Question about moving established shrubs...

13 years ago

Hello,

I have been planning on helping my brother move his loropetalum bushes now in early November. Even though I have a good idea of how to do it, there are two things that neither of us know:

How big the rootball needs to be - (The shrubs are about 3.5 feet tall by 3 feet wide, b/c they need to be trimmed frequently to keep them in bounds).

(and)

How far apart to space them - (he wants to make a privacy hedge out of them).

Thanks

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Comments (12)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
not familiar with your zone.. but the timing seems about right ....

not familiar with the plant ....

so one would expect that i stay out of it.. lol ... wrong!!!... lol

one way i do it.. is to visit nurseries and find similar sized plants.. and find out what size pots or BB's the pros would use..

check out the link .. and gauge your size versus the picture. ...

no clue on the spacing ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
floweryearth
Original Author
13 years ago
You're great, Ken. I think I'll call my county extension tomorrow.

Thanks again!
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
i dont understand why no one else .. with specific knowledge is chiming in ...

regardless .... spacing for a screen is much closer than for a specimen ...

a screen would imply that you wish it to entirely fill the sight line.. ergo.. you would plant them much closer than you would a two or three specimens ... and you would encourage them to grow together ....

check out the link .... is that place really selling them for 7 bucks????? 8 bucks installed .. i dont know how hard i would work to move a big one.. if i could get replacements that cheap ... of course you arent in tampa bay ....

good luck

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: second pic top row
Iris GW
13 years ago
I have no personal experience with this shrub, but in general:

- yes now is a great time to do it.
- generally, unless you know this plant has a wide root system like azaleas do, for example ... I would dig a rootball equivalent to a 5 gallon pot, adjusting as needed based on what I found while digging.
- how far apart to space them depends on the mature width of the shrub - I would use google to find out this information. If the plant, for example, gets 5 feet wide, then plant 5 feet apart or closer since he wants a hedge.
jay_7bsc
13 years ago
In the Southeast, it is advisable to wait until there has been a hard frost before moving trees and shrubs. A killing frost ensures dormancy. It's also wise to wait until the ground is uniformly moist from rainfall. And then, water the plant copiously even if it's pouring down rain while you're planting it.
floweryearth
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the info. It will be put to good use. :)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
up here in the great white north ... we dont wait until a hard frost to insure that a plant.. above the ground is dormant.. we do it by leaf color change ... when the leaves turn color.. the plant is dormant above ... and that is the key ... and color change may or may not be due to frost ...

we want the plant to grow some roots before ground freeze up here.. and presumable for most of winter down there ...

what we dont want.. is the plant stressing itself.. trying to 'save' the leaves attached to the plant.. and it makes sense.. that down there.. you know that for sure.. after the frost ... go figure.. learn something new everyday.. i never thought about how one in a warm zone would know when the plant is dormant above ...

and if it is not deciduous .... then that complicates it all ... lol ...

ken
Iris GW
13 years ago
wait until there has been a hard frost before moving trees and shrubs

Hadn't heard that, don't do it myself.
jay_7bsc
13 years ago
Dear esh ga,
That is a recommendation I recently heard on _Making It Grow_, a PBS gardening program. They were talking about moving trees and shrubs that are already established in one's Southeastern landscape, not installing containerized trees and shrubs in the landscape. Their opinion is that, in our climate, the best time for moving established plants is late November through the end of January. I don't always follow that practice, especially with marginally hardy plants like palms, gardenias, or oleanders, which I believe prefer being planted during hot, or warm, weather. Warm season planting allows a marginally hardy plant adequate time to establish its root system before cold weather sets in. (I'm still hoping for a late season Atlantic hurricane to blow in and provide us with a couple of days of soaking rain. We're very dry in these parts.) --Jay
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
personally i wouldnt rely on the radio for opinions on anything.. the discussion may be a starting point.. but you are then left to do your own research .... which you did by coming here ... go figure ....

i am trying to expand my own knowledge here.. so i am going to speculate on this.. please correct anything that you might think is wrong ...

there are 3 things in my world.. that trigger the thought of transplant... in no particular order.. all 3 leap to mind.. in an effort to reduce plant stress ...

first.. declination of the sun ... as winter comes.. the sun gets lower.. putting less stress on the plant... so we transplant up here in spring or fall .... so the plant can grow some roots before the heat of next summer ...

the next issue for reducing stress is when the days shorten and the daytime temps abate ... if you are going to cut off 80% of the roots.. you simply dont want the plant to deal with any temps over 75 degrees or so ... if you are trying to save the leaves ... so we either want the leaves dormant [perhaps after the frost] or falling off ...

and thirdly ... night temps... if the temps at night.. are in the 50's... the plant has time to pump some water.. to aid the plant above ground.. and grow some roots ... and how cool it is at night can offset how warm it is during the day ....

all that said .... its all about reducing or eliminating the stress of cutting off a majority of the roots ...

after all those considerations.. there are all the issues of proper aftercare including PROPER PLANTING ... PROPER MULCHING AND PROPER WATERING FOR UP to 2 years afterward ....

so IMHO.. no matter what zone you are in ... you have to address all 3 issues ...

it should be apparent.. how stressful it would be to be doing this in august .. in z8 ... so contemplate the other end of the spectrum and you should be well on your way to success ...

ken
rosiew
13 years ago
I'm in Atlanta area and moved BIG loropetallums - got roots about 1 1/2' all around the plant. If you have the planting holes prepped you won't have to get much soil with them - just what adheres after digging. We pulled them individually, wrapped in a sheet then put on a tarp - had to go uphill. They didn't miss a beat. Space AT LEAST
7' apart, on center. Water well after moving and every 5 - 7 days after that for awhile.
floweryearth
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks everyone.

Rosie, I live about 35 miles NW of Atlanta, so your advice should be perfect.

You all are great! :)

Question about moving established shrubs...

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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