Tranplanting Established Plants

I know! What a boring title...but it is what it is.

I've transplanted a lot of things with no real adherence to any sort of rule and have never had any problem (*crosses fingers*). I was reading stuff recently about "making sure you transplant plants in the late afternoon to reduce shock" and some other rules I have never heard of. You may as well tell me to make sure you light candles and massage it to make the transition easier because Ms. Lazy is sooooooo not doing that. Besides by the "late afternoon" the only things I feel like doing are drinking wine and chasing the ice cream truck down the street (not necessarily in that order but it does make it more fun.)

Needless to say I didn't heed any of that advice.

However I do think there are some very basic things you should keep in mind with any transplant or new planting for that matter.

1. Try and look ahead to your local weather forcast. It probably isn't the best idea to be transplanting stuff on the hottest day of the year (for you OR the plant!)...look for a milder day. The day I transplanted this stuff was in the low eighties with little humidity. Of course the best time to transplant anything is in the spring or fall but Nature will not contain ME within those parameters. HAHA!

2. Make sure the area you are moving the plant to has the same amount of light/needs as the old home.

3. Prepare the new home for the plant first. No point in digging up the plant and having it sit out for an extended period of time while you are digging away. Besides it might start to mock your digging technique and then you might want to hit it with a shovel...what? plants don't talk to you? Hmmmmm...shame....


I HATE tearing up the ground. It's a HUGE pain in the butt and makes me wonder why I even bother. The best way I have found is to use an edging tool and make a grid pattern in the area you want to remove (not a great picture...sorry)and take out the grass in patches. This little area took me several hours to tear out to give you an idea of the time commitment. I wish I had people to do it for me...sigh...

Another tip that I have found useful is to get a large plastic tarp to put your refuse on. Also in the event that you don't get a chance to clean it up that day and it rains you can pull the tarp over it so it doesn't get wet. Because while clumps of grass and dirt suck, nothing sucks worse than WET clumps of grass.

Dig your hole to about 2 times as wide and deep as the root. Yeah, I realize you don't know the exact size of the root because it's still in the ground. So what are you waiting for? Go dig it up now!! Digging a hole won't take you that long.



4. Give yourself plenty of room to dig around the root/bulb of the plant so as not to damage the root/bulb. I kind of use a 6 inch rule from the root of something this size.




Dude, that mofo was HEAVY!! Heavier than my almost one year old son! I almost fell over when I tried to pick it up!!

5. Water that sucker like there is no tomorrow after you plant it! I would also recommend mulching but then again I am a mulch whore...I freaking love the stuff for making everything look "finished" plus it helps keep weeds down and holds moisture in....which reminds me...I need to go get more!!

The Basics, Bitch

When it comes to gardening there are some real basic rules and terms you may want to familiarize yourself with.

Terms
Annual: Plants that typically are only around for one year or one growing season.
Perennial: Plant that will grow year after year (unless you suck at gardening)

Rules
1. Try and observe your garden during the day to see what areas get sun and which areas are shaded. This way you can choose the appropriate plants for the appropriate areas. No need to set up a video camera to tape the yard (unless you want to of course...freak...)just take a look at it on the weekends especially around noon to 3 when the sun is at it's highest (and hottest) point during the day.

2. If you are planting anything like a tree you may want to see if you can find out where the major pipes are located in the yard. Because there is nothing like digging a hole to plant a tree, hitting a water line, and watching a geyser erupt from said hole....not that I know anyone who that happened to.

3. Read the information cards when buying the plant of your dreams. It will tell you everything you need know. I get the majority of my plants from either Home Depot or Lowes and they do have some gardening specialists on staff that you can ask. However they are not always there and are not necessarily the most helpful. If you really are stuck for information go to a local nursery and find their specialists...they are a wealth of information and love to talk plants and tips!

4. Find out what hardiness zone you live in to make sure what you have bought/planted will live. I have attached a handy little link in the upper right corner where you can type in your zip code and it will tell you your zone. However most of the local garden centers/home stores will typically only supply plants that can live in your zone.

5. Get some basic tools. I started out with a large spade (pointed end), garden rake, hand spade, pruning shears and a bulb digger. I later added a forked weeding tool which is awesome for getting to the roots of weeds and tearing those little suckers out and gardening gloves so I wouldn't ruin my manicure!

6. Water! The best times to water is either in the early morning or late afternoon.

7. If at first you don't succeed....there are always more plants out there!

Image courtesy of ehow.com