How to Transplant Wild Elderberries
- 1). Inspect the elderberry shrub for pests or disease before transplanting it. Look for withered twigs or black-rimmed holes on the stems, which are signs of an elderberry longhorn beetle infestation. Cut off any stems afflicted with pests with pruning shears and discard them.
- 2). Prune back the wild elderberry shrub by half before transplanting it. Saw off the stems at the halfway point using a pruning saw or a pair of large, sharp pruning shears. Discard the pruned stems.
- 3). Measure out 12 inches on all sides of the wild elderberry shrub. Dig down to a depth of at least 15 inches with a shovel. Slip the blade of the shovel underneath the rootball of the elderberry shrub and pry it loose.
- 4). Lift the wild elderberry from the ground. Run water from a garden hose over the rootball to rinse off some of the soil and hydrate the roots. Move it to the transplant site.
- 5). Dig a planting hole for the wild elderberry in a sunny spot. Dig a hole measuring three feet wide and three to four feet deep.
- 6). Spread a layer of loose soil in the bottom half of the planting hole. Place the wild elderberry shrub in the planting hole. Hold the stems vertical. Backfill around the roots with soil until roots are covered and the soil level is flush with the surrounding ground.
- 7). Raise a four-inch-tall soil berm around the outer edge of the planting hole to help direct water toward the roots of the wild elderberry. Shape the berm by hand or using the blade of the shovel.
- 8). Water the wild elderberry by running a garden hose at low pressure near the base of the shrub for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the soil is wet at a depth of five inches. Water the shrub one more time once the soil feels dry at a depth of three inches.
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