I have a 14 ft white spruce I want to transplant in Northern Illinois. It is the end of October and I was wondering if it is too late to transplant. It is going to be removed and transferred by truck. It has also been growing locally. If it is too late to transplant, what would be the best time to transplant the tree. Thanks, Jeff

Greetings Jeff,

No, it is not too late to transplant this white spruce. One can typically transplant deciduous and conifer trees from the point of leaf senescence (dormancy) up to the point when the ground freezes.

Personally, I am an advocate of late winter/early spring transplanting because I feel that fall transplants sustain a higher incidence of winter injury and dessication compared to trees transplanted in late February, March, or early April. The "literature" is mixed on this view; however, I still feel that late winter/early spring transplants fair much better than fall transplants.

Best of luck!