How do i safely transplant my trees?

Question

I have 20 baby colorado blue spruce seedlings, a meyer spruce seedling, and a windmill palm tree seedling, and we are moving in january, so i would like to dig them all up, and start them in the house, i could buy four large pots, and put 5 trees in each, but will they go through shock if i put them in miracle grow? they are turning yellow anyway, so what would be the safest way about going about this? please let me know.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Plants do not like their roots disturbed, but you could dig up the plants and give them the soil from the ground so they feel they are still somewhat in the ground. Good luck. I know these trees are pretty hardy

Answer 2

Transfer as much of the root ball and native soil as you can. If they are yellowing now it is probably a sign of a deficiency. I would hit them with a fertilizer and try to get them as healthy as you can before you dig them up. If you add potting mix when you transplant, be sure that you are watering the root ball and not just the new soil around it. Water won't transfer from one soil (the more porous potting soil) to a different soil (the native soil) unless it is saturated. That's why so many newly transferred plants don't make it. You think that you are watering it sufficiently when in reality the soil containing the roots stays bone dry.

As for the palm, completely different story. They have a different root system. (They are monocots with a fibrous root system) Even very tall trees can survive transplant with the roots cut to within a foot of the trunk.

Just make sure that your trees get adequate water. Once the roots dry out they will be toast.