How to Transplant Sumac Trees With Ease in 12 Steps

Learning how to transplant sumac trees (Rhus typhina) by yourself is important so that you can keep your trees safe throughout the entire transplanting process. Staghorn sumac is easy to transplant as long as you do it well.

Thankfully, we have written a detailed list of steps that will allow you to transplant your trees like a pro. Learn the steps of transplanting your sumacs by reading this guide!

How to Transplant Sumac Trees

To transplant sumac trees, wait until the best time and then search for the trees nearest you. Water and remove pests from the trees, then move them to their new location with holes already dug. After covering the roots, water your trees and care for them.

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1. Wait for the Best Time to Transplant Your Sumacs

Staghorn sumac trees are quite tender, especially in their growing season. To help eliminate the loss of your trees due to stress and other factors, transplant the trees in their dormant season. The dormant season of sumacs starts in the fall months and ends around early spring. Therefore, you can choose to do the transplanting in the fall or spring months.

If you choose to transplant the trees in the fall, ensure that you do so at least one month before the date of the first frost in your calendar. If you choose to do the transplanting in late winter or early spring, do so just around when the temperature starts warming up for spring.

2. Gather Everything That You Need

To successfully transplant your staghorn sumacs, you need a few items. Some things that you need to successfully transplant your trees are:

• Shovel: You need a shovel to remove your trees from their current location and make holes for them.
• Disinfectant: You have to disinfect your tools so that you won’t harm your trees.
• Pruning shears or knife: If you want to propagate your trees, you need a knife.
• Water: Water your trees before and after transplanting them. Use clean water.
• Fertilizer: If the soil is not very nutritious, you have to fertilize your trees occasionally.
• Substrate: If the soil in your yard is not enough or suitable, add more good soil.

The items above are quite easy to get. After gathering all that you need, move on to the next step.

3. Consider the Temperature Needs of Sumacs

Plants must be grown successfully, and many factors must be considered. To grow smooth sumacs easily, consider their temperature needs. Temperature is important because if plants are not growing at suitable temperatures, they will either grow very slowly or die within a few days after transplanting. Therefore, ensure that the new place has suitable temperatures for your sumacs.

If the new location of your sumacs is not very far from the old one, you don’t have to worry about temperature, as the temperatures in both places will not be significantly different. However, if you are bringing the trees from another region, consider their temperature. The required temperature for sumacs is 60-85 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Consider the Light Needs of Sumacs

You also have to consider the light needs of your smooth sumacs, as light is very important. Trees carry out the process of photosynthesis using light, so if they don’t have sufficient light, they will have stunted growth. This is why their new location must have enough light for them.

Well, you only have to worry about light exposure for young sumacs. When they grow taller than other plants around, you won’t need to worry about light anymore. Therefore, before you transplant the trees, clear out all the shades or objects that can block light from reaching the young trees.

One great way to help your sumacs adapt quickly after you transplant them is to plant them precisely the way they were in their previous location. This means that their front-facing parts should continue facing the front. This will help them get used to the light exposure and other growing conditions in the new environment quickly.

5. Search for Sumacs Nearest You

It is time to search for the sumacs that you want to transplant. If you are collecting sumacs from the wild, ensure that you get approval from the necessary bodies if need be. You can also get sumacs from tree nurseries. One very helpful tip when searching for sumacs and other trees is to search for the ones that are nearest to you.

If you transplant trees from places that are very close to you, you won’t need to worry about most growing conditions, as the trees will already be used to the conditions in the new yard. Therefore, start with the nearest nursery or woods when searching for your trees and only go further when you don’t see the trees you are looking for.

6. Start Preparing the New Location

Before you bring sumacs to a new place, ensure that the place is suitable. You have considered light and temperature, so it’s time to consider the substrate. Is the yard soil suitable for growing sumacs and other trees? If so, you can proceed to digging holes and preparing the trees for transplanting. If not, you have to work on the soil first.

If the soil is not suitable, amend it according to what’s wrong with it. If it is not nutritious enough, add compost and other organic sources of nutrients. For soils that are not aerated or well-drained, add perlite and other ingredients to boost the aeration. You can even add topsoil. After fixing the soil, make your holes as you start preparing your trees for transplanting.

7. Start Preparing the Sumacs for Transplanting

It is time to start preparing your trees for transplanting. Preparing sumacs, especially those in the woods, is essential, as you can’t just go to the woods and bring one home. Start by selecting young trees. Also, go for the ones free from pests and are looking healthy. When you make your choice, water it.

Water your sumacs for at most 12 hours before you transplant them. This will keep the sumacs hydrated and the soil soft. Also, dispel as many pests as you can from the trees. You can also mark the front-facing parts of the tree so that you can plant them exactly the way they were.

Before moving on to the next step, dig a trench just under the drip line of the sumacs. The drip line is the outermost circumference of trees.

8. Carefully Dig Out the Sumacs

It is time to start digging out your sumacs. Dig out the roots, concentrating on the roots inside the trench that you prepared earlier. This will help keep the most important roots of your sumacs safe. Try your best to be very careful with the roots so that you do not harm any. When you have dug out enough roots, try pulling off the young trees from the base.

Remember that the more roots you save, the faster your sumacs will adapt to their new environment and grow successfully. Therefore, don’t forget to be careful with the roots.

9. Plant the Trees in the New Location

It is time to do some planting. If you don’t want to plant the trees yet, cover their roots with soil wrapped in a burlap. Also, cover the roots, especially if you will be transporting the trees from a very distant place. If you’d love to wait a while before you plant the trees, keep them in a cool location free from direct light.

When ready to plant the trees, check that their roots can fit into the holes that you dug earlier. After inserting the roots in the holes, start covering them with soil. Try to eliminate air pockets in the soil while covering the roots. Cover the entire root system and leave no root exposed.

10. Water the Trees

To prevent your trees from getting shocked due to transplanting, you have to water them after covering their roots. Watering them will help spread their roots in the soil and also encourage them to start adapting to the new environment. Watering them will also remove all the air pockets in the soil, helping your trees to grow properly.

Water the trees deeply so that their innermost roots will get water. Ensure that the soil is well-drained so that even if you overwater the trees, you won’t harm them.

11. Fertilize the Trees

If you prepare the soil earlier by mixing it with compost and other sources of nutrients, you don’t have to add fertilizer yet. However, if the soil is not very nutritious, fertilize your trees so that they will have enough nutrients for growth when they start growing. You can use either organic or inorganic nutrient sources.

12. Pay Attention to and Continue Caring for the Trees

No matter what, don’t stop caring for your sumac shrubs or trees. Note that after transplanting them, they may lose a few leaves. This is normal. Don’t give up; continue watering, fertilizing, and caring for them until they start growing. So long as you properly transplant and care for them, they will grow just fine.

Conclusion

Sumac trees are very easy to transplant, right? Here are a few reminders from this article:

• Transplant your sumacs in their dormant season so that you don’t stress them too much during the transplanting process.
• Try to plant your trees exactly the way they were in their former location.
• If the new location has unsuitable temperature and light exposure, you can’t grow sumacs there.
• If you won’t be planting the trees immediately after removing them from the soil, wrap their roots with burlap.
• Remember to regularly water and occasionally feed your sumacs.

For now, nothing is stopping you from transplanting your sumac trees. What are you waiting for?

References

• https://extension.umn.edu/how/planting-and-transplanting-trees-and-shrubs