How to Move a Persimmon Tree

The common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) can only be transplanted readily when it is one to two years old, so if you have a mature persimmon tree, you're stuck with it. The tree's extended tap root is quite long and difficult to uproot in all but young trees. Move your persimmon tree in the spring. Work on a cool or cloudy day to minimize stress on the tree. Your patience and hard work will be rewarded with fresh persimmons come fall.

Shovel
Wheelbarrow

Instructions

- 1
  Select a site that works well for your new persimmon tree. Persimmon trees average 30 to 60 feet tall, so choose site that allows your tree room to grow fully. They are shade tolerant but grow best in full sun.
- 2
  Dig your tree out from its old location. Dig around the tree with a shovel, starting about 24 inches from the trunk. Work down and around the roots to gather the roots into one clump below the tree. Continue digging to expose the full taproot, then grasp your tree by the trunk and pull it out of the ground.
- 3
  Place the tree in a wheelbarrow and wheel it over to the new site.
- 4
  Dig a hole that's 4 times as wide as 1 1/2 times as deep as your tree's root ball to accommodate the oversized taproot on a persimmon tree.
- 5
  Place your tree in the new hole so it sits vertically straight with the root at the same depth as it was planted originally. Look for a horizontal soil line to tell you how far the soil came up; the tree trunk will be darker where it was buried and lighter above the soil line.
- 6
  Push a small amount of dirt into the hole to secure the root ball, then fill the hole with water.
- 7
  Allow the water to drain and fill the hole the rest of the way with dirt.
- 8
  Water the transplanted tree thoroughly, until the soil becomes saturated.

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