Trees, Shrubs and Conifers: So you want to transplant that shrub?, 1 by ViburnumValley

ViburnumValley wrote:
After circumnavigating the plant once, it is time to start expanding the trench around the rootball so that the plant can eventually be extricated.

One can do this by digging out soil, a little at a time so that (again) the final rootball is not overly disturbed. If a deep cut has been made all the way around the ball, then one can shovel out scoops of soil outside of this circle. Placing your digging implement perpendicular to the ball aids in removal of soil and less chance of damaging the rootball. Work all the way around the ball in this fashion. Depth/width will depend on the size of the plant being dug, and the attendant depth of its roots.