However, this year may be an exception. In some parts of the County, especially the northeast corner, soils are very dry, despite the recent rains. Therefore, if you are going to be moving plants or doing any fall digging, check soil moisture prior to digging. Irrigate soils, especially throughout the ball area, before digging and moving plants. If soils are overly dry, one single irrigation will not wet soils to the proper depth for digging.
Some growers dig a trench around the plant and than flood the hole.
Several days later, the plant can be removed, once soils have properly drained. If you are going to store balled and bagged plants, water them slowly so the water has a chance to soak into the ball completely. Saturated balls need to be handled with care for the soil will more easily pack or flatten. If soils are dry at planting, do not fill the hole with water and then plant. The wet soil packs and restricts root growth.