Can I move this Jap Plum Tree?

No doubt it can be moved, but it boils down to how big a hole you're willing to dig around it to not do a lot of harm to the root system.

If they can dig up and move huge oaks, that little Jap plum tree can be moved.

And yes, the biggest mistake many people make when planting a tree is putting it too damn close to the house to begin with.

How far out do i need to go though to be safe?
I feel like i probably need to go about 6' out from the base, and probably a good 2-3' deep. If that's the case, that just seems like way too much trouble for a shovel.

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How far out do i need to go though to be safe?

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Your best bet may be to speak to someone at a nursery to get their advice or, even better, an arborist to see what they say about how big a root ball you will need to safely move the tree. Just make sure you have dimensions to make it easier for them to advise you as far as how big the trunk is, how tall the tree is and how big the canopy spreads.


Either way, it's going to be work and it's going to be heavy work getting it moved. That's 2 holes that have to be dug to move one tree.

ETA: Check out u-tube for videos on this. There are tons of them to give you an idea of what you need to do.

Thanks fellars.
The main reason I want to move it is to provide some privacy from my neighbors for our pool. I could easily plant something, but to provide privacy now I’d need an big tree, and I was looking at a large camellia around $160. It was already the size of the plum tree if not a bit bigger.

Plant new trees where you want them, then in a couple of years when the new ones are big enough, cut this one down.

If you decide to move it, prune the limbs more than normal. No matter how much you dig, some of the roots will be damaged and they will have trouble supporting what it has now.