Taking your outdoor plants with you when you move
When you move, you don't have to leave behind Grandma's heirloom roses or the silver fir you planted when Junior was born.
It's possible to pack and move plants, too. Here's advice on how to approach it from Tony Fulmer, retail manager at Chalet, garden center in Wilmette.
• When selling your home, respect and work with your buyer. If it's a major plant you want to take, write it into the contract.
• Think about the seasonal and geographic implications of your move. If you wouldn't ordinarily plant the "movee" from a garden center at this time, think twice before moving it.
Redbud, birch, magnolia and Japanese maple prefer spring through early fall planting. Moving a plant in the Midwest after late October might well be its death sentence. Most perennials are best moved in spring before too much growth has occurred; iris, oriental poppies and peonies are among exceptions.
• The larger the plant and the more advanced the growing season, the larger the root ball must be to succeed.
If you know well ahead of time -- at least two months or more, Fulmer says -- that you're going to move a tree or shrub, consider root pruning. Decide how large a soil ball you'll be moving later, take a sharp spade and cut straight down to one spade depth, severing the roots. This will promote the growth of denser, more fibrous roots in the future root ball.
• Water the plant thoroughly, at least 24 hours before the move. A well-hydrated plant will handle the stress of moving better. A moist root ball also is more likely to hold together when it's removed from the hole.
• Never pull or lift a plant out of the hole by stems or branches. Make sure all the roots on the side and bottom have been severed before moving. Use your shovel or spade as a lever to remove the plant from the hole. Lift by the root ball.
• Mark the north side of a tree trunk with a small X in marker or put a ribbon on the north side of a shrub. Plant it facing the same direction it's been growing, to reduce potential for scalding of trunk or foliage.
• Have suitably sized containers ready to put plants into. If the plant is not going to be moved quickly (within a few hours) fill the space around the roots with potting soil or sphagnum moss (not peat moss). This will help keep roots moist and prevent exposure to the air's drying effects.
• If it's summer and there's a time lag from uprooting to replanting, move the potted plant to at least partial shade to reduce heat stress. Keep soil moist and replant quickly.
• BUT: Before you do any of the above, consider the plant's age, size, rarity, replacement expense and sentimental value. Worst-case scenario: Would you rather try to move it and have it die, or let it live but not own it?
For more information, visit www.ChaletNursery.com.