[Truffle]

Good Morning,
Hope you lovely people can help.

I have some very well established Raspberries and Redcurrant bushes. I am looking to move them to another area on the plot. Obviously not at the moment as they are doing their "thing".

When is the best time of year to move them? and have you any advice or tips for best to do this?

Also I want to introduce some strawberry plants. Where/when/tips, please.

I understand that I may lose a years crop for moving, that's fine, As needs to be done.

Many Thanks XxX

[ghost61]

Autumn or spring. So either when they've finished fruiting and before they set off for the next crop.  However I have moved fruit in the summer and as long as they get well watered, they have been fine.

[Goosegirl]

With the redcurrants, prepare your new planting hole and water it well, then dig around the roots in as big a circle as you can with someone to help you lift the rootball as it will be heavy. Rasps are very shallow-rooted so not as much of a problem to move. Keep as much soil around the roots as you can. As ghost has said, keep them well-watered until they appear to have settled in. Strawberries are available now, usually in pots, though you may find some bare-rooted ones on-line. I got some earlier and potted them up until my new strawberry bed appears free of couch grass then they will get planted out. They like a well-drained but moisture-retentive (i.e.added compost etc) in a sunny spot but it is important that they are planted so their crowns are level with the soil. If you have just dug your site over, tread it down beforehand so it doesn't sink as much over time. To help them bulk up for next year some people recommend just keeping one runner from each plant and nipping the others off.

[Truffle]

That's brilliant thanks so much for your help. I have been through every book but they only tell you how to plant new and nothing about moving established plants.

Thanks again XxX

[3759allen]

move them as soon as they've finished cropping this year.

prep the new bed with manure, compost, bfb, etc. mine seem to do well with a nice mulch over the top.

the sooner you can move them the best chance you have of getting a crop next year.

[surbie100]

I sympathise - I found it hard to find info too. RHS guidance for moving deciduous bushes is to do it while they are dormant, ie Nov-March.

Depending on how established they are and how much rootball you get out safely, you might want to prune back the branches more than usual to make sure the plant isn't trying to grow new roots and also support the topgrowth.

I moved some of my Mum's ancient fruit bushes in Feb this year. It might have been my dodgy digging but most of the soil fell off the rootball, taking lots of the smaller roots with it. I took the bushes back by about half and so far they are thriving.

[Nobbie]

move them as soon as they've finished cropping this year.

prep the new bed with manure, compost, bfb, etc. mine seem to do well with a nice mulch over the top.

the sooner you can move them the best chance you have of getting a crop next year.

I wouldn't recommend this as that would mean moving them in the middle of summer when they'd need watering a lot as they're in full leaf. If we had a rainy summer you might get away with it. I'd say easiest time is when the leaves have fallen in the autumn, as the soil is still warm so the bushes can start to make some new root growth before the next season, but there's no water demand from the leaves. Also the winter rains should help settle the soil around the roots. Like others have said, get as big a rootball as possible and use a large piece of plastic under the rootball to move them with as this stops so much soil dropping off and is easier to pull out once they are in their new hole.