Is transplant shock is unavoidable? Not really! Transplant shock can continue for years while unacceptable, is very common. Trees that have had their roots cut during the transplanting must reestablish an adequate root system before the entire plant can begin normal growth. This can take years. During this period “shock” is normal and you may observe stress symptoms. Typically, field-grown trees that are B&B or machine harvested retain on 10% of their original root system in the soil ball or less. As a rule, the transplant shock period lasts one year for every one inch of stem caliper. That's why you may get better performance with smaller trees over time than planting large caliber trees.
Even trees that have been container grown and could retain 100% of their root system suffer some transplant shock. These trees are also susceptible to root girdling. They have been grown in potting soil and now are placed into the harsher environment of the new landscape.
Bare-root harvested trees usually have a higher percentage of their roots dug with the plants, and often experience milder transplant shock. But sometimes the roots are twice as long as the height of the seedling out of the ground and thus require root pruning. However, bare-rooted trees can dry out faster and thus can have transplanting problems of their own.
Causes of Transplant Shock
a.)improper handling, dropping root balls, rolling balls around long distances instead of using a cart.
b.)allowing the roots to dry out.
c.)transplanting the plants to a poor quality site
d.) excess removal of roots in harvesting which hampers the plant from taking in water and nutrients.
What You may See
a.)overall growth stunted or wilt
b.)early leaf drop
c.)early leaf coloring
d.)marginal flowering and twig die back
Other factors that have effects on plants in transplanting is the new location and how different is it from where the plant came from. If the plant came right out of a greenhouse and is transplanted into your landscape it will not have the same light, wind, watering, protection and drainage. Always try to buy plants that appear to come from similar surroundings. That's why I always prefer field grown nursery stock. I feel that these plants have a better survival rate because more planting variables are not present.
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