Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Transplanting Shrubs

Now is a super time to transplant shrubs and other plants in your garden. For shrubs, you want to try and get them right before they start to wake up. You can tell by being an observant gardener and watching for the buds to swell. Once they start to look a bit green, it is probably too late for all but the most aggressive varieties. Some shrubs will sucker making them good candidates for sharing with friends. If you were thinking ahead you took your shovel and separated them from the mother plant this fall. This gives them a chance to establish some of their own root system before transplanting. If not, proceed as follows:
1) If the plant you are digging is connected to another, sever it from the host plant with a shovel.
2) Next your need to go about digging out the plant. The more soil you can capture around the root ball and not disturb, the better. My soil was very sandy and dry this fall so I was not successful in capturing any. It is better to keep soil on because the soil can pull off tiny roots that are vital for survival if you do not keep the soil intact.
3) Transplant your plants directly to a new area or put into pots to root for later planting and sharing with friends. Be sure to not plant them any deeper in the pot than they were in the ground.
4) Lastly, water your plants well. Both those in the ground and in the pot will need to be gently brought along this summer. Water often as the plants have a minimal root system for supporting the water needs of the plant above ground.

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