Today I want to talk to you about the difference between planting and transplanting, or “digging”, planting or transplanting.
Now this is something that people get confused about a lot.
Digging season usually begins in late November, right around Thanksgiving. You want to dig up plants when they are dormant, after the leaves fall off, so you don’t damage the roots and send the plants into shock. Once that plant starts to leaf out in the spring, you can’t dig it up until the following November.
Here in Ohio the digging season can go from November until April or May depending on how cold the temperatures are. So if you want to dig a plant from one area and replant it in another area, that is called “digging” and you should do that when the plant is still dormant. Let me say it another way, “transplanting” from the ground to the ground is DIGGING!
You really need to know what you should be doing and what time of year you should be doing it.
Right now, before my plants break dormancy, I have to dig them up. The ones I want to sell this year that is. I’ve got about 10 days to get all of these plants dug. They need to be potted but I am not going to worry about that right now.
So what I’m going to do is dig this plant up, sever the roots, then put that plant right back into the hole it came from. Next, I’ll cover it with dirt and make sure there aren’t any air pockets around the roots. This is what we call “heeling in” the plant. I can go and dig up my whole grow bed of plants, then heel them in and that gives me at least a month before the plant breaks dormancy. I can then just pull the plant out of the ground and put it in a container to sell this spring without causing injury to the plant.
I also bought a couple hundred bare rooted plants and trees that I needed to heel in before they broke dormancy. All you do is bunch them together and cover them with a few inches of soil, making sure to fill all the gaps so there are no air pockets. That way the plant can remain outdoors and not weep out too soon.
So that’s what I have to say about digging up plants.
Enjoy this movie that Duston and I made:
Mike, I live in zone 8 in Auburn al. I want to know when I could put a wisteria plant, from a pot to the ground?
Pludie,
Zone 8 in Alabama on May 1st? I’d say anytime now. Even here in Ohio we can plant just about anything at any time of the year as long as the ground is not frozen. In the spring it’s fine to plant at any time if the plants are still dormant. The issue comes when you have a greenhouse grown plant that you have to protect from frost.
Hi Mike
I live in an area ( so. Cal) that has tons of DG (decomposed granite) available very cheaply as opposed to silica sand. Is this a good alternative to sand for sticking cuttings?
Thank you!
Tamara,
I have no experience with it, but I do believe that it should work. Seems that we’ve had members, http://backyardgrowers.com/join, in the past that have used it.
Thank you!
This was a great article and I learned a lot I never knew before from you and your readers. Thanks Mike!
Hi Mike, I purchased a Japanese lace leaf Maple from a retail store a year or two ago and I noticed that there’s another type of Japanese tree growing on the trunk of the tree. I believe it’s the upright Japanese maple. Not sure how this happened but my tree will look odd if I don’t do something soon. I need your expertise here. Please help. Kind regards, Becky
Becky,
What you have on your tree is a sucker that needs to be removed. You need to learn “one finger pruning”. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/02/one-finger-pruning-of-weeping-cherries-japanese-maples-and-other-grafted-plants/
Need some clear, concise instruction on pruning grape vines. I live in NJ. It is 03/19, is it too late? thanks for all your valuable info.
Pat, it’s not too late, you need to get on it now. Search youtube for instructions, there are probably better instructions there than mine. You can search https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/, search box on the right, but check with youtube as well.
Hi Mike :),
I notice a few comments about back hurting, etc.
For me the ‘secret’ seems to be mostly sourdough bread from FRESH ground whole grain [So the fresh germ IS included in what I eat.]. [See ‘Our daily bread’ by Katherine Czapp.]
And real milk. I stay totally away from pasturized or homogenized dairy. Both damage the milk.
After a few months of doing that, I have never felt better and seem to be healing in many ways.
Eventually discovered Jarvis – Folk Medicine which has numerous Vermont proven health restoring suggestions. If you do some research, you will find the same suggestions over and over. But for most folks, such suggestions will be ignored since they don’t come with the blessings of the huge food ‘manufacturers’ and their captive stores and agencies :).
I am sure you get my point 🙂 :). Farm fresh alive food – including real milk, farm eggs and meat from animals which eating healthy food.
Healthy, well mineralized soil -> naturally healthy plants -> healthy animals -> healthy humans [Like me !!].
Good luck.
John
Thanks John.
Kristen;
Your advise regarding the lower back exercise is probably good advise; still, it reminds of ‘The Time Warp” scene in Rocky Horror.
On a more relevant note, Mike are you a believer in slightly cutting into the roots of a nursery potted plant before planting in the spring?
