I need to move my PJM Rhodos; too much sun and crowded. They are just starting to blossom (zone 4) and seem fairly healthy.
What is your opinion on moving them as soon as flowering is completed and before the full heat of summer?
Any tips on doing this?

Thanks

"Treetops" wrote:

I need to move my PJM Rhodos; too much sun and crowded. They are just
starting to blossom (zone 4) and seem fairly healthy.
What is your opinion on moving them as soon as flowering is completed
and before the full heat of summer?

When transplanting a large plant several steps should be followed.
First, it is best to stimulate a tight root ball by root pruning the
plants to be moved about a year before moving. This is accomplished by
cutting a circle around the plant stem with a shovel to cut off roots
that extend beyond this point. This radius is usually slightly smaller
than half way to the drip line. Second, it is best to move when the
plant is dormant and not stressed. This would be in the spring and
fall when the plant is still dormant but the soil is not frozen.
Moving in the fall before the ground freezes is preferable if you
don't have a problem with frost heaving. Sometimes winter freezing and
thawing cycles can actually lift a transplanted plant out of the
ground where the roots are then desiccated and the plant dies. For
this reason, it is safer to transplant in the spring after the ground
thaws in climates where frost heaving is a problem. Third, take
precautions to preserve the integrity of the root ball. Tie the ball
together and support is so it doesn't fall apart. Finally, pruning the
top helps match the demands of the top to the capability of the roots
after they are stressed by the move. People have been known to cut the
top off wild rhododendron before moving and the plants have come back
with superior shape. This is drastic and not recommended for a plant
you don't want to risk loosing. Rhododendron and azaleas have dormant
buds beneath the bark which sprout to form new growth after severe
pruning, hence severe pruning which removes 1/3 to 1/2 of leaf area is
quite common when transplanting.

In general you can transplant your PJM's anytime, but by not following
the above procedure, you are increasing the set back they will take.
If they are stressed already, they may not recover.

In any case they will need watering for a while until they get
established. Don't overwater, but make sure they get water when they
start showing any wilt.

Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://www.users.fast.net/~shenning/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://members.aol.com/rhodyman/rhodybooks.html

Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA

yeah.. they are shallow rooted so water them well day 1, spray with cloud cover
(antidessicant) day, move em next day, plant em high, mulch them and keep em well
watered all summer. Ingrid

"Treetops" wrote:

I need to move my PJM Rhodos; too much sun and crowded. They are just starting to blossom (zone 4) and seem fairly healthy.
What is your opinion on moving them as soon as flowering is completed and before the full heat of summer?
Any tips on doing this?

Thanks



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Dr-Solo thanks. It sounds like I can successfully transplant them. Flowering
should be finished in about a week.

What did you mean by "spray with cloud cover(antidessicant) day, move next
day"?
Also you said "plant em high". Do you mean the finished soil line should be
lower on the trunk than before transplanting? If so, why and by how much?
Newbie gardener.......thanks again.
wrote in message
...
yeah.. they are shallow rooted so water them well day 1, spray with cloud
cover
(antidessicant) day, move em next day, plant em high, mulch them and keep
em well
watered all summer. Ingrid

"Treetops" wrote:

I need to move my PJM Rhodos; too much sun and crowded. They are just
starting to blossom (zone 4) and seem fairly healthy.
What is your opinion on moving them as soon as flowering is completed and
before the full heat of summer?
Any tips on doing this?

Thanks



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

OK.. I hope we arent talking about rhodos that are 6 feet high, right?
go to the garden center and ask for anti-dessicant. spray it top and bottom of the
leaf, let it dry overnight. it helps prevent transplant shock and loss of
moisture.
forget lower on the trunk ... when you dig a nice large rootball (out to the edge of
the branches) you will not need to dig very deep. my rhodos are maybe 3 feet high
and only need about 18 inch deep rootball. actually, after digging around the plant
simply slip the spade in under the plant and rock it till it comes up. now plant
that so the top 4 inches are higher than the surrounding soil (unless this is a VERY
well drained area) and mulch heavily. the idea is you are going to be watering this
every day for a week, and then every other day for a week and you dont want the
rootball to be soggy ever. rather the water will drain well. unless your soil is
acid, mulch with acid forming mulches. Ingrid

"Treetops" wrote:
What did you mean by "spray with cloud cover(antidessicant) day, move next
day"?
Also you said "plant em high". Do you mean the finished soil line should be
lower on the trunk than before transplanting? If so, why and by how much?
Newbie gardener.......thanks again.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Thanks Ingrid
Decided I better get a bit more detailed knowledge on PJM's.
For those who want more PJM info, this site (see culture) was very useful:

http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/plantl...dodendron.html


Your input was certainly on the money........thanks again. Treetops

wrote in message
...
OK.. I hope we arent talking about rhodos that are 6 feet high, right?
go to the garden center and ask for anti-dessicant. spray it top and
bottom of the
leaf, let it dry overnight. it helps prevent transplant shock and loss
of
moisture.
forget lower on the trunk ... when you dig a nice large rootball (out to
the edge of
the branches) you will not need to dig very deep. my rhodos are maybe 3
feet high
and only need about 18 inch deep rootball. actually, after digging around
the plant
simply slip the spade in under the plant and rock it till it comes up.
now plant
that so the top 4 inches are higher than the surrounding soil (unless
this is a VERY
well drained area) and mulch heavily. the idea is you are going to be
watering this
every day for a week, and then every other day for a week and you dont
want the
rootball to be soggy ever. rather the water will drain well. unless your
soil is
acid, mulch with acid forming mulches. Ingrid

"Treetops" wrote:
What did you mean by "spray with cloud cover(antidessicant) day, move
next
day"?
Also you said "plant em high". Do you mean the finished soil line should
be
lower on the trunk than before transplanting? If so, why and by how much?
Newbie gardener.......thanks again.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.