Yes, and how often have you tried to move a tree any way but the way you believe in? I can't wait until full dormancy to begin moving trees and have moved thousands of fruit trees over the years not fully dormant, bare root. I watch them come out of dormancy and with many of them for years and years after that. I believe this is one of those horticultural issues that has never really been researched. Cornell recommends stripping the leaves when moving them bare root, not fully dormant, but in my opinion, it is just one of those logical leaps often made in horticulture (and most applied sciences) that has never actually seen the light of research. They also recommend against fall planting fruit trees (or at least did up until recently). The trees that I move earlier, when they have some leaves remaining, seem to do a little better than trees I move later when fully dormant, but it is not a controlled experiment and the trees are not equal to begin with. J. plum trees are particularly easy to transplant and respond without hardly skipping a beat. They are a nurseryman's best friend in this regard. I've even moved a couple when they'd already begun leafing out in spring, knocked off the soil from the roots because they were in in-ground growing bags and clay soil that made them too heavy for me to deal with. I threw them into my truck, drove them 100 miles on a clear dry day without protecting the roots in any way, yet, by mid- summer they were completely recovered. At the time I wasn't really expecting them to even live. So you can ignore my experience, but if you always do things by the book there's a lot you will never learn.

i understood you will be at moms on either day ... i was joking about holiday time ... you refill the hole WITH NATIVE SOIL ... you get it from somewhere else on the property ... besides... this time of year.. with the plants dormant.. there is no reason not to bare root them.. and leave all the soil there ... wrap them like a burrito in some newspaper... wet.. and wrap in a plastic grocery bag ... just to keep the wet paper from making a mess in the car.. the plant above is NOT wrapped in plastic ... should last at least a few days as such ... plant when you get home ... no need to pot them ... simply plant them ... the seeds got near the foundation.. from a bird sitting on the gutter or roof edge.. finishing the digestive process ... wink wink.. if you know what i mean ... lol ... if the trees in your area are changing color... then you can basically presume.. all plants are dormant or nearly so ... expect any leaves to fall off soon after moving ... you have been warned.. do whatever pleases you ... thats how i learned.. when 10 years later.. i cursed moving a ROS for the billion seedlings popping up everywhere.. only took me 5 years to kill them all ... ken

If you follow Citrus's instructions and do not over water at this time, it should be just fine.. You will get to know your tree well and it will respond to your care because you care and came here to be successful... The two main cause for twig die back other than being pot bound is over or under watering.. When you bring a tree inside, usually within a few days once it senses it is not in its favorite environment, it can take days or weeks for the roots to resume taking up moisture like before because they rebel and try to adjust..It is critical that at this time that the roots are in a very porous mix and not stay wet for days...Because growth has almost stopped, the roots can get damaged by rot. I always notice that at certain times my trees will all of sudden dry out slower than usual and stop taking up moisture as they once had outdoors..Once things resume as usual, usually within a few weeks, you will notice that you will have to water more frequently again.. It is important at this time that you do not under water... Hope this helps for the next time you have to do a drastic change to its environment or root disturbance.. I wish your tree all the best and I know it will respond to its sunny spot there and longer days..Even more so once put outdoors again) Mike This post was edited by meyermike_1micha on Sat, Feb 1, 14 at 22:45

I wish I had the definitive answer but I can only give my best advice based on experience with plants of all kind, including potted citrus. First I would water the tree well for a couple of days with a soaker hose. While soaking the roots, dig the hole at the new home. Wait a day to give the tree roots enough time to pull up the water and so the soil is very damp but not soggy. As the CES agent who wrote a weekly gardening column in the Sunday paper used to say, dig a $10 hole for a $1 plant. Add any amendments to the excavated soil before planting. Next dig the tree with as much soil around it as possible. I think the minimum safe root ball will be 4-5 feet wide, 3 feet deep and bigger is better. It may take 3 or 4 people to pick it up. Wrap the roots, plastic is OK for just a couple of hours, if longer you need cloth fabric such as burlap. Plan on making a special trip to the new home with enough people to unload and plant immediately. Back fill the hole and water, water, water. You may want to use SuperThrive or a root stimulant right after planting. Good luck. Contact your Arizona ag school cooperative extension center in your county and ask their advice. The earlier you get it moved before HOT summer sets in, the better your chances of survival,