How to Move Highbush Blueberries

Locate a well-draining site with full sunlight and a soil pH between 4.5 and 5.2. Amend the soil six to eight months before transplanting the highbush blueberry. Till the soil to a depth of 8 to 10 inches and add 2 inches of organic matter such as compost, aged sawdust or peat moss. Also, add 1 lb. of ground sulfur per 100 square feet to lower soils with a higher pH by half a pH unit.

Wind a length of masking tape around the blueberry stem at soil level to help maintain the same planting depth in the new site.

Dig the soil 24 inches from the main stem of the blueberry bush to determine the diameter of the roots, so you work within the outer limits. Pull out the soil in the shovel and inspect the opening for visible roots. If you locate the roots, move the shovel 5 to 6 inches further away from the stem and continue to dig a trench all around the plant so you expose all the roots.

Push the shovel in the soil at an angle all the way around the trench to loosen the root ball from the planting hole. Work slowly and carefully so you damage as few roots as possible. The plant eventually begins to wiggle in the soil.

Grasp the stem of the highbush blueberry and pull it out from the soil. Cover its root ball in moist burlap to keep it from drying as you transport it in a wheelbarrow to the desired planting site.

Dig a hole two times as wide as the root ball but equally deep, so the masking tape falls directly above soil level. Lower the plant in the hole so it rests evenly over the base, and spread its roots in all directions.

Cover the roots of the highbush blueberry with soil until level with the surrounding surface. Tamp the soil with your hands to remove trapped air, and add more soil if necessary until level with the surrounding.

Water the planting site deeply using a soaker hose. Continue watering to a depth of 6 inches every three of four days for the first month to prevent the bush from going into transplant shock.