How to Transplant a Eucalyptus Bush

Preparation

• 1

  Test the soil pH in the area to which you will move the eucalyptus to one year before transplanting, just after the threat of frost passes in spring. The area you transplant the eucalyptus to should drain well, receive full sunlight and allow for 5 to 6 feet of spacing on all sides.

• 2

  Work the soil 12 inches deep in the area to which you will move the eucalyptus to after you get the results of the soil test, using a spade fork or machine tiller for the task. Spread dolomitic lime or elemental sulfur over the planting area as needed to modify the soil pH to between 4.5 and 7.5. Use 2 pounds of dolomitic lime per 25 square feet -- the area needed for each eucalyptus -- to raise the pH by one point, and use 1/4 pound of elemental sulfur per 25 square feet to lower the pH by one point.

• 3

  Work the sulfur or lime into the soil 8 to 12 inches deep, using a spade fork for the job. Water the planting area with 1 to 2 inches of water if you don’t expect rainfall for a few days. Allow one year for the sulfur or lime to modify the soil pH to the ideal range.

• 4

  Dig 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 feet deep in the ground around the eucalyptus’s main stem, using a sharp spade for the task. Keep a distance of 3 to 4 feet from the main stem on all sides when digging. You want only to sever the roots at this point, not uproot the shrub. Root pruning a year before transplanting makes the eucalyptus less bulky, which makes moving it easier and eases the stress of transplant shock.

• 5

  Water the eucalyptus enough to keep the top 1 or 2 inches of soil moist at all time to prevent the roots from drying out until you transplant it in spring. Mulch the soil around the eucalyptus with 3 or 4 inches of pine needles, shredded leaves or bark chips in winter to help prevent the roots from freezing.

Transplanting

• 6

  Dig a 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-foot-deep, 6- to 9-foot-wide hole in the area to which you will transplant the eucalyptus one year after you modify the soil pH, just after the threat of frost passes in spring. Use a spade or shovel to dig the hole, and place the excavated soil in a wheelbarrow and add an equal amount of compost.

• 7

  Mix the compost and soil by hand, and remove any debris from it. Scoop the mixed soil from the wheelbarrow, and place it by the hole. Line the wheelbarrow with a few layers of cardboard or bubble wrap, and take it to the eucalyptus tree you will transplant.

• 8

  Water the soil around the eucalyptus enough to reach the roots, or about 12 inches deep. Dig 1 1/2 feet deep in the soil around the perimeter of the eucalyptus, pushing through the soil in the same spot you root pruned the year earlier, using a sharp spade or shovel for the job.

• 9

  Insert the shovel in the seam in the ground, and rock it back and forth to loosen the root ball after you dig around the eucalyptus.

• 10

  Work the spade or shovel under the eucalyptus’s root ball to fully loosen it from the soil. Enlist a helper to grasp and pull the main stem while you lift the root mass from the hole with the shovel.

• 11

  Place the root ball in the wheelbarrow as soon as you lift it from the ground, and wrap it with several layers of moist burlap cloth. Take the eucalyptus to the recently dug hole.

• 12

  Remove the burlap, and place the root ball in the hole. Add or remove soil under the root ball as needed so that the eucalyptus sits at the same level it did before you transplanted it. Backfill the hole around the eucalyptus with the soil and compost mix, and walk on it to tamp it down firmly. Water the soil you planted the eucalyptus in to a depth of 1 1/2 feet.

• 13

  Mulch around the eucalyptus with 3 or 4 inches of pine needles, shredded bark or bark chips after watering. Wait one year before fertilizing the eucalyptus.