cold. We usually advise against moving a tree in the midst of summer. The heat is already putting significant pressure on the tree. If we add the transplant shock, the chances of the tree surviving in its new location are reduced.
Other symptoms of transplant shock appear as wilting leaves (especially on recent transplants), yellowing, and leaf rolling or curling.
Trees can't keep all of their roots in the move, so your task is to prune roots to establish a new root ball, which will eventually be transported to the new planting site.
In most cases, there aren't many things you can do to help plants recover from transplant shock. After all, transplant shock is, in part, the plant's reaction to rapidly changing environmental conditions. Making any additional changes is only likely to make things worse.
Water newly planted trees every day for 4 or 5 days and then gradually reduce the frequency of watering. When watering, slowly apply water to the root ball and the surrounding soil. A thorough watering every 7 to 14 days (when soil is dry) should be sufficient 4 to 5 weeks after planting.
A dilute, high-phosphorous fertilizer is preferable at transplant. We recommend Neptune's Harvest Fish Fertilizer (2-4-1), which is approved for certified-organic farms, or SeaCom PGR Seaweed Concentrate (0-4-4).
This is known as transplant shock and happens because the plants' roots were likely damaged during the transportation process. Epsom salt can help plants overcome transplant shock.
Trees provided with regular irrigation through the first growing season after transplanting require approximately 3 months (hardiness zones 9-11), 6 months (hardiness zones 7-8), or one year or more (hardiness zones 2-6) per inch of trunk diameter to fully establish roots in the landscape soil.
ROOTING HORMONES - Use Root and Grow anytime you are seeding or transplanting to stimulate early root formation and stronger root development, to help reduce transplant shock, and to promote more vigorous plant growth.
Transplant shock is tough for trees, but not anything they can't bounce back from (as long as you catch it early and help them)! All you need to do is know the symptoms, recovery techniques and time it takes to repair trees.
When daytime temperatures move into the 80s, water newly transplanted plants every other day. Once the air temperature hits the 90-degree mark, check the plants morning and evening, looking for wilted leaves as an indicator of dryness. Initially, a daily watering will be needed for small plants.
Stressed tree symptoms will manifest in a number of ways. Distorted or missing growth, substances or spots on foliage, and lack of vigor are some of the first clues that your tree is stressed.
Early spring (before growth begins) and fall (after leaf drop) are the best times to transplant deciduous trees. Evergreens are most successfully transplanted in early spring and late summer (late August to mid-September).
To minimize damage and improve their chances of survival, dig and move trees with balls of soil adhering to portions of their root systems. The soil should be moist when the plant is dug. If the soil is dry, thoroughly water the area 3 to 4 days before digging.
Plant roots will show more quickly when rooting hormones are used during propagation, however there is no guarantee that plants which haven't been treated with rooting hormones root any slower than those which had been treated.
The two main nutrients that support excellent root growth in plants are phosphorous and potassium. These two ingredients are extremely helpful in any fertiliser mix that needs to encourage a thick, healthy collection of brand-new roots, or to strengthen and stimulate existing systems.