Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Wednesday - March 28, 2007
From: Pflugerville, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Propagation, Transplants
Title: Transplanting roughleaf dogwood in Pflugerville, TX
Answered by: Nan Hampton and Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
Hello. My rougleaf dogwood is suckering enthusiastically, and rather than mow off all the root suckers, I'd like to transplant a couple of them to the stream bank in the greenbelt behind my house. My tentative plan is to dig around the sucker to sever it from the parent, drench the soil with a root stimulator, wait a couple of weeks, and then move it. Is this doable or is it an exercise in futility? If it can be done, should I wait until fall?ANSWER:
Your plan is basically sound; however, Mr. Smarty Plants has this recommendation—pre-dig the root ball now. Take a sharpshooter shovel and pre-dig (root-prune) all the way around the sucker in a circle about the size of the root ball you wish to dig (the bigger, the better). Water with root stimulator and transplant the dogwood in December. Pre-digging (root-pruning) the dogwood now will allow it a full growing season to develop its own roots within the perimeter of the pre-defined root ball and will greatly improve your chances of success.
From the Image Gallery
More Propagation Questions
How and when to harvest bluebonnets.
April 30, 2010 - A previous answer mentioned harvesting bluebonnet seeds by pulling up the whole plant when the seed pods turn brown. Two clarifications - when do the seed pods turn brown as these plants are hard to ...
view the full question and answer
Can trees survive if trunks are buried under 3-5 ft of soil?
January 27, 2012 - We have two cedar elms and a mesquite that I protected from backfill as our Texas Hill Country lot was leveled in preparation for building a house. The bulkheads are now holding back 3' to 5' of ma...
view the full question and answer
Propagation of evergreen sumac by cuttings from Cedar Creek TX
March 02, 2011 - I seek an ”Evergreen Sumac” propagation method by cuttings.
view the full question and answer
How to transplant agarita in Floresville, TX.
March 10, 2010 - How is the best way to propagate Agarita? I have acres of them in the pasture but want some for the house landscape and to grow. I was told they go dormant for a year if you dig them up to transplan...
view the full question and answer
Grooming and propagation of Bee Balm
August 28, 2007 - I planted our first Bee Balm [Mornarda didyma] bush a month ago. I`ve watered it daily and it is growing well with many runners apparent. Should I be deheading or pinching regularly? Should I cut it ...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |