Ep 153 Early Spring Transplants and Honey-Dos
Fri, Mar 22, 2024 6:53PM • 11:22
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
transplants, garden, trees, burlap, root, shrubs, caliper, perennials, leaves, spring, plant, dilemmas, hydrangea, ball, inches, cows, seed, story, field, overly, mary stone, garden, nature, inspiration
SPEAKERS
Mary Stone
Mary Stone 00:00
Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone and welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens, it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.
Mary Stone 00:26
Hello there, it's Mary Stone on a very cold screen porch, quite a shift from last week's 70 degrees. We're only in the 30s, which is typical for mid-March. During the few weeks of warmth, a few perennials have emerged some woody plants began to break buds with fun to see the tiny leaves emerging. There are daffodils and bloom here, and their sunny faces look cold, but like everything in nature, they are resilient and know how to adapt. Just as the peepers and the carpenter frogs that we heard singing their morning mating dance are back to sleep now, they'll soon get back to their mating song during the next warm spell.
Mary Stone 01:07
Thanks to those who reached back after last week's talk about relocating honey bees and being kind to pollinators. One kind listener wrote - Another great episode. I used to work at a pick-your-own apple orchard. When it was time in the spring, a couple of tractor-trailers full of bees would arrive. They would let them go, and they pollinate the whole entire orchard. They had 22,000 apple trees. Your story brought back many pleasant memories. Thank you for your kind words and for teaching me something new. I had never known that commercial beekeepers take their hives on the road to help orchards pollinate their trees.
Mary Stone 01:47
Speaking of relocating, it's the time of year to transplant many woody plants, such as trees and shrubs, that you'd like to move to a new spot and a time to plant many species of new trees and shrubs as well, leading to this week's story, which starts like this.
Hello, fellow listeners and readers. Early spring after the ground thaws is ideal for transplanting many deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs before they break dormancy. It's the second-best time in my book. The first best time is after the leaves drop or when they go dormant. That way roots will remain active all winter long and give them time to recover and begin to settle in before they put energy into new growth. However, there are plants with thick and fleshy roots per Penn State's Extension Office, such as oak, Birch, Hemlock, Magnolia tulip poplar, Rhododendron, and flowering dogwood, that do better transplanted in the spring. Here's how.
Mary Stone 02:45
While walking Miss Ellie past the farm that recently changed hands, this was a few years ago; there were large cherry trees in the field with root balls loosely wrapped in burlap. The trees were about six to eight inches and caliper. The caliper, by the way, is the diameter of the trunk at chest height.
Mary Stone 03:12
I'll admit seeing them lying there for a few days tugged at my heart, but at least they had the burlap for protection. And based on their intended placement. The new farm owners were being thoughtful about where to plant the trees. As with any new planting, please choose a location that fits cultural requirements such as sudden versus shade, soil pH, moisture level, and wind tolerance. The cherry trees will help shade the goats, and the sunny spot will be a happy home for the transplants. Although it would have been better if they dug the holes before excavating the tree so they could put them immediately into the ground. Like humans, the stress of moving is less if the home we're moving in is ready for us and there isn't a dramatic adjustment to an uncomfortable new environment.
Mary Stone 04:01
When you're planting plants from a nursery, dig the hole two or three times the width of the root ball and the height of the root ball. Be sure the soil is moist but not overly wet, as it will cause soil compaction, inhibiting airflow to the roots. The objective is to keep the root ball intact. Otherwise, the roots could break, killing the tree. So that is true of transplants or newly planted trees and shrubs that you buy from the garden center.
Mary Stone 04:28
The rule of thumb for trees and shrubs you wish to transplant is to dig a root ball eight to 12 inches from the trunk for each caliper. The ball would be eight feet or more for the farmer's six-inch caliper trees, requiring a machine for ambitious hand diggers to stick with the transplants that are not more than two or three inches in caliper and recruit some strong helpers. No kidding. It can be a big, heavy job. And before you lift your newly dug tree out of the hole, rock it to one side, tuck burlap onto The ball, and tip it to the other side to create a wrap, tying the top loosely with twine. Carefully lower the tree into the new hole, straighten it, and put the soil back without tamping it too heavily so that it becomes overly compact. Cut away the exposed burlap and twine about two-thirds from the top, and then finish backfilling.
