IT IS WHAT IT IS or Transplanting in the summer / Interdependence

In reference to Kim's comments of 7-6:
In order to transplant any plant at this time of year you need to plan it out. Since that one is growing in such substandard conditions - the desert!!! - it will probably thrive in your garden. Plan to move it after the sun has gone down. I would wait until the end of the week when the temperature is going down a bit, or on a rainy day - right after a shower usually works well, if it is later in the day.
Next you need to prepare the hole it will be going in so that the roots don't have to hang out in the air and get dried out. Not knowing how big the hole will need to be I would suggest you go at least 2 feet down, and 2 feet around. To give it the best chance of flourishing, prepare the soil mix that you will pack around it - I use 1/3 soil, 1/3 compost and 1/3 peat or sphagnum moss (I like this best) Get the mix ready and have it in a container or in a pile next to the hole you have dug.

You'll need to water the plant you are about to dig first. (If there has been no shower) This is to keep the soil that is there around the roots. Then you need to find out what the root system is. Dig a distance from the plant and work your way closer until you find the roots ( You want to be sure to put the shovel in straight down, not slanted. I have noticed that many people put the shovel in slanted, at an angle, when digging in the garden.) This poses a risk to the roots if you are digging something that has a widespread root system.
There are many different types of root systems. Unless you know for sure what you are dealing with, be conservative and "DIG BIG". Always put your shovel in straight, perpendicular (90 degrees - now I know you all had math in school - it was one of my majors in College - so a huge aside here - remember when you all thought - when will I ever use Geometry in my life????!!! Well this is geometry -----If you put the shovel in at an acute angle (less than 90 degrees) it might cut off your roots!!!! So go straight - the perpendicular, 90 degree angle - the right angle - don't get me started - I can go on and on about math!!!! Ask my 3 kids and all my foster kids!!!)

After you have found the root mass edge, take the shovel out and add 3-4 inches beyond the roots to dig the actually plant out. You need to dig all around the plant to the same depth. You want to dig deep enough to be sure to capture all of the root plus as much soil around it as possible. The way to determine this is to see if you can pull towards you with the shovel and feel it slide under the roots. If not, you need to go deeper. Sometimes the plant will have a tap root - like a long carrot. In that case you need a much longer narrow shovel to get at it. This is what we used to get out the Pokeweed taproots. When you reach the bottom of the roots, you will be able to pull the shovel down towards you and feel it sliding under the bottom of the root mass.

If you were doing this in spring or fall you wouldn't need to be so cautious. But this is an unknown plant that you want to be sure to give the best possible chance at survival after the move. So, if you can get the root mass in tact, with plenty of soil around it, to not disturb the roots, you can usually have a successful transplantation.

To plant the transplant, put the plant in the hole first, to determine what depth it needs to be at. This is gauged by where the prior soil line was. If your hole is too deep, just add the mix you created to get it to the right level.

After you get the plant at the right level, you need to water the roots, use enough water so that it reaches the top of the roots (which would be the soil level of the plant.) Then wait to proceed until the water has all soaked in. Next, shovel the mix in around the plant until it is about level with the ground. Then you take one of your feet - be sure you have working shoes/old sneakers, etc on - not sandals (I've done this - it is very messy and such a gooey feeling when the wet soil guishes through the toes!!) I have often lost a sandal in the quagmire and have to go rescue it, then get the muddy mess on my garden gloves, since why would I use my mud gloves just to transplant??

So we have put the initial mix in around the new transplant and are gently tamping down the soil around the plant. I stress gently, as too hard a stomp will damage the roots you have so carefull worked to preserve.

Now you need to water again, and wait for it to soak in. Put more mix around the plant - it can end up a little above the soil line, as it will shrink down with the final watering. Do a final watering. Add mulch of 2-3 inches in this weather as a precaution.

If you know the plant you are moving, it is a good idea to cut it back at this stage to give the roots a chance to get well set in.
In this case, it's your choice. I would want to see if it will keep blooming.
It is your choice if you want to fertilize. Some years I have used Miracle Gro, but lately, my compost has been more than enough. If you give the plant the right soil mix, it will be fine. The fertilizer is like extra insurance. I recently had a gardener share one of her favorites goring supplement for plants. And of course I can't find it - I will email her.
Remember to keep the newly transplanted plant(s) moist the first couple of weeks. You will know you have a successful transplant when you see new growth.

Caution: Some plants will not survive being transplanted. I have not always been successful. Several of you had plants that did not make it this spring. It can be a number of factors, including inexperience. But I don't always succeed either. It just happens. Sometimes a plant will die back, but not be dead. Some varieties need to get their roots established before they can produce new growth. Any of you who took the Bronze Fennel may have experienced this. I moved several this spring, down to the driveway-end garden, the soil there is not great. I didn't do up a mix, but that was becasue I am familiar with this particular plant. Sometimes I do a different way just to see what will be tolerated - well they all died back, but within a week or 2 all had new growth and now are thriving.

The lesson here is one of patience. PATIENCE .......It is one of the most important things we all need to learn. Think of when your kids are learning to walk, or you are trying to learn a new skill, like how to blog, or how to find out why your email is going crazy!! Do we give up on them the first time they fall?? Of course not. And how many falls must they get through before they are successful? It is unpredictable and different from kid to kid. So it is with the garden and plants. They are all different and have their different needs. When we are able to learn as much as we can about those different needs and plan accordingly, our patience will be rewarded by success in the endeavor.

I usually keep a dead plant for quite some time before I give up on it. Last spring I divided my prized salmon Poppy. It hadn't been doing great, would flower a little, but never really thrived. So I dug, split it and moved it to different places in the garden. Then all the transplants died. I couldn't believe it, it was one that was identical to another aunt's favorite Poppy. I waited a few weeks, and still nothing. I figured it would just go down as another failure. Well, was I surprised later in the season when they all started to grow, and not only to grow, but to multiply and thrive better than I ever imagined possible!. There is no way to predict what will happen in the garden, just like in life. IT IS WHAT IT IS.

When I put up my first seed offer, I thought I might get a nibble or two. I used to plant from seed years ago, and had found it to be frustrating(with all the failures) and rewarding(with all the successes) Imagine my surprise when I received 46 responses for my seeds!

So many of you have already come to get seeds. It has given me hope. Hope that there are many people out there who have patience, the desire to learn, and foresight. The kind of patience it takes to plant and care for a garden to help it to thrive. The kind of patience and desire to learn, that makes you want to take a seed, learn how to plant it, so that it, too, will grow and survive, and hopefully thrive. And if it doesn't thrive the first time, to have perseverance and to try again - as our forefathers did, oh so many years ago when this was a new nation.

We are at a difficult time in this nation. We are all feeling the pinch. We are looking for answers where there are none. We are looking for ways to connect, with our families, with each other, with nature and with our planet. What better way to connect with all and to make a positive change in our own little environment, than by adding new life to this earth. Planting 1 seed will produce new life, add to the beauty of our lives, and contribute to making the world a better place to be.

In a recent comment, Terri Said:

Happy Interdependence to all. You are invited to reflect on the illusion of separation which tends to create discord and an uneasy feeling deep within. We think we want independence but actually our soul responds to interdependence.
Interdependence = harmony with ALL life.
It is a clear knowing on a soul level that all life is one. Life is a circle and a magnet...what are you putting out?

July 5, 2008 1:33 PM