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 is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Saturday - April 05, 2008
From: Opa Locka, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Propagation, Transplants
Title: Removal of leaves before transplanting
Answered by:
QUESTION:
Before transplanting a plant, is it a good idea to remove leaves?ANSWER:
No, you don't ever remove all the leaves, unless they're dead. The leaves on any plant are their manufacturing plants, making the food on which the plant lives. What you are probably thinking of is pruning back some of the branches on the plant when it is transplanted. If you had to cut or prune back some of the roots to get it out of the ground or the pot it had been growing in, then you will need to prune it a little more. Most plants will do better if they are pruned back about a third when they are transplanted. The important thing is to keep the liquids flowing through that plant. Don't leave it out of the pot or out of the ground a minute longer than you have to. Try to work early in the morning or late in the evening when the drying effects of the sun won't be quite so severe. Get the plant in the hole, get the dirt back around it, and then push a hose nozzle down into the soft soil. Turn the water on just a tiny drip and let it run until you can see the water. Turn it off, let it soak and settle, and then run some more water in the same way. A new plant, especially trees and shrubs, will need this kind of watering every couple of days until they have gotten settled in. All this is to prevent transplant shock. A newly transplanted plant can simply shrivel and die if there has been too much damage done to the roots or if too much top growth was left for the roots to get water to.
Here is a good article from The Gardener's Network on Transplanting Bushes, Shrubs and Trees.
More Propagation Questions
Information on propagating alder (Alnus crispa) from seed or cuttings in Alberta, Canada
January 20, 2006 - What do you know about propagating alder (Alnus crispa) from seed or cuttings? I'm involved in a small stream side revegetation project in central Alberta, Canada.
view the full question and answer
Information about moist stratification
September 07, 2010 - I have some seeds of scarlet leatherflower I'd like to try and I read the instructions under 'Propagation' in your Native Plant Database that say "Moist stratify at 41 degrees"..
What does "...
view the full question and answer
TIps for tree grafting.
March 10, 2010 - When should you start grafting trees?
view the full question and answer
Propagation of Jack in the Pulpit in Lansing MI
April 18, 2010 - I just received some Jack in The Pulpit corms. Which way is up; does the pointy thing go up or down?
Thank you.
view the full question and answer
Planting time for native yucca seeds
August 11, 2008 - When and how do you plant yucca plant seeds and or/pods ?
I took them off of the stalks when I cut the stalks today .
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |