Uprooting...
Unrooting sounds harsh, and often it is, especially for plants. In 2005 we moved the office of the Coweta County Extension Service from downtown Newnan to the fairgrounds on Pine Road. Working at the Extension service perhaps was my favorite job, part of which was sharing weekly gardening articles with The Times-Herald. The following article provides tips on transplanting garden treasures:
Boxes stacked everywhere usually indicates someone has just opened a lot of gifts or someone is in the process of moving. Our Extension office has been moving from East Washington Street in Newnan to the entrance at the new fairgrounds on Pine Road. I actually find the idea exciting. A change of scenery, an excuse to pause the routine and throw out, sort, and reorganize an opportunity to be near the James W. McGuffey Nature Center.
These days we live in a very mobile society. I have to stop and recall the number of times I have moved, which means I have moved one too many. Each move means leaving things I would rather keep and at the same time it brings newness and opportunity. Apart from saying goodbye to friends, it seemed easier moving as a child. No disconnecting/reconnecting utilities, no change of address, or new driver’s license/tags; certainly no packing/unpacking of china.
As an adult, I have much more to consider. Now I have plants that cannot be left behind because they are rare finds or someone special has given them to me. Plants from special occasions, places, or people travel with me to my new home. I have my grandfather’s spearmint, my grandmother’s peony,
my aunt’s iris and numerous plants from gardening friends. Of course, moving spearmint is a snap. It’s almost too easy to reestablish and can become invasive. The peony is irreplaceable. It is the very last one taken from my grandmother’s garden and is still rather tiny. I baby it, pamper it, coo and pray over it.
my aunt’s iris and numerous plants from gardening friends. Of course, moving spearmint is a snap. It’s almost too easy to reestablish and can become invasive. The peony is irreplaceable. It is the very last one taken from my grandmother’s garden and is still rather tiny. I baby it, pamper it, coo and pray over it.
The challenge with moving plants with you when you move to a new home is that the move does not always occur at a time that is good for transplanting. Most shrubs and trees should be transplanted when the demand for water is the least in late fall or winter. According to Walter Reeves, the optimum time to transplant is a cool November afternoon, a few days after a good rainfall. When is the last time your move coincided with that schedule?
Most small deciduous shrubs and trees are easily transplanted in winter (January) and can be moved bare root. To move a plant bare root, gently loosen and pull the main roots from the soil. Remove as many of the auxiliary roots as possible. Some roots may need to be pruned to remove them from the soil. Shake as much of the soil from the plant roots as possible before moving to the new location.
The challenge in moving plants when you are moving an entire household is keeping the roots moist and getting them into the ground again as soon as possible. Bare root plants may be prone to drying. Some plants are shipped commercially with moist sawdust in plastics bags.
Moving plants with the soil intact becomes an issue of weight. The more soil that is transported with the rootball, the heavier the plant. Moving plants bareroot is only suitable during the winter. To move plants with the soil requires knowing how large of a rootball to dig. When moving shrubs, trace a circle around the plant that is one-half the circumference of the crown of the plant. When moving small trees, the minimum rootball should be at least 18". Six feet is probably the largest size tree that a homeowner will want to tackle. The formula for calculating how large of a rootball to dig for trees begins with measuring the tree trunk at four feet above the ground. Allow 12" of rootball for every inch of trunk. Please remember to support the rootball at the base of the plant. I cringe when I see landscapers carry a tree by the trunk with the rootball dangling in mid-air. The weight of the soil will pull and tear the roots apart if it is not supported from the bottom.
If you are fortunate enough to move in the winter months, water transplanted deciduous shrubs thoroughly once they have been moved to the new location and you will not need to water much until the soils warm in spring. Evergreen shrubs, however, will need to be watered regularly even through the winter months. Also, do not apply fertilizer until spring.
The best advice I can give when moving plants during the heat of the summer is to dig them in early evening as the sun is setting and water well after moving to the new location. If possible, provide shade until it recovers. I shade small plants with lawn chairs or cardboard boxes. Fabric tarps may be used on stakes for larger plants.
The are no guarantees when transplanting, especially when forced to task during a hot growing season. An alternative to transplanting those special plants when moving to a new location is to collect seed or propagate with cuttings.
If you have the fortune of moving, good luck taking your plants with you. Coweta County Extension Service had the fortune of moving in a new direction. Our doors are closed on 21 East Washington. Our new doors are open on 275 Pine Road. The phone number is still (770) 254- 2620. Come see us at our new office. We think you’ll like it.
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The Extension Service eventually built a new office located at 255 Pine Road. I also moved in a new direction and now anticipate at least one more move before reaching my goal of retiring near the coast. Wish me luck!
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