What species and how big are they now? Generally speaking, from now to mid/late fall is the worst possible time to dig up trees and expect them to live.

I moved our 3ft Golden Raintree whip about 3 weeks ago and it didn't affect it at all. In fact, it acted as if it hadn't even been transplanted. It took off making its pink buds just a few days later without missing a beat. What we did was this: We dug the other hole where the tree was going to go, which was in the center of our backyard near our daughter's swingset, so we had that hole all prepared and ready for the transplant, and then we walked over and CAREFULLY dug a wide hole around the little tree because we wanted to make sure we didn't disturb one root. It was funny how wide the hole we dug was, because in the end I pretty much barerooted the tree to make sure all the roots were where I wanted them. I can tell you not one root was affected; all of them remained intact. It was so easy. Trees these small are so easy to move.

Besides watering the tree after it was transplanted, we also watered the heck out of the hole where we dug the tree out, because we wanted the roots wet for the move. It wasn't hot or windy outside or anything but we wanted the roots soaking wet instead of dry. It turned out that watering the area helped dh dig the tree out and the roots were a wet dripping sopping muddy mess. Perfect. The roots never knew what was happening. Though the worms did, they were all over the place!

May is still a fine time to do it. Waiting until mid June though means you're testing fate a little bit. Do water your tree well, and remember, small saplings are hugely easier to transplant than a large tree. I'm sure it'll be just fine. Good luck!

This post was edited by ilovemytrees on Sat, May 25, 13 at 12:48

Notice you have two different answers from different parts of the country.

I think the key is if you have a hot spell your chances of success go way down. And I will second that transplanting whike dormant has the highest chance of success.

I have flowering crab, hawthorne,maple. They are about 4 ft tall

I am in 5b and at this point in the season wouldn't move any small tree that was precious to me or irreplaceable. I would wait until mid-fall to transplant. Believe me there are some trees and shrubs I still wish I could move, but the weather quickly became hot and dry this Spring, and the window for transplanting woody plants quickly closed!

If you have extra saplings and want to experiment, then okay. Transplant and see how they do. Treat with kid gloves, water well, and they might do okay. Generally woody plants should be moved when they are dormant as as close to dormant as possible, for most success.

they should have been moved LEAFLESS ...

if they are now leafed out.. you should do it in fall just after the leaves fall off . .. for the best odds of success ...

ken

You can move them now even though you've missed the best time to do so. If the moves can't wait, get large rootballs and be prepared to baby your trees through the summer. The move is likely to be much more stressful then it would have been earlier. Review the guide, linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Planting a Tree or Shrub