Can You Transplant Arborvitae? A Step-by-Step Guide

Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis and related species) transplant well compared to many other evergreens, provided you time the move correctly and keep the root ball intact. Their relatively shallow, fibrous root systems make them forgiving candidates for relocation, whether you are shifting a single tree across the yard or rescuing a row from a construction zone. The process is straightforward, but the details around root-ball sizing, watering, and post-transplant care determine whether the tree thrives or spends a year or more in visible decline.

Best Time to Transplant

Early spring and early fall are the two reliable windows. In spring, aim for the period after the ground has thawed but before new growth pushes out, typically when daytime temperatures hover in the low to mid-50s Fahrenheit. The tree is still semi-dormant, so the shock of root disturbance is lower, and the whole growing season lies ahead for recovery. In fall, the ideal window is roughly six weeks before the ground freezes. Root growth continues in cool soil even after the canopy stops growing, giving the tree time to anchor into its new location before winter.

Summer transplanting is possible but risky. High temperatures push water demand up at exactly the moment the compromised root system is least able to supply it. If you must move an arborvitae in July or August, plan on aggressive watering for weeks afterward and accept that some foliage browning is almost inevitable. Winter moves are sometimes done with frozen root balls and heavy equipment for large specimens, but that is a professional operation, not a weekend project.

How Big the Root Ball Should Be

The general rule for balled-and-burlapped trees is roughly ten to twelve inches of root-ball diameter for every inch of trunk caliper, measured about six inches above the soil line. For arborvitae, which tend to have slender trunks relative to their height, many growers translate this into a simpler guideline: a root ball about two-thirds the spread of the canopy dripline. A five-foot-tall arborvitae with a two-foot canopy spread needs a root ball roughly fifteen to eighteen inches across. For a mature specimen eight feet tall or taller, you are looking at a root ball that can weigh several hundred pounds, which changes the logistics considerably.

Undersizing the root ball is the most common mistake. Arborvitae roots spread laterally more than most people expect, and cutting too close to the trunk severs a disproportionate share of the absorbing roots. A tree that looks fine the day you replant it can decline over weeks as the reduced root mass fails to keep up with the canopy’s water demand. Oversizing, on the other hand, makes the ball heavier and harder to move but rarely hurts the tree. When in doubt, go wider.

Digging and Moving the Tree

Start by watering the tree deeply a day or two before digging. Moist soil holds together around roots far better than dry soil, and a hydrated tree copes with the stress of transplanting more effectively. Mark a circle on the ground at your target root-ball diameter, then cut straight down with a sharp spade all the way around. Once the perimeter is cut, angle the spade under the ball from the outside to sever the bottom roots. The goal is to free the ball without crumbling it apart.

For small arborvitae under four feet, you can often tip the root ball onto a tarp and drag or carry it to the new hole. For anything larger, wrap the ball in burlap and tie it with twine before lifting. Never grab the trunk to lift or drag the tree. The weight of a soil-filled root ball can strip bark and damage the root-trunk junction if the trunk bears the load. Use the burlap wrap or a sling under the ball itself.

If the new hole is not ready yet, keep the root ball in shade and mist it periodically. Exposed roots dry out fast, especially on a breezy day. Even an hour of sun and wind on bare roots can kill fine absorbing root tips that the tree needs for recovery.

Planting Depth and Backfilling

Dig the new hole about twice as wide as the root ball but no deeper. The top of the root ball should sit level with or slightly above the surrounding grade. Planting too deep buries the root flare and can lead to trunk rot and girdling roots over time. Research on transplanted trees has found that nursery planting depth had no impact on growth in the first couple of years after landscape planting, but deeper planting creates long-term structural problems that show up later as the trunk tissue below grade stays perpetually wet.¹

Once the tree is positioned, remove any burlap, twine, and wire baskets. Synthetic burlap does not decompose and will strangle roots if left in place. Even natural burlap should be cut away from the top and sides of the ball. Backfill with the original soil you dug out. Adding a heavily amended backfill mix can create a “bathtub effect” where water pools in the amended zone because it drains differently from the surrounding native soil. Firm the soil gently as you fill to eliminate large air pockets, but avoid stomping, which compacts the soil and reduces aeration.

Watering Through the First Year

Water is the single biggest factor in whether a transplanted arborvitae lives or dies. A severed root system absorbs less water than it did before the move, yet the canopy still loses moisture through its foliage at roughly the same rate. Closing that gap with supplemental irrigation is the core task of the first growing season.

