Can I take my trees when I move house?

Matt James says: Now is the perfect time to lift apple and pear trees – like all deciduous plants, they’re dormant over the winter and not actively growing. You can lift plants that are bare-root (without any soil on the roots) at this time, but it’s best to dig them up complete with a ball of soil if you’ve not done this before.

First, water the trees well. Then, get a good rootball by working around each tree in a circle, slicing through the roots in a side-to-side motion using the full depth of your spade. The distance away from the stem that you slice depends upon the size of each plant. As a guide, a 1.2m (4ft) high plant should have a rootball of around 40cm (16in) across.

Next, lever up the plant gently, taking care to keep the rootball intact, then pot it up in a big plastic pot and water it thoroughly. Replant your trees in their new home as soon as possible.

Featured in the December 2011 issue of Real Homes