I think you're wise to spend as much time on preparation, particularly when it involves a favourite plant! I've just moved a Continus (less than 5 years old), without any problem. I reduced the stems by about six inches beforehand to reduce the stress on the root system when it starts to regrow. Bone meal is best for feeding roots as they re-establish. I'd wait until later to give a more nitrogen rich feed to your plants, if it's needed.
I think I've come to the conclusion that I will move the shrubs later (around October) because:
1) Dryness now
2) I hadn't mentioned that in both the old and new areas there are ground plants (crocuses - now going off), lily of the valley, geranium type thingies and vaious other spring/summer flowering bits and bobs.
So to do it now, I will be trampling down 'stuff' that either is in flower or in the process of coming through, whereas in October, those plants would have been tidied up by me anyway. And my garden looks a tip all year - but particularly over winter, so a few moved plants and a stomped down area won't look out of place.
While I'm here - and as an aside - I planted out a callistemon from a pot to a plot last year (or maybe the year before) and it has been doing very well to the degree that with the stupid summer last year, it was still flowering up to Christmas. But we've had some wind and that broke some of the branches - and being quite fibrous , they weren't clean breaks but more like tears down the branch. As soon as I realised, I cut off the damaged branches with secateurs, but the has left unsightly holes in the shrub around the damaged areas. Do I need to, or should I, do something to the damaged branch stub?. I thought I read way back somewhere about using tar and stuff to cover plant branch 'wounds' - is something like that needed?
I've never grown Callistemon, but as @punkdoc says, the current practice is to leave wounds open to heal naturally. Just try to clean up the damage as best as you can, using sharp, clean secateurs or loppers.
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