Uprooting a lavender bush

[hoyden287]

I have a lovely, good sized lavender bush in my front yard that I need to uproot and replant somewhere else. Does anyone know the rules of uprooting, I.e.: how deep, how big a diameter around the base, and any rules of letting the plant get accustomed to it's new spot? I'd hate to not dig up anough around the roots and lose such a beautifully flowering plant. It's been in our yard since before we moved into the house, and we've been there 3 years now.
Any help will be most welcome. Thank you for your time!
Christina

[opabinia51]

The best time to transplant a plant is the fall once it becomes dormant.

The roots of a plant generally extend out to the farthest reaches of any branches so, I usually start digging a few inches (or feet depending on the size of the plant) away from there.

It's good to add some liquid root stimulant to the new hole which should be twice the diameter and depth of the root ball. I always water the hole first and add some good compost to it before adding the plant. I also add some compost around the root ball as I am filling up the hole. Some kelp meal helps as well.

Be sure to water again.

If you want to transplant in the summer be sure to water regularly. More plants die every year from people planting them in the summer and then not water them.

[hoyden287]

Thank you so much for the info. We definitely need to transplant it before the end of summer, but I'll be sure to water it regularly to make sure it survives. And the liquid root stimulant sounds like it would really do the trick, as well as putting compost around the root ball.
Wish me luck!

[opabinia51]

Good luck! Have fun with the job!

I don't know if I have already said this but, I like to dig a hole that is twice the size of the root ball. Twice as deep and twice and wide.