transplanting volunteer cedars to containers

[wsmoak]

We have lots of baby cedar trees in inappropriate locations. They want to grow underneath other trees, and they are going to get mowed.

I'd like to put them in containers and eventually put them up front to screen the road.

Is there anything special I need to do for them?

 

[bid]

Eastern red cedar? I have thought of doing the same thing myself to use as boundary trees. Slow growing and drought tolerant once established. The smaller the seedling the shorter the tap root will be and they grow a tap root rapidly. Depending on the size of the trees, I would think next spring might be a better time to attempt to dig them out and pot them up, preferably when the ground is fairly wet, not soggy, and try and get the tap root out as intact as you possibly can. That way they have a growing season to recover from any damage. If they are small enough to dig up now, i.e. you can get a shovel under and lift them out intact, you could probably go ahead and move some smaller ones to pots. I would expect some losses no matter when you try and move them. Go really easy on any fertilizer and don't fertilize at all until late next spring. Good luck!