Emergency transplant

I know a guy who must transplant some plants that are roughly 5 weeks old. They are already outdoors in the ground. They all 2-3 feet in size but closer to 2. He has no other option but to move them. Any tips from people who have experience in moving plants that size? He is mindful that he needs to try and dig far enough out and deep enough so as to not cut a bunch of roots. He did a test run and had a hard time keeping dirt from falling off of the base while moving into transport container. Any ideas from those with this experience is much appreciated. Thank you.

You'll need one of these...easy!

Oh I'm sorry I didn't realize that I had posted this in the humor forum.

Your friend has a number of options. The biggest problem with late transplants from the earth into container is keeping the root ball as close to intact as possible. Use 4-6 hand(2-3 people) to lift the dirt out and move it to the container. Keeping the plant's leaves wet will help. Once the plant is in its final location, water heavily and frequently, until you see new growth begin to appear. If wilting occurs, too many roots were lost and balance must be restored. Estimate what percentage of roots were lost, and remove that much of the foliage. Do this by cutting the central stem, leaving the longer lower branches intact. If done correctly, the plant shouldn't wilt again, unless watering is neglected. I've done this with very large plants. It works, but feels like a sin to cut the girl back. Thankfully, the plants often get pissed and catch up quickly.

Thank you kindly veggie

MJ is very hardy, as long as you have atleast a 2gallon root ball the plant will survive but be alittle stuned for some time , But as always the bigger the rootball the better
Just beaware the large rootballs are hard to keep together , they have a tendancy to fall apart when about half out of the hole
I think I would try sliding a tarp under the rootball to remove it, so it cradles the rootball nicely

I was thinking the same thing LibertyChicken. Thank you kindly for the input,.

Hey LibertyChicken the forecast is calling for rain tomorrow afternoon, Monday, Wed, and Thurs. Temps in the 90s with high humidity. Obviously these things are going to have another explosion in growth this coming week. Do you think it would be better to let them flourish through that perfect weather and then move them or balls to the wall before rain hits tomorrow afternoon? I ask because of your comment on the root ball size.

My experiance is more in general gardening

But I would do it rightaway , Im thinking when doing the transplant your only going to be able to remove a rootball so big , So the longer you let it go the more rootmass you will be loseing

I think MJ stops growing at around 90 deg ? ? ?, Im not sure but the warmer it will be the more stress that will be imparted , but the rain will help . After the transplant the plant will strugle to gain the water it needs (as the missing roots), but rain will help it drink bolth thru the roots and leaves
Also it's good to transplant on cloudy days/weeks as strong sunlight can damage a recent transplant

Just my 2 cents

Wish you GOOD LUCK

In my experience MJ explodes when humid, sunny, and well into the 90s. I would tend to agree that the sooner the better as well. Thanks again LibertyChicken. The input is much appreciated.

Try and dig a template around the plant. Keep it all together. Take a large trashbag or pillowcase. Be careful with this part.Push it up under the plant and rootball.That way you can just wrap up the rootball and lift it by the bag or whatever. I've done this a few times and it keeps the mass intact for the most part if you have to transport it.

Thank you for the input MonkeyGrinder.

We really have great support here I can't add anything because the above posters have told you how to go about doing a transplant this size good luck keep us updated.

Ilovebush said:

You'll need one of these...easy!

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OK to funny jokester