Research on transplanted Thuja occidentalis found that height growth was heavily dependent on water availability. Trees under moderate water stress showed a roughly 57% reduction in height growth, and those under high stress lost about 80% of their growth compared to well-watered trees.² That does not mean you need to flood the tree. Arborvitae dislike waterlogged soil almost as much as drought. The target is consistently moist soil around the root ball, not saturated soil.

A practical schedule: water deeply two to three times per week for the first month, then taper to once or twice a week through the rest of the growing season, adjusting for rainfall. A slow trickle from a garden hose at the base of the tree for twenty to thirty minutes delivers water to the root zone without runoff. Soaker hoses or drip rings work well too. Check the soil moisture by pushing a finger or a screwdriver into the soil near the root ball. If it slides in easily and the soil feels damp a few inches down, you are on track. If it meets resistance and the soil feels dry, water more.

Broader research on conifer transplant shock confirms that soil moisture stress is one of the primary drivers of poor post-transplant performance. Terminal growth, stem diameter growth, and needle length all increased dramatically with adequate soil moisture in transplanted seedlings, and trees with larger root volumes were better able to avoid shock after planting.³ The takeaway for arborvitae: a bigger root ball and consistent watering are the two most reliable defenses against transplant shock.

Mulching the Root Zone

A ring of organic mulch around the newly planted arborvitae does several jobs at once. It holds moisture in the soil, moderates soil temperature swings, suppresses weeds that would compete for water, and gradually feeds the soil biology as it breaks down.⁴ Shredded bark, wood chips, or composted leaves all work. Spread the mulch two to four inches deep in a ring that extends out to the dripline or beyond, but keep it pulled back several inches from the trunk. Mulch piled against the bark holds moisture against the trunk tissue and invites fungal decay and rodent damage.

Avoid dyed rubber mulch or stone. Rubber does not break down and adds nothing to the soil, and stone heats up in summer, which bakes the shallow roots arborvitae depend on. Plain organic material is better in every practical way for a recently transplanted evergreen.

Whether Mycorrhizal Inoculants Help

Mycorrhizal fungi form partnerships with plant roots, extending the root system’s reach into surrounding soil and improving uptake of water and nutrients, especially phosphorus. For transplanted arborvitae, the question is whether adding a commercial mycorrhizal product at planting actually makes a measurable difference. The evidence suggests it can.

A study on transplanted emerald cedar (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’) found that trees inoculated with a consortium of mycorrhizal fungi showed significantly less midday water stress and recovered overnight more effectively than untreated trees.⁵ Separately, research on Thuja occidentalis seedlings grown in peat soil showed that mycorrhizal inoculation without any fertilizer improved all growth parameters and boosted phosphorus uptake, performing about as well as fertilizer alone.⁶

In practical terms, this means dusting the root ball with a granular mycorrhizal product at planting is a low-cost, low-risk step that may speed establishment. It is not a substitute for watering, but it can take some of the edge off the transplant shock period, particularly in nutrient-poor or sandy soils where the tree needs help scavenging water and phosphorus. Avoid applying heavy doses of synthetic fertilizer at the same time, since high phosphorus levels in fertilizer can suppress the fungi and negate the benefit.

Staking and Wind Protection

Arborvitae are naturally columnar and can catch a lot of wind, especially the taller cultivars like ‘Green Giant’ or ‘Emerald Green.’ A freshly transplanted tree with a reduced root ball is less anchored than it was before the move, and a strong windstorm in the first few months can rock the root ball enough to tear new root growth and delay establishment.

Staking is not always necessary for shorter specimens under five feet, but for taller trees or those in exposed locations, some temporary support makes sense. Research on tree stabilization methods found that trunk diameter growth was actually reduced in trees secured with above-ground guying systems compared to trees staked with belowground systems, tall wooden stakes, or even unstaked controls.⁷ The likely explanation is that rigid guying restricts the trunk’s natural flex in the wind, which the tree needs to build taper and structural wood. A loosely tied two-stake system that allows some trunk movement is generally better than a taut three-wire guy setup.

Whatever system you use, remove it after one growing season. Stakes left in place for years can girdle the trunk, create entry points for disease, and leave the tree permanently dependent on the support instead of building its own anchorage.

Recognizing Transplant Shock

Some degree of transplant shock is normal. The foliage may look slightly dull or off-color for a few weeks, and the tree will likely put on less new growth in its first season than it did before the move. Those are expected responses and not cause for alarm.

Warning signs that the tree is struggling more seriously include widespread browning of interior foliage that progresses outward, drooping branch tips that do not recover overnight, and foliage that turns brown and becomes brittle rather than simply yellowing. If you see these, the most common culprit is insufficient water. Before reaching for fertilizer or other products, increase watering frequency and check that mulch is in place. Fertilizing a water-stressed tree can actually worsen the problem by pushing top growth the roots cannot support.

