Hi all, Lane County Extension Service Master Gardener John Fischer here with KLCC's Good Gardening.
It's hard to get out into your garden when it's cold, wet, foggy, muddy, gray, and maybe even snowy. But those are the perfect conditions if you are trying to move an established plant to a new location because most things are dormant right now- including many of us.
Ideally, you know a year in advance that you want to move that rose, or blueberry. You can increase the odds of a successful move by cutting a shovel depth circle around the plant a foot smaller than you will be able to dig next year. The plant will put out new roots at the cuts to make transplanting easier, and more likely to be successful next winter.
But usually, the need to move comes suddenly. In the case of my heat pump, the rose had to be moved now. Getting as much root ball as possible, and replanting at the same depth and with the same plant orientation should help. Trimming back branches is a good idea, though if I get enough roots, I let the plant decide what top parts will die back. Moving day can also be an opportunity to reshape the plant to better fit into its new location. My 50-year-old rose got a major haircut because only a backhoe could have gotten the full root ball.
Waiting a little longer into the winter season might help reduce the risk of cold injury if we get single digit temperatures, but in this El Niño winter, extreme cold is unlikely and spring growth may start sooner than usual.
I say this every time I talk about moving plants, so I have to say it again. Don't amend the soil or your relocated plant may never put roots out into the native soil where it will have to grow for the rest of its life.
Put the plant in the native soil, water it in to eliminate air spaces, and give your boots a good spray-off so you don't track mud into the warm house.
I'm John Fischer with Good Gardening.
