Horticulture Hotline 10/09/17
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
Now is a great time of year to prepare for transplanting and
to plant new plants. Many people are asking me the best way to transplant
shrubs and trees. Here are some guidelines for successfully transplanting
plants or trees:
·
Decide the size of you root ball. For every inch
in tree trunk diameter you want a foot of root ball. If your tree is three
inches in diameter, your root ball should go in a circle one and a half feet
from the trunk of the tree. You could tie a string around the tree leaving
eighteen inches of string – then draw a line walking around the tree measuring
with this string. Root balls can be very heavy so consider a hiring a
professional. Be prepared to pay top dollar to move a plant because moving
plants requires much more work than planting them out of containers. If your
plants are way too crowded, get as much root ball as possible, and if they are
so crowded that you cannot even get in there to work, you may have to sacrifice
a few plants, so you do not kill them all. Always take as large a ball as
possible. Sometimes you have to thin out plants for the overall health of the
landscape.
·
Spray the plant you are going to move with an
anti-transpirant (Cloud Cover, Wilt Proof, or Transfilm). These products will
hold moisture in leaves and stems.
·
Drench the ground with BioRush and SuperThrive.
These are bio stimulant products that encourage rooting. Repeat monthly until
you move the plant.
·
Root prune the plant. Go to the area that you
determined your ball to go out to and push a shovel straight down – do not pry
on the shovel – just cut the roots. Repeat this root pruning all the way around
the plant. If the plant has been in the ground a long time, you may have to
skip a shovel width each time you root prune to lessen the shock. Apply SeaHume
granular (Humic acid and Seaweed bio stimulants) to decrease stress. Repeat
monthly until you move the plant.
·
Keep an eye on the plant for the next month. Be
sure to water it as needed. When
watering the soil, spray a fine mist on the foliage of the plant. Since the roots have just been severed, this
will help the plant absorb the water through the foliage and water the roots as
well.
·
After thirty days or if you could wait until a
cooler time (January, February), dig away from the plant in the area that you
root pruned. Resist the temptation to pry up on the plant. You should have a
ball in a mote when you are finished. Try to have the plant moved a month
before it sends out new growth or flowers in the spring (late January to be
safe).
·
Water the ball so the soil will stick to the
roots.
·
Severe the ball from the area underneath the
plant.
·
Always handle the root ball – do not grab the
plant by its trunk.
·
Move the plant onto a tarp or some burlap.
·
Be sure when you move the plant to its new home,
you plant it above existing grade.
Plants buried too deep are the biggest problem I see in landscapes. A plant that is planted too deep is starved
for oxygen which affects many other plant processes (ability to absorb
nutrients or causes root rot).
·
Be sure not to pile mulch up against the trunk
of the tree or shrub as this will also kill the plant over a period of time.
Consider using Cotton Burr Compost or Nature’s Blend as a mulch to get the
nutrition associated with these products.
·
Spray the leaves and stems with
anti-transpirant.
·
Use Diehard
Transplant (contains a friendly fungus inoculum, wetting agents, water holding
gel, humic acid, Sea Kelp, root stimulating vitamins and beneficial bacteria)
should also be added to increase the surface absorbing area of root systems
with the back fill. Spray foliage with BioRush as it is a special blend of
natural organic ingredients designed to help transplant survival. Drench with
SuperThrive.
·
Apply the right amount of water. Be sure to spray the foliage.
·
Apply the right amount of Cotton Burr Compost or
Natures Blend mulch.
·
Apply granular SeaHume after you have moved the
plant to encourage new root growth.
·
Stake the tree or shrub if needed.
·
Good Luck!
Now is a great time to go visit the many parks and
plantations in the area, or just take a walk around downtown.
Always read, understand and follow product label. The
product label is a Federal Law.
Bill Lamson-Scribner
can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply.
Possum’s has three locations 481
Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant
(971-9601), 3325 Business Circle
in North Charleston
(760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd,
in Charleston
(766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum’s location, or visit us at
http://www.possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to “ The
Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from noon to 1:00, on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker). The Horticulture Hotline is
available 24 / 7 at possumsupply.com.
