Summer is slowly winding down, and with the approach of autumn it's time to make plans to transplant trees and shrubs in your yard. Host Patrick Murphy has this advice.
- Most of what we have in our yards in the Midwest can be moved in the fall. The exceptions are early bloomers like rhododendron or azalea. Late spring is the time to move these plants.
- If you feel a plant is just in the wrong place, if it's too crowded or not getting enough sun or too much sun, that's when you should transplant your plant buddies.
- Select the plants you want to move now and either stake them or put a string around the plant. This is especially helpful in areas crowded with the same plant. Once the plants drop their leaves, you'll know which one you had selected to move.
- Now is also the time to lance the ground around the area of the plant you want to move. Cut the ground around the perimeter where the root ball will be. Cut the root edges now and wait until later in the fall to completely dig it up.
- It's important to have the new hole prepared before you move your plant. To help establish new root growth, the size and the shape of the hole is important. You want a V-shaped hole with a flat bottom, not a bucket shaped hole. So the top of the whole needs to be wider than the bottom.
- And then water, water, water. This is a critical step!
- Cover with mulch to help regulate temperature and keep in moisture.
- Only prune branches that were damaged during the transplanting. You can stake the plant, but don't make the lines too tense.
GLT's Grow is your source for sage gardening advice and down-to-earth tips. Host Patrick Murphy and co-host Laura Kennedy are ready to take on all your gardening questions, so submit yours today.
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