Have you changed the location of your barberries? Then familiarize yourself with the correct procedure here. These instructions explain in practical terms when and how to properly transplant Berberis species.
How should you properly transplant a barberry?
To successfully transplant a barberry, choose autumn as the ideal time, prepare the new location with spacious pits and cut the plant back by 30-50%. After transplanting, ensure adequate water supply and stabilization if necessary.
Best transplanting date is in autumn
In the fall, ornamental gardens are busy. As the season draws to a close, it is the best time to plant and transplant woody plants, such as the popular barberries. The plants are now sinking into a Sleeping Beauty sleep, which facilitates regeneration until next spring.
Proper preparation is half the battle – here’s how it works
Selecting a date professionally is the first step for perfect preparation for transplanting a barberry as a solitary plant or hedge. To ensure that the change of location is successful, please pay particular attention to these measures:
- Dig one or more spacious pits at the new location
- Enrich one third of the excavated soil with compost or bark humus
- Cut back barberry by 30 to 50 percent before digging up
The aim of pruning is to proportionally compensate for the amount of roots lost during digging. Otherwise, an imbalance will arise between leafy branches and roots as supply lines, leading to fatal growth depression.
Transplanting barberries in an exemplary manner – this is what you should pay attention to
Following the recommended preparation measures, the sweaty part of the work begins. Use a spade to cut the root area all around. The radius ideally corresponds to the crown diameter of the barberry. Now loosen the bale with a digging fork. Cut off any excess root strands to create a compact, manageable ball.
Now lift the plant out of the ground. To dig out a voluminous root ball, helping hands are now an advantage. Armed with a shovel (€4.00 on Amazon), the helpers spread themselves around the bush. Together, the tree is lifted out of the ground and placed in a waiting wheelbarrow. A linen bag placed over the top prevents the soil in the bale from being lost during transport.
Plant the barberry in the new location just as deep as before. Tamp the soil firmly and water. In a location exposed to wind, we recommend stabilizing the transplanted shrub with a support post.
Tip
The pivotal point in the care program after a change of location is an adequate water supply. Evergreen barberry in particular is at risk from drought stress after transplanting until the lost root volume has regenerated.
