This time of year is a great time to transplant and plant new plants.

Many people are asking me the best way to transplant shrubs and trees.

Here are my guidelines for successfully transplanting plants or trees:

Decide the size of you root ball.

For every inch in tree trunk diameter you want a foot of root ball.

So if your tree is three inches in diameter your root ball should go in a circle one and a half feet from the trunk of the tree.

You could tie a string around the tree leaving 18 inches of string - then draw a line walking around the tree measuring with this string.

Root balls can be very heavy so consider a hiring a professional.

Be prepared to pay top dollar to move a plant because moving plants requires much more work than planting them out of containers.

If your plants are way too crowded, get as much root ball as possible, and if they are so crowded that you cannot even get in there to work, you may have to sacrifice a few plants, so you do not kill them all.

Always take as large a ball as possible.

Spray the plant you are going to move with an anti-transpirant (Cloud Cover, Wilt Proof, or Transfilm). These products will hold moisture in leaves and stems.

Drench the ground with BioRush and SuperThrive.

These are bio stimulant products that encourage rooting.

Repeat monthly until you move the plant.

Root prune the plant.

Go to the area that you determined your ball to go out to and push a shovel straight down.

Do not pry on the shovel - just cut the roots.

Repeat this root pruning all the way around the plant.

If the plant has been in the ground a long time, you may have to skip a shovel width each time you root prune to lessen the shock.

Apply SeaHume granular (Humic acid and Seaweed bio stimulants) to decrease stress.

Repeat monthly until you move the plant.

Keep an eye on the plant for the next month.

Be sure to water it as needed.

When watering the soil, spray a fine mist on the foliage of the plant.

Since the roots have just been severed, this will help the plant absorb the water through the foliage and water the roots as well.

Always read, understand and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.

(Bill Lamson-Scribner can be reached during the week at Possum's Landscape and Pest Control Supply. Possum's has three locations 481 Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant (971-9601), 3325 Business Circle in North Charleston (760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd, in Charleston (766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum's location, or visit us at http://www.possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to " The Garden Clinic", Saturdays from noon to 1 p.m. on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker). The Horticulture Hotline is available 24/7 at possumsupply.com.)