Fall is best time to transplant trees
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There are many misconceptions about gardening, and one of them is that spring is the time to garden.
In this part of the world, fall is the main time to do just about everything. This is especially true for transplanting.
If you have lived in this area for a year or more, you know how short our springs are and how extreme our summers can be.
Planting or transplanting in the fall, gives the plant all fall, winter and spring to get established before the heat and drought of summer arrives. Planting now will provide the plant, whatever it may be, with a less stressful environment to develop a good root system. A better established root system will be better able to withstand the heat and drought of summer.
When digging up a plant to transplant, you can actually lose as much as 80 percent of the root system. Considering how important the root system is to all plants, you can understand how stressful transplanting can be. Transplanting at this cooler time of the year will allow for an easier transition period.
I really don't think that many people realize just how extensive root systems can be. Take for example an 8- to 10-foot tall oak tree that has a trunk about 4 inches in diameter and branches that extend 10 to 12 feet. You can expect this size tree to have a root system that will extend about 20 to 30 feet across.
When transplanting this size tree, generally the root ball will only be about 3 feet in diameter. That's a great bit of root system left behind. Losing that many roots will be a big shock to any tree.
Roots are like little highways that transport water and nutrients to every part of a plant. The root system grows in proportion to the size of the plant. You can then imagine how stressful it is for a plant to suddenly lose that much of its roots. The larger the tree, the more roots will be lost.
This root loss is why it is so important to frequently water any plant that is newly transplanted. You will be the one to supplement for all the roots that were lost.
Larger trees will take longer to grow back their desired root system than smaller trees will. Don't expect to see much, if any, growth from a transplant until it has had time to replace its roots. This process can take years.
If at all possible, do your transplanting on a drizzly damp day in the fall. These conditions will help keep tiny hair roots damp and they will be less likely to dry out and be damaged. The shorter the time any plant is out of the ground is very important.
Watering a new transplant after being replanted is a must. This will not only provide the moisture the smaller root system needs, it will also help to break up any soil clods around the root ball. Dirt clods could mean that the soil has air pockets, and this air could dry out the roots.
Hopefully, these guidelines will help for greater success.
Until next time, let's try to garden with nature, not against it, and maybe all our weeds will become wildflowers.
Laurie Garretson is a Victoria gardener and nursery owner. Send your gardening questions to laurie@vicad.com or in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77902.
