So you want to transplant that shrub?

Purgatory is right.

I've earned a glass of '95 Acinum Amarone della Valpolicella Classico and a wedge of aged Parmigiano Reggiano. Mmmm...

Yes you have - Salud!!

Thank you VV it is good to learn more than my large mind has previously. I don't echo so much when I think. Any problem with nail types. IE galvanized, sheet rock type alloys? When extracting rootings and a piece is long and not covered with soil is it best to cut it or leave it in the B&B circumstances. ( My concerns are for both maintaining root and preventing root curl in B&B setting.) Another chamber open in my large mind for information to flow into.

I don't think the metallurgical composition of the nail matters. Typical nursery pinning nails are ungalvanized steel, thin member, relatively small head. The heads on sheetrock nails are rather wide, but used for the short term shouldn't cause any harm. Avoid hooking skin with them.

When extracting roots, and you get a long wild one, I'd save it if it isn't broken. Burlap it up with the ball, but cut it loose and re-extend it after replanting. I doubt that any root curl problem has ever developed from standard B&B techniques, though.

Is it a myth or fact that roots will grow throughout the winter if the soil temp is above 40°? If it is a fact wouldn't be best to do most transplanting in fall rather than spring? Most of our winter days (lately) are above 40°.

I don't have any experience working in the south/coastal US. You might review your suppositions with nurserymen and university researchers there.

Plants in greenhouses and coldframes continue to produce roots through temperate US winter months. I suppose one could perform their own experiments to see just how much, and when.

But...transplanting while there are less demands on the plant's system (dormancy) makes sense. One can also surmise that when the plant is not actively photosynthesizing (or doing so slowly) that it has less capacity to reproduce cells to recreate roots. Also, cut root ends are open to invasion by pathogens. The degree to which this is a problem relates to soil temperatures and moisture levels.

It's a wonder any plant survives being transplanted.

VV, Thanks! The info I get from our county agent down here is to transplant during early winter. In our area of central Alabama, October, on average, has the lowest rainfall, so it's best to wait until we get a few days of rain. The technique you have provided can be used by all of us. Thanks.

Excellent work, Voluble Virtuoso, and well deserving of cheese and drink! Having done this several times myself, I can't stress the importance of the ball cart when surviving with back intact is desirable. Frankly, I have found that the ball cart can help to POP the shrub loose from its former home once the hole has been dug and the roots properly cut. Just one more short cut to a very intense days work. Try doing ten or twenty large shrubs and you'll long for chese and wine and a Whirl pool bath...

I note the absense of large, or in fact, rocks of any size. Up here, on my property, in order to get a gallon size plant in any hole you first remove a half a gallon of egg to fist size impediments. With larger glacier leftovers siting becomes quite creative. The rule of three becomes there, there and way over there. I have in my life never farmed, gardened, lived, or puttered around without stone or rock "in the way". Add that to zone envy! Ken :>}

Ken,
In my eyes you win the award for gardener who most preservers under adversity.

VV,
I use anti-desiccants(Wilt Proof) primarily to protect against winter winds, I wonder what your thought is about them when transplanting evergreens or even deciduous plants while they are leafed out? kt

Thank you, David, Patrick, Peony, Sofer, stress, LL, Runk, E-Guy, Starlight, Scott, Ken, Victor and all lurkers for the kind words, questions, and interest. Of course, you know that just eggs me on.

Kandlmiddleoftherockpile:

Ummm...you don't have to deal much with high humidity?

Runk:

I don't know a whit of your background or career (except that you runk with trun). Assuming nothing, I'm going to play the pedagogue without being too pedantic.

•Why do you choose to use Wilt-Pruf on plants (other than what the label might say or advertisements might promote)?
•What do you think it physically is doing for your plants?
•Have you considered other methods to achieve this goal?
•Have you made side-by-side comparisons of alternatives?

I'm interested in the process, not so much putting you personally on the spot. I am pretty familiar with this product (dating back to circa 1987).

