Is it Ok to transplant fruit trees if you already planted it

in your garden?

We planted cherry and pear trees this spring and they are doing very well. We are not quite happy with location where we planted and thinking of moving them. Can we do this in fall or should we wait until next spring? Thanks!

If you plan to move those trees, fall is the best time to move them. Take as large a rootball as you can safely handle. Since they went through transplant shock this spring, your trees may not be in peak condition and you don't want to stress them any more than you have to. Have the hole at the new location mostly ready. Since you will have to plant the tree at the same level as it was you may have to dig some more once you have the tree out. Keep the rootball from drying out by covering it while you fine tune the depth and width of the new hole.

Using the shovel, cut straight down to the depth of the shovel all the way around the tree. Just cut, don't try to remove anything. The articles in the links I have included suggest cutting at a distance of 1 foot from the trunk all the way around for every 1 inch diameter of tree. Remove at least 1 shovel length of soil outside the cut all the way around. This gives you room to work around the rootball. It helps if you remember how deep a hole you had to make to place the roots when you planted it this spring because you have to go a little deeper this time. You want to get as much of the roots as possible. After clearing the soil from around the rootball, you may have to repeat the process until you have gone at least 6 - 12 inches beyond the original depth. Remove more soil from around the rootball if you have to. Using the shovel, cut toward the center all the way around under the rootball to sever any roots growing downward. Roll the rootball on its side and wedge the burlap or tarp roll underneath it. Roll the rootball over the burlap to the opposite side and unroll the rest of the burlap out. Straighten the rootball and wrap the burlap around the rootball. Tie it in place. When you are moving the rootball, don't do it by grabbing the trunk and pulling. You may damage the trunk that way. Handle the rootball itself. If you cut a ramp on one side you can get a dolly or a wheelbarrow down into the hole to make it easier to move the wrapped tree. Reverse the process at the new site. I would remove the burlap although some people leave it making sure to remove at least the sides so the burlap doesn't act like a wick to remove moisture from the rootball. The bottom part of the burlap can be left in place and will rot in time. If you are using synthetic material, you will have to remove it completely as it will not rot any time soon. Water the tree well and mulch. Keep the tree moist until it becomes established. DON'T fertilize. Don't drown it either. Use your judgement on deciding when to water. You don't want to let the soil dry out completely.

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/HO-100.pdf
http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/id/id80/id80.htm

I found this in another web site, and though it had some useful information:

Fall tree planting 10-99
Q. When in the Fall would be a good time to plant or replant Plum and Cherry trees? I notice that they are beginning to sell them in the stores. Also, how big do they have to be to survive the winter?

A. Now is a good time to be planting trees. So, from now until the ground freezes is a good time to plant the trees. The trees are now going dormant, so don’t expect or try to encourage growth. The trees you buy should be sold in containers, and it may be necessary to "score" or cut any circling roots at the edge of the root ball. Don’t worry about injuring the tree as you do that. Failure to cut circling roots will be more damaging in the long run. Autumn is the time when much tree root growth occurs, so it is actually an excellent time for planting, and new roots will rapidly be formed to replace any which are cut.

If by "replant" you are referring to transplanting trees which have come up in the wrong places, now is also a good time to transplant them. As you dig them up, you will lose a large percentage of the root system, and now is a good time to transplant them as it is a good time for new root growth. As the air temperatures cool, the soil continues to be warm for a while so much of the activity of the tree moves underground and new roots are produced. The larger the tree transplanted, the greater the percentage of roots which are lost. Smaller trees which lose a smaller percentages of their roots are easier to transplant.

As far as size of trees from the nursery, the same rule of thumb applies - smaller trees reestablish in the landscape more easily. However, it is easier to establish large container grown trees than large trees transplanted from another place in the landscape. Another factor to consider is that a tree has a better chance of survival in the ground (if you provide water if the winter is dry) than it does if it remains in a container through the winter. The soil in a container dries more rapidly, and the roots in a container are subject to greater fluctuations in temperature than the roots of trees in the ground.

Be sure to water the tree once every three or four weeks through the winter unless we have sufficient moisture to keep the soil moist to at least the entire depth of the root ball.

Thank you very much!
I printed all info you posted and will use it as instructions. I do believe the trees will be fine. We bought it in containers and planed in April. We had a few juicy pears even we were told we will not have any this year. (sigh) I hate do this but we are going to move it in October. Thanks, again!