How to Dig Up a Shrub
- 1). Soak the ground around the base of the plant with water the day before you plan to move the shrub to soften the ground. Wait a day for it to dry slightly to avoid working in mud and compacting your soil.
- 2). Lay out a large burlap cloth near the shrub. Sink the spade deep into the soil roughly 2 to 3 feet from the base of the plant at a sharp angle and pull back on the handle, feeling for the tug of the shrub's roots in the soil. Work your way around the plant in a similar fashion to cut the shrub's outer roots.
- 3). Sink the spade well under the shrub and push forward, cutting roots as you go, but try to keep the root ball as large as possible if transplanting. Lift the shrub from the ground with the spade to see if any roots are still attached. Cut any remaining roots with the spade.
- 4). Lift the shrub from the hole and set it in the middle of the burlap cloth. Pull the cloth around the root ball, securing it with garden twine. Place the shrub in the wheelbarrow and, if transplanting, move it to its new location.
- 5). Dig a large hole in the shrub's new location if transplanting, using the spade. Remove the twine and burlap from the shrub and set the shrub in the middle of the new hole. Step back and look at the shrub from a distance and reposition if necessary.
- 6). Backfill around the shrub with loose soil, pressing on it with your hands to remove air pockets. Mound the soil in a circle around the base, forming a dam to retain water. Water well to avoid transplanting stress. Water regularly over the next few weeks until the relocated shrub is well-established in its new location.
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