Jeff,
Yes, if the plant is root bound, the roots need to be disturbed or cut if necessary.
Hi to Mike and to all that assist you,
I know many, many write to thank you and yes a coupe to complain about the volume on the videos.. I have received this newsletter for years and have never not learned something from them, For those of us who can not get around well anymore, they are a true blessing. They give us the spark we need to keep going.
Thank you just does not seem to be enough to say. You are a true jewel and if the day should come that you can not do this anymore, you will truly be missed.
Thanks Nan, I appreciate that.
Mike ,
Can I Water my propagation bed with a soaker hose from the bottom?
Lonnie
Lonnie,
Not unrooted cuttings.
I need to thin my irises and I know this SHOULD be done in July. But if I cut out some, will that work? And if I take the tubers I cut out, might they survive if I transplant them somewhere else?
Mary Ann,
I say doing them now should work just fine.
Hi Mike, I live in Springfield Oregon and I need to transplant a Mexican Orange. It has started to bud and it may bloom soon. I need to move it soon to another location in the yard. right now it is in a raised bed. Do you have any suggestions? It is such a nice plant with a beautiful smell. I really want to save it.
Renee,
If it hasn’t made leaves yet see this, https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2011/03/how-to-ball-and-burlap-dig-a-tree/ or this https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2013/09/bb-balled-in-burlap-tree-digging-tips/
Hi Renee, What Mike is saying about digging plants when they are dormant is the best and safest way to keep from damaging them ; however , there is another way to dig plants out of digging season , if it is absolutely necessary. To understand the process , you need to consider why plants go in shock if they are dug at the wrong time . Before digging a plant the size of root system is in balance with the top of plant . You see the top of plant grows according to the amount of water and nutrients delivered by the root system, and it produces enough food to keep the roots healthy. Now when you dig you damage part of the root system which means the top will pull more water than the root system can supply which will most likely kill the plant . Now , there is a way to help the plant to survive if it must be dug out of season, but it will cause the plant to loose part of it’s growth for the season. The way this is done is to remove enough of the top of the plant to keep it in balance, Which would normally be 1/3 to 1/2 of top depending on how much of the root system is cut. We once dug an oak tree in the middle of summer which was 35 feet tall ,, cutting back on the center branches for about 15 feet up from base . Tree survived , but took a couple of years to recover, and look normal again. There are times when people are moving and insist on moving large plants , and it can be done if top and root system are kept in balance , although some of the growth potential of plant will be lost temporarily, and this is why it i not usually done in the nursery business since the value of plant is often determined by size !
Thanks,
Alex
And of course the more of the root system you take with the plant, the less shock it will experience. But getting that much root system is often not practical. But like Alex said, it can be done, but there is a huge risk to the plant so you have to weigh all of those things.
I, too, can not hear the video! Hate to miss what you say … you do such a great job. Thank you Mike!
P.S.- I worry about your weight Mike, it’s so hard on the knees and back. How can you put on weight with the work you do????
Jean ANDERSON – Always make sure you turn your volume up on whatever device you are watching the video from. I could hear it perfectly well with my volume turned up a little.
Also, Anyone’s weight, including Mike’s, is their own business! The only person who really has the right to say anything about it to them is their own physician!
Please mind your own business! Your comment, and question, are in no way helpful.
This site is about gardening, which includes the comments section,
People can say what they want. What is it with the censorship? Why can’t people say things like that? What’s the reason that you try to squelch conversation? Are you another member of the thought police? Let people say what they want. As long as the person they’re saying it to has the capacity to respond, why does it bother you at all?
Kris, maybe you should lose weight. Don’t jump all over Jean like that, she was commenting from compassion, not shooting from the hip like you. Grow up!
AMEN!!!!!
Hi Mike, I transplanted a good sized (4.5′) Japanese maple. I did it just before it budded. leaves are out now but I am still afraid it might die. I am keeping it watered. Are my concerns valid? could it die later because of the transplant timing?
Cheryl,
More than likely not. The tree should be fine. The only that would kill a tree like that would be too much fertilizer, non is really best, too much water, they do not like wet feet or being planted too deep. The rootball should be exactly the same grade or higher than it was before. No deeper.
Mike,
I’m in NE Ohio,too. I am relocating to western Virginia in June, and I want to move some blueberry bushes down there. They are just starting to get swollen buds, so I want to find a way to keep them dormant. Should I just “dig” them now as you describe and leave them in the soil?
Or if I dig them out completely with bare roots and put them in a dark moist tote in my root cellar, could I plant them in June in Virginia? I really don’t want to leave them behind. There are only 3 bushes and they are 3 years old or so, that is, pretty small still.
