- 1). Transplant your azalea in early spring or late fall, before new growth begins or after it ceases. Choose a day that is cool and cloudy. Transplant smaller azaleas rather than large ones if you have a choice.
- 2). Find and prepare a new site before the transplant so that you don't keep the azalea out of the soil for any longer than you have to. Choose a site that gets dappled, filtered sun, protection from wind and quick, free drainage. Mix 8 inches of organic compost into the top 8 inches of soil in the new site to give the azalea the rich, acidic soil it requires, and to build the site up for quicker drainage. Prepare a 24- to 36-inch-wide site.
- 3). Dig a 12-inch-deep trench around the drip line of the plant to get under and around its root ball. Azaleas do best when they retain all of their roots at the transplanting. Push the shovel under the exposed root ball to lever it out of the soil.
- 4). Move the plant quickly to the new site. Plant the azalea in your amended soil, in a hole that is twice as wide as the root ball, and deep enough to accommodate the entire root system. The azalea should sit at the same depth in the new site as in the old site, with the roots just under the soil and the entire trunk exposed. Pack amended soil around the root ball and water the plant with 1/2 gallon of water to help the soil settle in around the roots.
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