Well I can say I have used it (wilt pruf) on for instance my buds on Cameillias... Rhododendron etc. to keep them from bud blasting in severe weather. I THINK it has helped. It kind of seals in the moisture and protects from drying winds (I think). Maybe it's just a feel good thing.

...and it must gumm up the deer's tongue a bit. :>}

another good reason for using it.... :>} yourself

VV,
My background and career other than designing a very few gardens for rich and famous more for the satisfaction than anything else, I have little to no formal education in horticulture and keep reference books close at hand in my attempts to decipher the language of posts on this forum.

•"Why do you choose to use Wilt-Pruf on plants (other than what the label might say or advertisements might promote)?" My choice to use Wilt Proof has nothing to do with the advertising as a matter of fact I have never seen an ad for any Anti Desiccant and as you know I live like many folks on this forum live in a remote location. For me to purchase the 1-2 gallons of concentrate a year I make a trip that equals many folks summer vacation road trips and paid $53.95 per gallon.
•"What do you think it physically is doing for your plants?" My understanding is it is a diluted resin that seals the leaves and allows the plant to retain more moisture that it would other wise allowed to escape.
•"Have you considered other methods to achieve this goal?" Please keep in mind that I live in a high wind area ie. Early Dec. begins with typical "Nor Easter" 40+ - 55+ winds for 1-4 days. A good correlation might be taking your Hoover vacuum and turning it on your favorite plant to watch it suck the moisture from it's leaves over the same period of time. I do as do many in my community wrap in burlap but the wrap is more of an effort to deter deer than protect from wind damage.
•"Have you made side-by-side comparisons of alternatives? " Considering the cost, effort, and time expense, yes indeed I have made comparisons and if you are interested in a plant list as well as next year photo side by side comparison I would be happy to provide. kt

Oh that sounds exciting...could we see any pictures of your designs? (not on this thread of course)

In my humble opinion (and experience) they are useless. I have seen no difference when I use or don't use them. If a plant is consistently damaged from winter drying winds, it's telling you that it's not the right plant for the place. Best you can do is water during the warmer times of a dry winter. My local extension agent echoes this as well.

Any other suggestions for those of us that are light weights for digging. Being female and barely weighing in around 110 pounds, I generally don't dig or plant anything bigger than what will fit into a 5 gallon pot, cuz I can't get it out of the ground by myself and usually I am always by myself when it comes time to do digging.

You all would have laughed your self silly watching me dig haul and replant a 15 gallon Flowering Cherry for a customer. Darn thing weighed more than me. I felt like planting me in the hole by the time I got it unloaded off the truck and dragged 1000 yards to it's home. I doubt I will ever try and tackle something that big by myself again. Even Calgon couldn't take away the ache s and pains that night.

I transpant things all the time (by myself) 129 and 67 years old. And big things too.

starlight- as a fellow lighweight I totally understand. I have managed to move and plant large plants solo but I'm sure it wasn't as carefully as described above. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm nuts out there practically killing myself with effort. What they don't realize is that all that effort is being exerted so that one day they won't be able to see me working .

I think wiltpruf is useful the first year or two after planting/transplanting broadleaf evergreens in marginal climates. It WON'T make a plant live forever that is poorly sited and is a marginal plant in your zone. I haven't myself done scientific tests (I am sure that somebody has, and the WIlt-Pruf people have probably done their own "controlled trials" (LOL, that was a joke...!). But it has been my general impression that when I have used it for the first couple of years on broadleaf evergreens here in this area, they do better than when I don't. I have never used it on any other plants or any deciduous plants.

