Question
My friend planted an ASH tree in her backyard nearly 2 years ago. She says it was a 15 gallon when she bought it. She is losing her home to foreclosure and we are afraid the house will sit vacant for at least a year with no one to care for/water the tree. We live in Phoenix and rarely get any rain. The plan was to transplant the tree onto my property, otherwise it is sure to just die. Can this be done and if so do you have any tips????

Answer
Deciduous plants may be moved in the spring as soon as the frost is out of the ground, up until the time when new foliage is partly unfurled. In the fall, they may be planted once the leaves start to turn color up until the ground freezes.

When you want to dig up a tree or shrub for transplanting, retain as much of the root system as possible. Deciduous trees  can be successfully moved only if a ball of soil is left around the roots. The exposed roots should be protected with moist burlap or newspaper or with polyethylene sheeting. Every effort should be made to reduce root exposure to wind and sun, keeping the ball as moist as possible. It's best to prepare the hole before digging up the tree you wish to move.

Size of the root ball and size of the hole:

For deciduous trees and shrubs the soil ball should be:

Width = 9-12 in. in diameter/every 1 in. of tree diameter
Depth = 6 in./every 1 in. of tree diameter

For example: A tree trunk 2 inches wide would need a soil ball of 18-24 inches wide and 12 inches deep.

Dig the new hole twice the size of the root ball. Plant the root ball even with the ground surface and fill the hole with good top soil and mulch around the tree with not more than 3 inches of mulch (do not pile the mulch up on the tree trunk) and water through the first summer.

The problem with moving a tree in the hot summer months will be the water. You will cut some roots and this will result in the foliage dying back some. IT can be done but the success rate is much lower than the Fall or early spring planting. The main concern will be the water so i would mulch around the tree and water every third day with 1 inch of water ==place a pan under the tree and turn the sprinkler on and when the pan has 1 inch of water in it stop. Good luck. IF you can wait or make a deal with the mortgage folks to move the tree after the leaves fall it will be much better.