To transplant a pine tree, cut its long roots, remove existing vegetation from the transplant site, dig the planting hole, dig up and transplant the tree, plant it, cover the roots, and water the tree. This three-month process requires spray paint, a shovel, a tarp, a vehicle and water.
- Cut the long roots
Three months before you transplant the tree, spray paint a circle around the trunk, leaving 18 inches between the tree and the paint. Press the tip of a shovel along the circle, force the shovel into the ground, pull it out, repeat along the remainder of the circle.
- Prepare the transplant site
Remove the existing vegetation from the transplant site three months after you cut the long roots of the tree. Till the soil to a depth of 1 foot.
- Dig the planting hole
Dig a planting hole in the turned soil. Make the hole 36 inches wide and 6 inches deeper than you expect the root ball to be.
- Dig up and transplant the tree
Lay a plastic tarp on the ground next to the tree. Insert the shovel in the circle you cut in the first step, and pry up the root ball. Lay the tree on the tarp, and transport it to the planting site.
- Plant the tree
Unwrap the tree, and inspect the root ball. Deepen the planting hole if necessary, and then tip the tree into the hole. Cover the root ball with soil, and water the tree.