{"id":1296,"date":"2014-10-22T01:41:30","date_gmt":"2014-10-22T01:41:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=1296"},"modified":"2015-03-10T01:47:30","modified_gmt":"2015-03-10T01:47:30","slug":"want-more-native-plants-learn-to-transplant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/?p=1296","title":{"rendered":"Want More Native Plants? Learn to Transplant"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Edie Parnum<\/em><\/p>\n

You read it repeatedly on this blog\u2014plant more native plants. Plant lots of them. Too expensive, you say.\u00a0 That\u2019s true when you purchase them at nurseries or native plant sales.\u00a0 I know where you can get native plants for free\u2014yes, really! They are already in your own backyard.<\/p>\n

Local native plants are adapted to our soil and climate, so they reproduce abundantly.\u00a0 Look carefully at the young plants in your garden.\u00a0 You\u2019ll find multiples of many of your favorite native plants. Resist pulling out these volunteers and throwing them away. They are not weeds.\u00a0 Keep them growing by transplanting them to new locations.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A 5″ Witch Hazel is flagged and ready to transplant. \u00a9 Edie Parnum<\/p><\/div>\n

Take a tour around your yard.\u00a0 Locate the native plants that have popped up voluntarily, but haphazardly.\u00a0 These young woody saplings and perennials are smaller versions of plants you already know and love.\u00a0 Many, you recall, are particularly favored by birds, butterflies, and other creatures. Others are your personal favorites\u2014they are so beautiful!\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0You already know their ultimate size, shape, and color and their needs for sun, shade, dry, or moist conditions.\u00a0 These native plant treasures can be saved by moving them to new locations.<\/p>\n

Now look for places where you can incorporate these volunteer trees, shrubs, perennials, ferns, vines, and groundcovers into your landscape. \u00a0Where can you grow another tree? How about several trees?\u00a0 Shrubs can be added around the base of isolated trees. Can you install or expand a garden bed?\u00a0 What about removing some non-native plants or invasives? \u00a0Keep in mind native plants prefer to touch each other, not be isolated.\u00a0 Spots of bare ground should be filled in with native groundcovers. And, surely, your lawn can be reduced.\u00a0 \u00a0Aim to cover virtually all open areas with native plants.<\/p>\n

Be brave.\u00a0 Dare to transplant\u2014even if you\u2019ve never done it before.\u00a0 Native plants are resilient and determined to grow.\u00a0 Spring or fall, here\u2019s how to transplant.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Directions for transplanting tree or shrub saplings <\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u00a0Locate a small sapling, preferably shorter than 15\u201d, to transplant. \u00a0If the soil is dry around the plant, water it well.<\/li>\n
  2. Before you dig out this woody plant, select the location where you want it to grow and dig a hole there.\u00a0 This hole should be no deeper than the expected depth of the transplant\u2019s roots and about twice as wide.<\/li>\n
  3. To dig out the transplant, estimate the size of the root system (usually as wide as the sapling\u2019s canopy).\u00a0 Dig deeply around the plant and avoid severing the tap root.\u00a0 When you lift the sapling out of the ground, it should have plenty of roots and soil attached.<\/li>\n
  4. Carefully lay the sapling with its root system on a piece of newspaper or plastic and carry it to the new location.<\/li>\n
  5. \u00a0Place the plant into the pre-dug hole.\u00a0 Hold the plant upright with the top of the root system \u00bd\u201d above the height of the ground.\u00a0 Fill in around the roots with the soil that was removed from the hole.\u00a0 Do not add fertilizer, topsoil, or other amendments.\u00a0 Press the soil down with your hands, but do not stomp with your feet.<\/li>\n
  6. Spread compost and leaf litter on top.\n

  7. Water well.\u00a0 Unless it rains, water the transplant every week for several months\u2014longer if the season is dry. \u00a0In fall, water until the ground freezes.<\/li>\n
  8. Some established shrubs such as viburnums send out horizontal roots where new plants can emerge.\u00a0 These baby shrubs can be transplanted, too.\u00a0 Follow the directions for free-standing saplings.\u00a0 However, before digging the plant out of the ground, find and sever the lateral root growing out from the mother plant.<\/li>\n
  9. Small woody transplants, once established, grow quickly.\u00a0 After a few years they will be as big as much larger nursery-grown trees and shrubs.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Personally, I have successfully transplanted Red Maple, Bottlebrush Buckeye, Redbud, Eastern Red Cedar, Tulip Tree, Eastern White Pine, Black Cherry, Tulip Tree, and Sassafras.\u00a0 I\u2019ve also moved several native species of dogwoods, hollies, oaks, and viburnums.\u00a0\u00a0 Most other native woody plants will transplant well, too.\u00a0 You can also relocate woody vines like Virginia Creeper, Trumpet Vine, and Virgin\u2019s Bower.<\/p>\n

