TOPIC: Transplanting techinques

I'm going to have to transplant many 2 year olds this year. I have nearby beds with soil exactly like the beds where the seedlings came up last year. Since I have not done much of this, am asking for opinions in this thread.

I have tranplanted 3 year old rootlets before, and had good success with that.

I'm inclined to take the entire clump of soil around the selected 2 year old and move it into a bucket/wheelbarrow and move it to where it's new home will be.

Is there a \"best\" time to transplant? I'm thinking that early in the spring right after emergance will be great however, again, what do you guys think? All plants I'm going to be transplanting will be two year olds.

Whit, I have transplanted many a root. I recommend Fall Transplanting only. The plant is much more apt to survive. I also try to transplant after a rain or the day before a scheduled rain. I make sure I get the root planted at a 45 degree angle with about 1 inch of soil above the next year growth bud. Many times I have taken soil from the ginseng root area and put it in a plastic bag and sprinkled it around the root in the transplanted hole. But if the transplant area has similar soil I wouldn't do that step. Then I put some leaf litter over top the transplanted root and tamp it down firmly to compact the soil thus eliminating any air pockets. This helps retain moisture around the root.

That's what I do and it seems to work well.
Good luck Whit,

Latt

PS just remembered a previous thread with some good info on transplanting below

www.wildgrown.com/index.php/Ginseng-Foru...-rootlets.html#21336

Whitjr,
I would not recommend transplanting after emergence. Everything would have to be absolutely perfect to keep the plants from going down. It won't kill them but you will lose a year's growth. Iv managed it once with only one but that's it. I'm not saying it can't be done but with the care needed to do it I think you would have more labor in it that what your root is worth.Im gonna move some two year olds from a thick area to fill in some spaces elsewhere. I'll probably wait until September and do it before a good rain. Nothing wrong with doing it later but I need to see the tops to know where to place them. It's a shame you don't have them already dug, now would be as good a time as any.

Hillhopper

I agree with Latt and Hillhopper... would be best to wait until fall to transplant (after the next years bud has developed) and be especially careful not to damage the bud spur.

Plant as Latt explained and they should do great.

I have never tried to transplant just after emergence.. but I would sure think that would be much more tricky and if successfull you would really need to get the soil with the root and not disturb it much at all and water good after transplanting.

If you can wait until this fall... I would just do that.

Good Luck

TNhunter

I must agree...don't transplant until fall.

Thanks, guys. It makes sense...

I need to get my head out f the \"veggie\" stuff. After all, we plant tender young veggie plants all the time.

i was out in my patches this weekend... here's a couple of photos

putting the last of the seed down

here is a photo for two of my plants I accidently pulled up when taking soil samples..

Whitjr,
I am amazed on how much understory brush you have to clear to plant. You sure have worked hard on clearing it nicely to plant your seed. You have turned basically unusable land into something very productive. Soil and Roots look nice too. You can tell the soil is rich and loamy as your roots are headed straight down towards China. I am sure they will split off and gain some of that wild root look.
I can see the rootlet on the right has a small secondary root hair growing that will more than likely be a nice forked root in years to come. Nice growth buds as well. Those brush piles are nice barriers. I bet they will keep larger animals from walking through your patch. Easier to simply walk around it. That thing on your side may keep the 2 legged creatures out of your patch too. lol
Thanks,
Latt

Thanks Latt-

We ahve discovered that there are plenty of the micrc... communities there as well. When we overturned the leaf clutter. There is plenty of soil obsturctions to have the small roots split off and develop that wild look.

that thing on my side I carry when out there. We have lots of critters... here in the mountains. I've never had to fire it, however am of the philosophy that \"It's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.\"