Native Plants

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Thursday - September 23, 2010

From: Aylmer, QC
Region: Canada
Topic: Propagation, Transplants
Title: Transplanting wild sumac
Answered by: Anne Bossart

QUESTION:

About a month ago I dug up five sumac from my backyard in Aylmer Quebec. I potted them. They now look dead. I wanted to transplant them at my cottage in Barrie Ontario. Can I still transplant them with the hope that the root is okay. And when is the latest in the fall that it is safe to transplant them - is Thanksgiving - October 9 - too late?

ANSWER:

Oh dear, we knew it was a stretch, but had hoped that some of them would make it.

Yes, transplant them anyhow and dig up a few of the ones that weren't potted and give them a try too. If the leaves fell off the plant and the stem is still rigid, it is probably still alive. If the plant drooped and shrivelled up with the leaves still on it, it is likely a goner.

Thanksgiving weekend will be fine for transplanting ... there has been plenty of rain so the soil will be moist and there may not have been a frost by then if your cottage is beside the lake. The plants will have a chance to recover before winter hits.