Im moving end of april what is the best way to go about digging my perrennials without killing them all?
Answers:
You could take cuttings from them and clone them using some rooting hormone. There will be less to dig, less to transport, and the new folks will have some lovely perrenials when they move in.
Other answers:
DK got it right, but you can also dig up the plants and set them in a container close to your moving date.
DK got it right, but you can also dig up the plants and set them in a container close to your moving date.
You should take a shovel and cut arounbd the outside edge of your perinials leaving the bottom roots in tact. These roots will have time to mend themselves before you come along and finish digging them up. This will greatly increase their chances of making the move.
Here's something I found regarding moving and wanting to carry plants with: "Although spring is ideally the best time to move perennials, as growth is starting (except peonies which are best moved in the fall), fall is the next best time. The earlier in fall is best, to allow plants enough time to reestablish. Otherwise you may be better off overwintering in pots, in a cold but nonfreezing space. If you can't get the plants back in the ground within a couple days, it is often best to hold in pots of soil, even if temporarily before planting. Keep moist but not wet. Cut back top growth by half to 2/3 to balance the loss of roots. In the case of hostas and peonies, this would mean cutting off all top growth."
I'd like to add that I've moved more times than I can count, and the way I've done it in the past is to go ahead and get those perennials in pots. Trim back the growth, so that the newly trimmed (by potting) roots won't be overburdened, and water them as needed. Don't let them get too dry and even more stressed.
Then, when you get to your new home, prepare the beds as soon as possible, fertilize the soil, and drop in your perennials, preferably within a week of arrival. Mulch quite well, water thoroughly and regularly, and voila, your new home will seem even more like home, sooner!
Congrats on the move...
Happy Gardening!
Try cutting out a used polyurethane foam cushion and filling it with soil. From a used up soda or arm chair. These can be located easily in inner city areas; they are much harder to find in the suburbs.
Fill the cushion with soil and transplant the perennials from your garden. Keep the planters watered. They are bulky to move - and you sometimes need boards underneath, as the cushions sag in the middle. You can also dig up stuff just before you move. Water them the day before and then just take as much soil with them as possible.Wrap them in wet newspaper and put them in some kind of waterproof contain. Bareroot is hard in late April, as spring is breaking out all over and active growth has commenced with just about everything. Tulips, daffodils, and the lesser bulbs all will transplant well this way. This can be back breaking work, plus you have to have a place to plant, once you reach your new location. You will lose some plants.
If you use the cushion method, keep the plants in the cushion until fall and then place them in the garden at the appropriate time. I have had some of my perennials in these planters for years, so there is no hurry. Lots of plants will root through and into the ground, so sometimes you have to move the cushions. The cushions will smother what is underneath. A plastic cloth on concrete keeps moisture better and does not affect the concrete that much.