If it won't be there in a couple of months, I would try it, taking as large of a soil mass as possible, and mulching the ground heavily after you replant it. It will probably work if you can get a good root mass without too much disturbance.

its dormant.. it wont care..

proper replanting and aftercare is the issue ...

insure it stays dormant ... no leaving it on the driveway in the sun for days ... dig new hole first.. go get it.. dump it in ASAP ...

if you have proper drainage.. water it in ...

mulch it very heavily as denni notes ... remove excess in late winter ...

go for it ..

you are COMPLETELY responsible for deep through watering with near drying in between all next summer ..

i could not really do it now due to frozen earth ..

might not hurt to protect it from wind in winter .... a few stakes and some burlap ...

ken

I also live in Connecticut. Due to our mild winter so far, I have also be transplanting trees and conifers of small size. So I would say go for it..
Good Luck.
J

Laura,

Here's a couple of links that will give you more info about the process. The first one is a link to what I think is a pretty good set of instructions about how to plant a tree, and the second is a generic rootball size guide which can help you determine how large you should dig the rootball. There's not a lot of pretty pictures, but, hopefully, you'll find the information beneficial. Just ask if you have any questions.

Planting a Tree or Shrub

Generic Rootball Size Guide

Wow, thank you for all the help. I like this forum. Good advice and fast. I'm going to go ahead and try to move it. It needs to go soon so I have no choice. I was going to buy one this year so there is no harm in trying. If I don't take it, it will be removed regardless. Thanks again for everything and I bookmarked the links-useful info :)

I would say go for it too. What have you or the tree got to lose? (except a little time and gas) A 5 foot tree is fairly small and easy to manage. And aren't there people who plant their Christmas trees in late Dec./early Jan?

I transplanted about 20 shrubs and small trees this fall, all the way into December. Many of them were larger than 5 feet. We've had such a mild fall and winter so far! I would probably still be transplanting, except the ground is pretty much frozen now.

This is good info. I also live in CT and have a Kousa dogwood that is about 15 years old. It survived our October snow storm last year, with the heavy wet snow weighing the lower branches down to the ground. It also survived a heavy pruning due to its growth compromising our power lines. Last year, I noticed a small tree growing in the garden under part of the tree. I suspected it might be a Kousa, and this year I was able to confirm that it is. Does anyone know how these trees germinate? One friend thinks that the tree came from the roots, like the aspens do. Another thought one of the fruits germinated the tree. Does anyone know? Thank you for any info. (I will be moving my little one this weekend, I hope it's successful!)