A tree that loses more than about a third of its foliage in the first season may survive but will look thin for several years. Arborvitae can regenerate interior foliage over time if the growing tips remain alive, but recovery is slow. Patience and consistent watering are the best medicine. Pruning off dead interior branches too aggressively can leave permanent gaps, because arborvitae do not bud back well from old, bare wood.

Field-Grown vs. Container-Grown Trees

Most arborvitae sold at garden centers are grown either in the ground (field-grown, typically sold as balled-and-burlapped) or in containers filled with soilless growing mix. The production method matters for transplanting because it affects root structure and post-transplant performance. A broad review of nursery production systems noted that each method offers distinct advantages for production and installation, and that post-transplant survival responses vary by species.⁸

Field-grown arborvitae generally develop a more natural root architecture, with roots radiating outward through native soil. When you dig one of these trees, you are cutting through roots that have been growing unimpeded in all directions. The intact root ball contains a portion of the original soil, and the roots transition smoothly into the surrounding ground after replanting. Research on post-transplant anchorage showed that field-nursery trees required more force to tip their trunks than container-grown trees one year after staking was removed, suggesting better root establishment.⁷

Container-grown trees, on the other hand, tend to have circling roots shaped by the pot wall. If you buy a container arborvitae and see a dense mat of roots swirling around the outside of the root ball, score the sides with a knife or gently tease the outer roots loose before planting. Left uncorrected, circling roots can girdle the trunk years later as they thicken. Container trees did show slightly more trunk diameter growth than field-grown trees in the same study, possibly because the soilless substrate is lighter and roots encounter less resistance initially. But the long-term anchorage advantage went to the field-grown specimens.

How Big Is Too Big to Move

Homeowners regularly transplant arborvitae up to about six or seven feet tall by hand. Beyond that, the root ball becomes heavy enough to require a tree spade (a truck-mounted device that cuts and lifts a conical root ball in one motion) or at minimum a crew with a hand truck and straps. Professional tree-moving companies routinely relocate arborvitae in the ten-to-fifteen-foot range. The science of mature tree transplanting supports the practice, though the larger the tree, the more critical root-ball sizing and aftercare become.⁹

The practical ceiling has less to do with the tree’s biology and more to do with logistics. A twelve-foot arborvitae with an appropriately sized root ball can weigh over a thousand pounds. You need equipment to move it, a truck to haul it, and a hole large enough to receive it. If the tree has to pass through a gate, go around a building, or cross a slope, each obstacle multiplies the difficulty. For very large specimens, root pruning several months before the move can help. The idea is to sever roots at the planned root-ball perimeter, which stimulates new fibrous root growth closer to the trunk. When you dig the tree later, more of the active absorbing roots travel with it.

There is no firm upper limit on transplanting arborvitae, but the cost-benefit math shifts as the tree gets larger. Moving a fifteen-foot arborvitae professionally can cost several hundred dollars or more, and the tree still faces a recovery period where it may look worse than a freshly planted six-footer from a nursery. If privacy screening is the goal, sometimes planting smaller trees and waiting a couple of years is both cheaper and less risky than relocating a mature specimen.

Common Mistakes That Kill Transplanted Arborvitae

Beyond the underwatering and deep planting discussed above, a handful of recurring errors account for most post-transplant failures:

• Fertilizing too soon: The impulse to feed a stressed tree is understandable but counterproductive. A heavy dose of nitrogen fertilizer at planting pushes soft new foliage that the damaged root system cannot hydrate. Wait until the tree has been in the ground for at least a full growing season before applying fertilizer, and even then, go easy.
• Leaving burlap on: Natural burlap decomposes slowly, and synthetic burlap does not decompose at all. Either type left wrapped around the root ball restricts root expansion into surrounding soil. Remove it, or at minimum fold it down below the soil surface.
• Planting in poorly drained soil: Arborvitae tolerate a range of soils, but they do not tolerate standing water around their roots. If the new site holds water after rain, amend the drainage or choose a different spot.
• Watering the foliage instead of the roots: Overhead sprinklers wet the canopy and encourage fungal disease while delivering surprisingly little water to the root zone. Direct your irrigation at the base of the tree.

Each of these mistakes is avoidable with a little planning, and avoiding them collectively matters more than any single advanced technique. A transplanted arborvitae in the right hole, at the right depth, with consistent water and a layer of mulch has every reason to reestablish within a year or two and resume normal growth.