    Directions for transplanting perennials<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Perennials and other non-woody plants often produce volunteer seedlings.\u00a0 These young plants resemble their parents and can be readily differentiated from your yard\u2019s common weeds. Frequently I see Nodding Onion, Anise Hyssop, Amsonia, Wild Columbine, Wild Geranium, Cardinal Flower, Great Blue Lobelia, False Sunflower, Golden Ragwort, New York Ironweed, Golden Alexander\u2014all valuable plants begging to be saved. I often find my cherished native asters, goldenrods, and phloxes as seedlings, too.<\/li>\n
    2. You can dig out these and many other seedlings and transplant them elsewhere. \u00a0Follow the above directions for transplanting shrubs and trees.\n

    3. Some perennials spread by underground runners.\u00a0 The lateral roots of Mountain Mint, Bee Balm, Monarda, Wild Bergamot, Obedient Plant, Ostrich Fern, and Mistflower produce growth to dig out for new plants.<\/li>\n
    4. Divide older perennials.\u00a0 Look for plants that are oversized and have lost vigor. These can and should be divided.\u00a0 Push your spade deeply into the ground at several places around the perimeter of the large plant.\u00a0 Lift it up out of the ground with most of the root system intact.\u00a0 Thrust your shovel into the middle of the plant and separate it into two clumps. If the root system is dense, you can use two back-to-back garden forks to pry it apart. Further subdivide these clumps to yield four or more plants.<\/li>\n
    5. As with woody plants, plant perennials and ferns \u00bd inch higher than the ground. Be sure to keep them watered until they are established.\u00a0 If planting late in the fall, mulch the plants to prevent them from heaving out of the ground during light frosts.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      With the right transplanting tool, the work is not hard nor especially time consuming. You<\/p>\n

      \"Tools<\/a>

      Tools for transplanting: watering can, pruners, bulb trowel (extra leverage for digging seedlings) and transplant shovel (see text). \u00a9 Edie Parnum<\/p><\/div>\n

      certainly can dig out a plant satisfactorily with an ordinary shovel.\u00a0 However, I prefer using my transplant shovel.\u00a0 With its narrow blade I can make precise cuts around my target plant but avoid injuring desirable plants nearby.\u00a0 It has a wide ledge for stomping with my foot and good leverage.\u00a0 Thus, I\u2019m able to do most of my transplant operations standing up.\u00a0 No need to kneel or squat uncomfortably.<\/p>\n

      You can\u2019t create the landscape of your dreams all at once.\u00a0 Each spring and fall, transplant as many young plants as you can.\u00a0 Ever increasingly, your property will include all the layers found in nature: groundcovers, perennials and ferns, shrubs, understory trees, and canopy trees. \u00a0This dense, layered landscape will develop into a rich habitat alive with insect and animal biodiversity.<\/p>\n

      \"A<\/a>

      A layered landscape in fall, including Virginia Creeper and violets as ground covers, asters, amsonia hubrectii, Solomon’s Seal in its fall yellow color in the background, Fringe Tree (understory tree on right), and a large Common Hackberry tree (on left).<\/p><\/div>\n

      Revel in the fecundity of your garden.\u00a0 Each of your native plants is a gift to nature.\u00a0 Each with its leaves, flowers, seeds\u2014in fact every part of the plant\u2014contributes exuberantly to the web of life. Save them one by one to plant elsewhere in your yard. \u00a0Give them away, too.\u00a0 Your garden will be a native plant nursery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      By Edie Parnum You read it repeatedly on this blog\u2014plant more native plants. Plant lots of them. Too expensive, you say.\u00a0 That\u2019s true when you purchase them at nurseries or native plant sales.\u00a0 I know where you can get native … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100,1],"tags":[27,10,60,104,5,103,46,101,9,102],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1296"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1296"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1313,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1296\/revisions\/1313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backyardsfornature.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}