Mary Stone 05:22
By the way, fertilizing is a no-no when you move a plant because it's under stress already, and having over-fertilization at an early time actually adds to the stress. But top the disturbed soil with three inches of hardwood mulch; keeping it away from the trunk and stems will help retain moisture. Proper moisture levels for the first two years of a transplant are absolutely critical for the health of your plant getting settled in. While it's true that early transplants will have a double duty, recovery, and new growth, their resilient nature will prevail if we do our part, treating them with kindness and respect, much like people, garden dilemmas, ask Mary stone.com.
Mary Stone 06:09
There have been many changes on the farm since I wrote the story five years ago. Only one of the transplanted territories survived. They built a Cracker Barrel-type building next to where the cows are to sell their goods. But the cows are in about an acre of land, and their field is mud much of the year with puddling water that animals drink out of mixed with their feces. It's sad to see Jolie doesn't like to walk that way. And neither do I. Though recently, it looks as though they are trying to solve the drainage problem. And hopefully, it'll expand their grazing area too. They have, I think, 60 acres there. We walk along another street where farmers raise cows free to roam in large fields that they rotate, treating the animals with kindness and respect. One field has two elderly cows living out their years.
Mary Stone 07:00
So as I was going down memory lane, there was another overly warm March when we still had Ellie, which brings a chuckle. I think we have a bit more time so I look forward to sharing bits of it with you. Indeed, it feels like spring has arrived early. But don't let Mother Nature fool you into starting seeds too early in the garden. Check seed packs for when to start them outside. But it's time to start seeds indoors in this neck of the woods. The rule of thumb is eight weeks before the last predicted frost, which is May 15 here. Of course there are plenty of outside chores to do. My dear Kurt and his nephew Josh plan to work together on Saturday. So here are my spring garden honey Deus boys.
Mary Stone 07:43
Go ahead and cut down the ornamental grasses. I leave standing for winter interest; using your chainsaw is okay. I know how much you love power equipment. Cut the grasses just above ground level. But please don't confuse them with a hydrangea you mowed down last year. As I haven't recovered from the shock the hydrangea have and maybe with some luck, they'll bloom this year. I know Mr. Fastidious you love to use the spiffy backpack blower on the decaying leaves in the gardens. But they provide nutrients and help suppress weeds. I promise they aren't so thick and matted that perennials won't emerge. I know you've been concerned about that.
I understand your fantasy of a baseball field lawn like your brothers with stripes. But synthetic chemicals are a no-no here. You can spread some corn gluten in the yard. Now that the forsythia is in bloom. It's an organic pre-emergent. It won't kill the weeds, but it'll prevent new weeds from propagating. Weeds don't bother me as you know, there was green as grass. Please cut back the dry perennials. I left standing to encourage self-seeding and feed the birds over winter. And while you're at it, if you don't mind, can you snag the seed heads that didn't drop and put each kind separately in a clean paper cup? There's no need to label what's what unless you're dying to brag about all that you've learned since being with me. One more thing, if you don't mind, the stone patio has patches of algae. I know I said green is good, but algae is slippery when wet. And I'm concerned for certain someone who tends to be a tad clumsy. I'd say power wash the patio, but it's tricky not to blow out the wonderful cedar and moss rooted in the nooks and crannies. I heard that a third cup of white vinegar mixed with two-thirds cup of water sprayed on the algae does the trick. After you spray, could you scrub each stone individually, keeping away from the joints, of course, and then hose it off? You're the best. Oh, in case I forgot to mention, if you could forego the chainsaw on the hydrangea and stay clear of the beauty bush, that would be great—happy almost spring.
Mary Stone 09:51
I don't know it just makes me laugh to reread this story, and it's so interesting because, you know, life goes on, and seasons change, and we grow, and the people around us grow, too. Josh is now graduating from plumbing school and becoming a licensed plumber. And, of course, we lost our dear Ellie, but she forever remains in our hearts, and we have Jolee, who's a digger dog, looking for chipmunks and moles and voles. If I could only train her to dig holes for perennial transplants. What do you think that work? Anyway, I so enjoy your visits with me each week, and I would love to hear some of your funny stories or other garden and nature memories that you'd like to share with us. It would be so fun to hear from you. You can email me at Ask Mary stone@gmail.com and I thank you for joining me and joining all of us as this community grows, inspiring others to learn and grow in the garden of life. It means so much. See you next time.
You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden Dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag Mary Elaine Stone. Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch. And always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.