transplanting mulberry trees out of 5 gallon buckets

I started mulberry trees from cuttings the summer of last year, I think, and they're about 6 feet tall now. Really should have put them in the ground earlier. I was wondering if it is okay to transplant them now. If not then when? Do I have to wait for dormancy? They still have all they're leaves. How wide should I dig and amend around them? I have clay soil, zone 7 in Georgia.

Considering that they grow as invasive across the US, I don't think you can kill them even if you tried. Since it is still far from ground freezing where you are, they'll be fine to plant now.

You'd be fine if you weren't disturbing the roots, but, you really should open up the root mass and correct any problem roots before you set them in the ground, which means it would be better if they were snoozing when you did the work. If you're planting in clay, bare-rooting will be to your advantage, as will backfilling with only what you took from the hole. Hopefully you can dig some sort of ditch to help drain some of the water in the clay to lower ground. If not, you might have issues with excess water retention, which will become much worse if you backfill with anything other than soil from the planting hole.

Al

Mulberry trees might be invasive but they are useful and beneficial to biodiversity. They're valuable forage trees for wild birds and for feeding farm animals, which is what I'm growing them for. I know a lot of people who live in suburban settings who prefer that "manicured" yard look don't like them, but I disagree. Besides, the berries are delicious.

I'm inexperienced with growing and transplanting trees and would really like more information. I know mulberry trees are pretty hardy and can probably take a beating, but I still want to do this right.

Thanks Al! I had the page open for a while and didn't see your reply. I'll do as you said. It echoes some things I read a looong time ago.

What should I check for in the roots? Trim anything rotten-looking and loosen the root ball?

I bare-root almost everything that goes in the landscape. I remove any roots that are or have the potential to become encircling, or girdling, along with roots that are crossing, j-hooked, or growing straight up or down when I plant out. If there are any diseased roots, I prune them back to sound tissue. If I'm planting conifers, I'll leave a little soil on the roots, or mix in a small amount of soil and pieces of pruned roots as a way to inoculate the soil in the planting hole with any beneficial fungi the plant might have established a symbiotic relationship with.

Al