I am SO impressed, VV, with the beautiful organization, the neatly labelled cannisters of nails, the beautiful burlap jobs. WOW! I have to tell you folks I am a bit of a garden slob. Most of the time when I transplant, I use old tarps, recycled burlap, a tablecloth or sheet I hated anyway, or more often than not -- nothing at all. I am not a pro, I don't usually have the patience, I am pressed for time. I DO try to dig the biggest ball I think (or calculate, right) the plant needs or that I can manage, and I go ahead anyway. Digging is good for the heart, the soul, and done right for the back too. It is a great way to break that da** old shovel you wanted to replace anyway -- I have broken lots. A good big ball cart is an investment that ANY real woody plant slut should have. It has earned its weight in gold many times over for me, is great for stone work, for leveraging anything you need except investments. Patrick is so right that it is helpful for the getting that 300 lb ball up out of the hole -- it has saved me there lots of times (Patrick, are you the Patrick I know? Phrago? From Fred Case's class? Boy I have a few stories to tell you...).

Anyway I am going to print and save this great thread and try hard the next time to do it better. I can testify to people that most plants will survive less than perfect technique at this, especially if you are moving them on-site. So if you have something to move, read this, but have no fear, just go ahead and you will succeed most of the time....

This message was edited Jan 1, 2007 9:55 PM

Yes David, I am Phrago, and we have a lot of catching up to do. :)
For those of you that have never been to David's garden, He is not a slob at all, well, except when he is in his gardening clothes which resemble any gardener's after a day of wrestling with dirt and compost, and are certainly no worse than mine. He is an elite' plant collector few garden junkies could rival. If you think you obsessed with rare and unusual plants, step it up two notches, and you might be on David's heels. There are always an abundance of interesting plants in pots, many newly released cultivars, stuffed in every available free spot, waiting to be sited. His plants are beautifully grown and there are lots of them. No one walks quickly though his garden.
David, I bet your new garden will be fabulous this year; third year's the charm! Do you have a greenouse at the new location? If I ever spend enough time to learn how to upload photos with my new camera, I will post pics of my new gardens at the 170 year old farm I bought 3 summers ago. You will be so jealous when you see my ancient Redbud...

VV,

Very nice documentary here! I have been busily working my way through converting some 5000 raw digital images and haven't checked in here much lately. If I may add just two things to this fine piece it would be: 1) that your spade/shovel should be ground/filed to as near razor-sharpness as possible which will save your back and the shape of rootball. A finely sharpened spade will slice roots effortlessly and minimize the root bouncing around as you chop through it creating a more solid ball, especially so in sandy soils. 2) I regret that you only demonstrated the poking method on the smaller balled viburnum (with minimal in-ground shaping) rather than shaping in the ground like on the larger one. I think that everyone should be able to "enjoy" the backache created by bending over, shaping balls in-ground, even on the smaller balls. :-) To borrow on a theme from Scott: I think that anyone who B+B's a plant should only use short handled spade, made entirely of steel, hand filed to perfect sharpness and should be required to shape the balls in ground to maximize ball quality and backache. No pain, no gain! We need to have some standards. Ok, ok, back to Photoshopping for a while. Happy New Year to all.

Best Regards,
Ernie

Edited to add more snippy comments.

This message was edited Jan 2, 2007 7:30 AM

Ditto on the sharp spade! In fact, I had thought of making that comment myself, bolting upright in bed with the thought reverberating around my skull, but then I decided it could wait until morning, but by morning it was forgotten.

The art of sharpening a shovel can not be underplayed. If the blade of your five year old shovel isn't an inch or two shorter than it was when it was purchased, then it should be taken away from you. I grind away at mine like a demon with my benchgrinder. Sparks flying. I could easily sever a foot with mine if I'm not careful when I'm finished. Or shave a gap in my uni-brow.

Scott

I think my husband has some sharpening to do! I don't think he has ever done that..it would be so much easier for me.......he is in trouble now.

After all the work that went into the typing and pics and procedures. Somebody should place it up in that place on Dave's in the extras I think where it can be preserved for other folks.

The bottom line is...Smarty Pants needs to write a book.

Nice job with that. This could be a Ted Talk. ;)

By now you should've had the opportunity to review VV's method. If that seems too laborious, you can always use the Maackia Method, which I actually don't recommend, but have used quite successfully over the years. Timing is everything.

BTW, scroll up a few posts and read Decumbent's comments on shovel sharpening. Good stuff.