Thanks.
David
David,
Absolutely dig them now so you can completely lift them out of the ground. Then just heel them back in, covering the roots with soil, water them well. Be sure to re-cover with fine, loose dirt so there are no air pockets around the roots. If kept watered they’ll be fine that way for a while. But between now and June I’d get them into a pot and transport them that way. In June you cannot leave them out of the ground bare root. Or dig them with a ball of soil now, burlap them, then heel them in until June. But they have to be dug now and should be left outside, not inside.
Hey Mike, I am in Central Iowa. I have had some buds break on my Korean Forsythia since mid March. Is it too late to go ahead and dig them up and put them in a new spot? We really had a warm spell and that made a lot of things “pop”! Thank you for your knowledge.
Teresa,
Flower buds don’t concern me, but leaf buds that have started to open is a little more concerning. It really depends on how much root damage you do when transplanting. If you can move a plant without damaging roots it can be moved at almost any time. But most plant harvesting requires root damage and has to be done while dormant.
That was probably the most useful thing I will read (at least about plants_ this year. Thanks!
Thanks Rich, I appreciate that.
When you dig these can you then put them in pots for sale? and if done after dormant in the fall-Nov do you overwinter in pots so you are ready for the spring sale?
Terry,
I typically dig them in the spring then pot so I don’t have to over winter them in the ground. It would be best to sell them after they have rooted into the pot, but honestly it doesn’t bother the plant at all to be sold right away. I just let my customers know that they are fresh dug and potted and explain how to plant them. It’s all about managing expectations. I haven’t had one come back yet with a dead plant.
Hi Mike- I live on Long Island, NY enjoy all your helpful hints and especially am interested in the one about making your own composter. Could you please repeat the part about the milk crates used as compost bins? I have a few of these around and almost threw them out with the yard trash but would like to recycle them into something useful. Thanks and keep .sending the info.
Hi Mike I Am in Auckland NZ no I am trying to grow papaya and banana our little 2x2x2 metre greenhouse.. . not sure how to deal with them now since winter is coming on here as of last week…can you please advise?
Abi,
Since they are not winter hardy you don’t have a lot of options. If the greenhouse is not heated you might have to move them to a warm space for the winter. If the greenhouse is heated just do your best to mimic the winter climate of their natural environment.
I suppose the rules for digging are the same for the south. Here in Baton Rouge the ground never freezes and so in large part trees and shrubs never really go completely dormant it would seem. Yet I would assume that with deciduous trees and shrubs that when leaves have shed then that would be the time to dig. I APPRECIATE YOUR VIDEOS. What’s your thoughts on digging in southern states?
Rich,
It’s pretty much the same. Plants go from actively growing in the spring, they they slow down and harden off as fall approaches, then they eventually go dormant. Even though the ground doesn’t freeze in Baton Rouge and other warm climates, the plants do go into a resting period, which is really dormancy. Since you folks get the occasional freeze your plants do lose their leaves come winter. That would be the ideal time to dig, from then until they leaf out in the spring.
I always read your news letter and info that is posted . Enjoying the way you do things , which is sometimes slightly different than what works for me . All is good . Thanks for showing us your gardening practices .
…… Jean ….
Mike,
I’ve read other places that you can dig around a growing plant but leave it in the ground to transplant later with less shock. This is basically what you showed with digging up that plant and then poking it right back in the same hole. But that plant was still dormant.
What I read said if you dig around the tree with a spade, but don’t actually full uproot it, the act of digging severs out roots and causes the plant to regenerate new roots in closer, roots that it will retain when you move it later.
So, does this make sense. Suppose I want to move a small fruit tree or other semi stout perennial, and I need to do it during active growing. Would it be beneficial to dig around it a month ahead of time, and then go back and get it? Or do you think digging around would be just as bad as just digging up the whole thing in the first shot?
Tom,
Some of what you wrote makes sense, but to just up and dig around the entire plant while it is actively growing is going to be the same as digging it. The shock occurs as the roots are severed. If you were to systematically dig a little every few days, keeping the plant well watered in the process, it might work. Severing one root might not be enough to shock the plant, but if we severe them all in a matter of minutes, were sure to shock the plant. If the plant is small enough, and you dig out far enough and only cut minor roots, that too can work.
Nurseries actually mechanically root prune big evergreens one year before they actually intend to harvest them. But they do this when the plants are dormant, then they straighten the plants, tamp them back in. This forces the plant to make more small feeder roots that will remain inside of the root ball when the tree is eventually harvested.
