Transplanting echinacea

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pristinegreen75
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Transplanting echinacea

Post by pristinegreen75 » July 16th, 2020, 4:35 pm

I want to move some Echinacea plants. I have read that you can transplant in the fall or spring. Would like to get some opinions from you guys. Some say fall is good and some say spring is better because that's when the roots begin growing? Any thoughts appreciated.

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MorpheusPA
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Re: Transplanting echinacea

Post by MorpheusPA » July 16th, 2020, 6:36 pm

Spring. Hands down. But fall is certainly easily workable. These are not sensitive plants, they're little tanks.

Now for the qualified answer for the expert gardener (translation...somebody who can handle a hose, which you can). You can do it any time they're not blooming. Or, if they are, chop off the blossom and do it then. I grow Rudbeckia, which has a very similar habit. It's not going to like being moved right now or out of season, but it can be done.

Dig it or several up. Take soil and root systems with it, don't bare root the patch if you can avoid it. If you accidentally do bare root it, that's not a critical mis-fire, just plant it and pack it in well on the receiving end. Replant. Wet deeply and pack soil again if you bare-rooted it. If not, don't bother, it's fine.

Keep it damp for about a week and keep an eye on it. Ten to one, it never noticed the move. Back off on the water over a week or so, letting it resume normal levels. If all goes well, you have a new stand of plants. If it doesn't go well, make sure you didn't risk more than a small percentage of your group of plants. But if your Echinacea is like my Rudbeckia, that's absolutely not a problem and you have more trouble keeping them from invading surrounding countries.

pristinegreen75
Posts: 195
Joined: March 25th, 2020, 1:41 pm
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Re: Transplanting echinacea

Post by pristinegreen75 » July 17th, 2020, 10:25 am

Thanks Morph!! Think I'll transplant them this fall. My stands are 5ft tall!! They have been around awhile. Time to split em. They do invade other countries (LOL) Got em popping up in the rock border surrounding the gardens. I also have Rudbeckia interspersed in the garden. I'm getting tired of the damn leaf spot every summer! It doesn't completely kill them off but makes them real ugly. I go through a lot of Daconil :):)

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MorpheusPA
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Re: Transplanting echinacea

Post by MorpheusPA » July 17th, 2020, 11:53 am

Ditto, but I tend to ignore it as the leaf spot doesn't kill the things. I also tend to RoundUp the daughters of the Rudbeckia before they try to invade the rest of the garden. Even so, they seed out everywhere and I'm still finding the things all over the place. :-)

Fall transplants are easy. Lift. Move. Water. Ignore. Do it in September sometime to give the root systems a little time to adjust, but I doubt even that's necessary. Or, if you miss the window, do it in April or May using the same method when they come back. With Rudbeckia, it's almost impossible to mess up. I've done Echinacea (and even daisy) using the same method in the past in my mother's garden, so I don't think you'll have any problems.

pristinegreen75
Posts: 195
Joined: March 25th, 2020, 1:41 pm
Location: s. plainfield NJ, central nj
Grass Type: Bluegrass in back, Northern mix in front
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Re: Transplanting echinacea

Post by pristinegreen75 » July 18th, 2020, 1:03 pm

Will do- thanks for the tip to not bare root em if possible. Trying to keep it simple

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