Transplant (horticulture)

A horticultural transplant is a plant or tree that grows in one place and is moved to another location. It is sometimes referred to as replanting. Transplanting can be done with new plants grown from seeds or cuttings, or with long-established plants. Even large trees can be transplanted. Transplanting is done for a number of reasons, including starting a new garden or a landscaping project, moving a plant that has grown too large to a better growing location, and moving plants within cultivated areas to better growing locations. Some plants are more suitable for transplanting than others, and there are a number of factors that should be considered to ensure a successful transplant.

Background

A number of different ways to propagate, or grow, new plants exist. Many plants naturally reproduce by generating seeds or spores. Pollen that is produced on a part of a plant’s flower known as an anther travels to a part of another flower that is known as a stigma. This fertilizes the plant and results in seeds; this is known as plant reproduction.

In other cases, plants are reproduced without the need to fertilize and develop seeds. This can be done with cuttings, division, grafting, or layering. Propagation from cuttings and layering involves allowing plant parts such as leaves or stems to grow new roots, resulting in a new plant. Division means splitting a plant that develops more than one crown, or the part of a plant visible above the ground, on one set of roots. Grafting involves taking part of one plant and attaching it to a cut or split in another plant to combine the two.

Any of these propagation methods, including planting the seeds that develop into plant reproduction, result in new plants that will need to be transplanted to a desired location for growing. Additionally, established plants sometimes need to be moved and planted in a new location. This can happen when people buy a new plant from a nursery, when they are redoing the landscaping around their home, or when they want to save a tree or plant that is in a location needed for another purpose or is in some way threatened.

Sometimes, when people find a plant that they like, they take that plant with them when they move to another location. This has happened countless times throughout history. Plants that produced fruit, coffee beans, tea, sugar cane, and more were grown in new locations after explorers found them and took them back to their homelands.

It is not known when transplanting first took place. However, Greek philosopher Theophrastus mentioned moving trees in some of his writings. When Count John Maurice of Nassau was governor of the Dutch colony of Brazil in 1636, he ordered the transplant of as many as seven hundred cacao trees from one location to another four miles away. The trees, some of which were eighty years old, were as high as fifty feet in height and were carried by wagons and rafts for transplantation on a new cacao plantation. In contemporary times, trees are sometimes transplanted with the assistance of trucks and even helicopters.

Overview

While there are many reasons for transplanting a tree or plant, the methods to consider before and during transplantation are similar regardless of the type of plant being moved. The plant to be moved needs to be prepared properly, as does the location where it is being moved. Transplanting is often most successful when plants are moved during their dormant season, such as late fall or early spring. In addition, the plant needs to be treated carefully during the transition to protect it from damage and shock.

One of the most common reasons for transplantation is to start new annual plants—plants that complete their life cycle in one year or season—in a vegetable or flower garden. These plants are often grown from seeds either under lights or in a greenhouse. The seedlings that result have likely been in ideal soil conditions at an optimal temperature, have received appropriate amounts of water, and have been shielded from weather such as wind and heavy rain. To ensure the transplantation is successful, the gardener might opt to use a process called “hardening off.” This involves gradually exposing the plant to the new conditions for short periods each day over the course of about one to two weeks until it is accustomed to its new environment.

When it is time to transplant, it is important to plant in a way that gives the plant the best chance of survival. This means making sure the hole into which it will be planted is large enough to hold the roots. Additionally, the roots of the plant must be loosened so they can more easily spread into their new space. It is also important to take care to set the plant in the ground at the right depth and carefully replace the soil around the roots. Watering well and avoiding unnecessary fertilizer at planting time will help prevent shock and allow the plant to re-establish itself in its new location.

Trees present additional challenges in transplanting. Unless the tree is small and young and has been grown in a pot, it will have to be removed from where it is growing. Large trees have root systems that can extend as far underground as the branches do above ground. When there is time to plan ahead, roots are pruned in advance to help the tree adjust to the transplantation. This pruning is often done several months before moving the tree to encourage the growth of new feeder roots. At transplant time, the branches are pulled up toward the trunk and secured with twine or rope to protect them. Then the tree is dug up so that an appropriately sized root ball comes with it. Charts are available to help determine how large the root ball needs to be; for instance, the root ball size depends on the tree’s trunk diameter and should be large enough to support the root system. The root ball is carefully wrapped with burlap, plastic, or another material to help retain the soil and protect the roots. The tree is then carefully relocated.

At the new location, the ground is prepared by digging a hole larger than the root ball, loosening the soil, and enriching the soil with other nutrients if needed. The tree is then carefully lowered to the correct depth, the root ball is unwrapped, the roots are loosened, and soil is returned to the hole. The tree may be staked or supported with wires and anchors temporarily to help it stay straight as it settles into its new location. It is also important to match the soil type, sunlight, and moisture conditions of the new location to those of the original site. After transplanting, care includes watering properly, applying mulch to retain moisture, and watching for signs of stress such as wilting or leaf drop. For very large trees, professionals may be needed to complete the transplant process.

Bibliography

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Clatterbuck, Wayne K. Successfully Transplanting Established Trees. Agricultural Extension Service, The University of Tennessee, 2023, utia.tennessee.edu/publications/wp-content/uploads/sites/269/2023/10/sp571.pdf. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

A Description and History of Vegetable Substances Used in the Arts, and in Domestic Economy. Vol. 25, Wells and Lilly, 1830, p. 101.

Jauron, Richard, and Aaron Steil. “Addressing Issues with Starting Seeds Indoors.” Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Jan. 2025, hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/2013/03-08/transplants.html. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

“Planting and Transplanting Trees and Shrubs.” The Morton Arboretum, www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-and-plant-advice/horticulture-care/planting-and-transplanting-trees-and-shrubs. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

Shaughnessy, Deborah, et al. “Transplanting Established Trees & Shrubs.” Clemson Cooperative Extension Service, 22 May 1999, www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/shrubs/hgic1055.html. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

“Transplanting Guide.” Woody Plants Database, Cornell University, woodyplants.cals.cornell.edu/collections/urbantrees/3d-transplanting-guide.pdf. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.