I live in christchurch, New Zealand where we had a devastating earthquake 4 years ago. Our neighbours house and trees will all be demolished to rebuild . We couldn't stand seeing the pear tree demolished so we decided to transplant it. All the rules say, don't do this in spring but we had no choice or it would have been lost. It's about 4 years old
We took a large root ball and dug up a tree in full bloom! I know.
Now I need advice from people who have been as silly as to attempt something like this. Any advice to improve its chances of surviving and fruiting next year.
Should I nip off the blossom - to discourage fruiting this year and manage water uptake? All or some?
How much should I water it ?
Should I prune the branches to match loss of roots or is too confusing for tree in spring? What would be the effect?
I would especially like to hear from anyone who has actual practical experience in this. Thanks