Cordyline transplant
- Arlon Tishmarsh
- Posts: 6957
- Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:53 am
- Location: Horizontal
Cordyline transplant
Hi chaps and chapesses
new here so i hope you'll be gentle with me. Have been reading with interest your forums and have read some of the posts on moving cordy's. Looked at other info on the internet and the general feeling is moving them is a bit hit and miss, more miss than hit it seems. I have two that i planted in the ground about 18mths ago. Then they were about 4 ft total with about 1ft stem. Now one is about 9ft with a 5ft stem, the other about 7ft with a 4ft stem. The ground that they went into was very hard so i am hoping the root will not have dug to deep further in. I can actually rock the stem and there's a bit of movement in the ground. I need to move the plants due to building works but rather than move them in one big dig and risk sending them into shock etc i thought i might try digging them out bit by bit and wanted opinion on my following proposed method.
Over the next few weeks/months i thought i would dig around the plants maybe a 1/4 of the circumference at a time. When i dig each little section i would put a membrane against that bit of rootball and backfill loosely, keeping it watered well. When i have successfully gone all around the only remaining dig would be underneath i.e the tap root which i hope will be shallow due to the very hard ground. My theory behind this is that if i dig the plant out over an extended period in this manner, then the plant will always have some quantity of undisturbed roots until the final dig and i'm hopeing it will reduce the stress and not cause it to defoliate etc
All i need now is for you learned people to shoot my theory down at which point i will retire to a damp gloomy corner and cry
yours
Arlon Tishmarsh (real name)
new here so i hope you'll be gentle with me. Have been reading with interest your forums and have read some of the posts on moving cordy's. Looked at other info on the internet and the general feeling is moving them is a bit hit and miss, more miss than hit it seems. I have two that i planted in the ground about 18mths ago. Then they were about 4 ft total with about 1ft stem. Now one is about 9ft with a 5ft stem, the other about 7ft with a 4ft stem. The ground that they went into was very hard so i am hoping the root will not have dug to deep further in. I can actually rock the stem and there's a bit of movement in the ground. I need to move the plants due to building works but rather than move them in one big dig and risk sending them into shock etc i thought i might try digging them out bit by bit and wanted opinion on my following proposed method.
Over the next few weeks/months i thought i would dig around the plants maybe a 1/4 of the circumference at a time. When i dig each little section i would put a membrane against that bit of rootball and backfill loosely, keeping it watered well. When i have successfully gone all around the only remaining dig would be underneath i.e the tap root which i hope will be shallow due to the very hard ground. My theory behind this is that if i dig the plant out over an extended period in this manner, then the plant will always have some quantity of undisturbed roots until the final dig and i'm hopeing it will reduce the stress and not cause it to defoliate etc
All i need now is for you learned people to shoot my theory down at which point i will retire to a damp gloomy corner and cry
yours
Arlon Tishmarsh (real name)
Re: Cordyline transplant
I can help you with a dark gloomy corner..its called St Helens
Re: Cordyline transplant
Hi Arlon.
I have never moved a cordy myself, but have used this method successfully for moving other largish plants - in two stages as opposed to four. These plants were shrubs that did not have tap roots though. Hopefully you'll get better feedback from someone who has tried it.
In the meantime, welcome to the HTUK.
I have never moved a cordy myself, but have used this method successfully for moving other largish plants - in two stages as opposed to four. These plants were shrubs that did not have tap roots though. Hopefully you'll get better feedback from someone who has tried it.
In the meantime, welcome to the HTUK.
Re: Cordyline transplant
Welcome to the forum Arlon Post photos of your garden if you can, would love to see them
Re: Cordyline transplant
Hi Arlon,
i have only moved one green cordy..It wasnt as big as the one youve mentioned..Having dug and tugged and broken roots etc it died back to ground level after winter 1.It has now regrown as a double,very healthy plant..I dont know of anyone using that part dug up method but will be very interested to see how you make out..get some pics on..before and afters please . They do seem indestructable if you wait for them to re grow
i have only moved one green cordy..It wasnt as big as the one youve mentioned..Having dug and tugged and broken roots etc it died back to ground level after winter 1.It has now regrown as a double,very healthy plant..I dont know of anyone using that part dug up method but will be very interested to see how you make out..get some pics on..before and afters please . They do seem indestructable if you wait for them to re grow
Re: Cordyline transplant
Hi Arlon
They are not the best plant to try and move,I am in the process of moving my entire gardenand I have a couple of 12ft ones that i have desided to leave behind after advice. I have dug up 3 or 4 smaller ones (4ft-6ft) 2 are Ok so far while the other 2 are flopped over and looking sorry for themselves... time will tell
Gary
They are not the best plant to try and move,I am in the process of moving my entire gardenand I have a couple of 12ft ones that i have desided to leave behind after advice. I have dug up 3 or 4 smaller ones (4ft-6ft) 2 are Ok so far while the other 2 are flopped over and looking sorry for themselves... time will tell
Gary
- Arlon Tishmarsh
- Posts: 6957
- Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:53 am
- Location: Horizontal
Re: Cordyline transplant
Thanks for replies chaps, it is apprec, apreeci , apreshee , most welcome.