Thanks Mike, this is great information. I’m in zone 6B SW Mo. Looking into best approach for moving Evergreens. Some small and some large. This root pruning and your advice to the California grower on watching new growth are great starting points.
Really appreciate your years of experience.
Thanks Charles, just remember, once they start making new growth in the spring it’s best to not transplant them until fall.
Really enjoyed your teachings, very helpful. Love the donkeys, too! Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge with the rest of us.
I love your videos.
I’d love them even more if I could only HEAR THEM !!
Wrap a head phone around your head & then drop it around your NEck.
You can still work & we can hear.
WE can NOT HEAR you when you are 40 feet ?????) from the camera..
Sorry but I have done everything on my end to raise the volume.
I can hear other videos & yours when you are close to the camera.
I think others will agree that you need to be closer & WE all can get the message.
NOT just your donleys.
Thanks, PHIL
Thanks Mike, I’ve been following you from the very beginning of your posts. I now live at 4000ft just a few miles from Canada, and it’s COLD here, even snowed this morning. My strawberries are poking their heads up, the ground thaws in the afternoons, can I work these now or should I wait a few more weeks, last frost is usually mid-May. Thanks for any in-put. Susan
Susan,
In the business we start doing anything and everything we can do as soon as the ground is thawed enough to work it. Once things leaf out we have to change directions and work on other things.
Been following you a long time, never commented before, but want to say… You are awesome. So very helpful you are. God bless you!
Thank you Cynthia, I truly appreciate that.
I love this web site but I live on the Prairies and the ground is still frozen in places right now, some of the flower beds are a bit softer. Can I transplant plants now? Or must i put them indoors. I have the choice of lots of plants from a neighbour who no longer wants them.But she wants them moved now if possible.
Iceni,
As long as the ground is thawed enough to dig, you should be fine moving them now and keeping them outside as long as you don’t leave any roots exposed to the air.
Mike, I always enjoy and appreciate your email– very informative. I also like the additional stars, the donkeys 🙂
I have a question, what should I do when I need to transplant evergreens that always have leaves? Shall I still have to wait till the fall?
I and my husband live in California where we have serious drought. I need to replace the lawn and put some drought resistant plants. We are on a fixed income and want to use our baby plants instead of buying potted plants.
Thank you very much for your time. I really appreciate your’educational articles..
Best regards,
Hari
Hari,
The rules are almost the same for evergreens, but the window of opportunistic is much wider for digging them. Early spring is fine, until they make new growth, then you can’t dig until that new growth is well harden off. Usually early September. But unlike deciduous plants, you can start digging evergreens in the fall, weeks before you can dig deciduous plants. Usually early to mid September.
Thanks Mike I’m zone 6B and had the same question about evergreens.
Appreciate your Great site and your years of experience.
Very informative video.
Thanks for posting it, Mike.
I enjoyed very much watching the donkeys around and around.
I would love to see them again in future videos, please?!
Lupe,
Thanks, I’ll do my best to include the donkeys in any up coming videos that we do.
Mike, your donkey’s trying to help you “prune” you little plant was priceless!!!! What a great helper! What do you take for your knees and back? I’m 46 and mine are screaming at the end of the day….what’s your secret … WD-40? LOL
Dave,
I rarely take anything, I just tuff it out. But lately that’s not been so easy, my back is getting really bad.
If, for every time you bend forward, if you do a back bend backward, it will help.
To do the backbend put your hands on your hips, except have your thumbs facing forward, and feet shoulder width, or more apart, Then, arch your back backwards. This can be done often, and 10 reps should be done in the mornings before working, and after work.
I have gone to a variety of P.T. on my back issues, and have many books that also help. This is the one exercise/stretch that is emphasized in all of them. It helps me when I do it regularly. It’s easy to do, and it offsets what the bending forward does. You have to do it regularly though. It feels good to do so it shouldn’t be hard to do.
.
Mike,
I am just an amateur gardener & am so blessed to be able to watch your wonderful videos. You do such a great job of teaching, I really really appreciate the work that you & your cameraperson do to make, edit & post your knowledge.
Thank You So Much,
Jon
PS Awesome pet donkeys, you’re so good with them!
Thanks Jon, we appreciate that you appreciate the effort that we make.
I am in northeast ohio as well. Is it too late to dig and transplant? Specifically Little Princess Spirea and Goldflame Spirea…
Also is your plant farm open? Would like to have a look and maybe purchase some plants for the landscape.
Matt,
Here in northeast Ohio, this year, we will probably be able to dig and transplant up until the third week of April. Once the plants produce leaves, the digging season ends. We’ll be ready to start selling plants at that time as well, late April. By May we’ll be in full blown plant selling season.