when do you know plants are dormant ?

How do you know when plants especially evergreen plants have entered their dormancy period

 

Evergreens don't go dormant, they just slow down their growth in winter. Deciduous trees drop their leaves when going dormant. Herbaceous perennials are dormant when their leaves die at the start of winter. They start to go dormant when their leaves change colour in autumn.

 

hmm this is inconvenient then

 

Bulbs, corms and tubers are dormant when they disappear back below ground.

 

Why, what did you want to do to them?

 

I want to uproot them and replant in new soil
And for the apple I think I want to cut off the top half as well

 

How big/old is the apple?

Young trees can be dug up without too much worry once they've dropped their leaves and taking as much root ball as you can when you transfer them to their noew, well-prepared planting hole.

For larger, older trees it's best to start this operation a year in advance by cutting a slit trench in a circumference all round the main trunk, severing the outer roots. You then leave the tree in situ, water it and give it some bonemeal to encourage it to grow new, feeding roots with the circumference. Keep it watered in dry spells next spring and summer and then, after leaf fall next autumn, you can dig it up with the newly invigorated root ball and re-plant at the same depth in its new home. Water well after transplanting and, again, thru dry spells the next spring and summer.

 

The apple shouldn't be a problem, just wait for the leaves to drop off.
What are the others you want to repot?

 

@Obelix-Vendée I believe the op only grows in pots.

 

In that case @NigelJ I don't understand the question. You can re-pot at any time if you water well first and provide good growing media in bigger pots.

As for pruning apples, the time of year is important as it affects growth differently - Apples and pears: pruning made easy / RHS

 

You can replant perennials now. It will give them a chance to settle in before winter. Water them well. The other time to replant perennials is spring.

Apple trees shouldn't be pruned by more than a third at a time. Is the apple in a pot though?

 

The apple tree is in a pot but the leaves are showing no signs of falling off. The apple is are coming off relatively easily through

The blueberry is the other one that needs dealing with the rest ive not decided

 

So you are saying that if a plant is in a pot you can prune and repot it at any time
I've not heard this before

 

No! Pruning regimes depend on the plant and the effect you want. Prune apples at the wrong time and you'll end up with the wrong kind of growth so read the link i gave you.

Pot grown plants can be re-potted at any time but clearly it's best not to do it when actively flowerng or fruiting and you have to be sure to soak the root ball well and give them suitable growing media so JI no 3 type for apples and ericaceous for blueberries.

Leaves are the plant's food factory - photosynthesis - so don't prune till they've fallen or it'll go hungry.

 

Try looking up as much info on each plant or tree you are growing. If you have been growing them for a year or two, you should already know what is the best way to deal with them.
If you wish to dig up and replant elsewhere, then do it before winter/frost sets in and look after them sufficiently that they will establish in their new site.
If you wish to prune trees, check the best time to do it according to your site and continue from there.