MarkD, i will show photo's but at the mo, most are in a very big dome tent on a circular patio, living out the wet and cold. Most of my palms etc are in pots and oak barrels. Reason for that is i am a property developer and we use the palms, agave etc to showcase the gardens and when the property is sold we take them with us.
this is why i thought i would dig little by little, just in case i damage to many roots at once. I have plenty of time to spread the removal over and hopefully it won't register with the plant because it will still have undisturbed roots. Most of the failures i have read about seem to come where it is dug out quickly so i thought i would take my time. I have read some success stories and all have been where a slower approach was taken. I will take photo's before i start the dig and thruought the course of the dig, but obviously it will be over a long period. I am adamant i will not loose these two lovely cordy's.Having dug and tugged and broken roots etc it died back to ground level
MarkD, i will show photo's but at the mo, most are in a very big dome tent on a circular patio, living out the wet and cold. Most of my palms etc are in pots and oak barrels. Reason for that is i am a property developer and we use the palms, agave etc to showcase the gardens and when the property is sold we take them with us.
Re: Cordyline transplant
I would say lift them in one go if they have only been in the ground for 18 months, just take the full rootball. They are not big plants so should be fairly easy to handle.
- Arlon Tishmarsh
- Posts: 6957
- Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:53 am
- Location: Horizontal
Re: Cordyline transplant
I have been tempted to do that as i think with the very hard ground and the fact they have not been in long, they "should" be ok, but for the sake of taking some extra time and leaning toward caution ( i often lean on a friday / saturday due to the strange after effects of Budweiser) i will probably take the cautious route. The only other question is when to start, i have heard that if its done in the cold weather when dormant it puts extra stress on the plant and it should be done in the spring when they are just starting to wake up, that way the root regrowth is quicker resulting in less stress.
At the end of the day i think it will be pot luck and what happens, happens. At worst, they die back but should shoot again, so all won't be lost.
At the end of the day i think it will be pot luck and what happens, happens. At worst, they die back but should shoot again, so all won't be lost.
Re: Cordyline transplant
Yes definately wait unti the soil warms in the spring, I would also plant it slightly deeper and it will start off new roots from that part of the trunk thats under ground.
I would consider staking as well as a rocking Cordy never settles and unless that root system holds the plant solid then additional wieght from later flowering can take them over.
I would consider staking as well as a rocking Cordy never settles and unless that root system holds the plant solid then additional wieght from later flowering can take them over.
- Arlon Tishmarsh
- Posts: 6957
- Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:53 am
- Location: Horizontal
Re: Cordyline transplant
Just a quick update on last seasons cordy transplant. Started it around April and had it in the pot in July. Used the method i detailed at start of post. Cordy now pushing out very strong.
Re: Cordyline transplant
Hi,
Your definitely doing the right thing re moving your plant, though i would replace the membrane with only some compost in the trench so that some fibrous/ feeder roots grow so that when you finally move the plant it has the necessary/correct roots already in place to draw water up from the ground to feed the foliage on top. Oh, just one more thing, mind your back!! get some help!!
Hope it goes well
Otis
Your definitely doing the right thing re moving your plant, though i would replace the membrane with only some compost in the trench so that some fibrous/ feeder roots grow so that when you finally move the plant it has the necessary/correct roots already in place to draw water up from the ground to feed the foliage on top. Oh, just one more thing, mind your back!! get some help!!
Hope it goes well
Otis
- Arlon Tishmarsh
- Posts: 6957
- Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:53 am
- Location: Horizontal
Re: Cordyline transplant
Hi Otis
the first pic is April last year, the second pic is a few weeks ago and it is in a large heavy duty pot. It was transplanted back to the pot approx last July. What you can see in the second pic is the new growth pushing out of the three branches.
Rgds
Mark
the first pic is April last year, the second pic is a few weeks ago and it is in a large heavy duty pot. It was transplanted back to the pot approx last July. What you can see in the second pic is the new growth pushing out of the three branches.
Rgds
Mark