Transplanting cedar

[curtindobber]

We have a small bed on each side of our sidewalk that leads to the front door. Low-growing cedars are in the center of each bed. The cedars are not the same species. We'd like to remedy that by digging up one and planting a matching one. Is it possible to transplant low-growing cedars that have been in the ground a couple of years? If so, please advise.

[gsblake]

Any idea what kind of cedars you have? ... my guess (given your description and location) is some form of thuja plicata (western red cedar) or juniperus virginiana (eastern red cedar)... just curious... Neither are really cedars. But anyway, most conifers relocate fairly well. If they are not too big or too established (if it really is only 2 years in its current location) you can probably just cut around it with a sharp spade and with the rootball intact lift it into a wheelbarrow and replant it immediately somewhere else.

[curtindobber]

Thank you, gsblake, for your reply. They look like cedar and smell like cedar. One is really green. The other one does look reddish. One is lower growing and more compact than the other. Both were suppose to be small as opposed to tall. Does that help? Thanks again for any input.

[gsblake]

The "false" cedars look and smell like cedars which is how they acquired the name. I pointed this out not as a dig on you but rather as an annecdote.

The age and level of establishment in the current location is the primary concern. If less than two years you should be fine using the method I suggested above. Keep as much of the rootball in tact as possible and move it to a well-drained location with proper sun exposure.

If you had a more established plant it would likely be best to do some root pruning a year in advance - basically you'd use a sharp spade around the rootball to sever the wide-growing roots. This promotes denser root growth within the rootball so that when you eventually dig it up the plant stands a better chance of survival.

[curtindobber]

gsblake,
I didn't take your info as a dig. :oops: I really appreciate your information. It really helps. I am new at all this and am willing to learn. Again thank you so much for replying. I will follow your instructions. I guess the transplanting should take place as soon as possible :?:

[gsblake]

Good... my pleasure. Yes, now is a good time. You want to avoid the summer heat - you're destroying roots (which is unavoidable when transplanting plants of any size) and you don't want to do that when the plant working hard to get all the water it can. Cold isn't really an issue for us because even if we get a nasty cold spell it passes quickly. The ground temperature rarely if ever gets anywhere close to freezing.

[curtindobber]

Thanks. I appreciate your reply. We've really not tried to grow any type of cedar until we moved to this location. We have one in our back bed by our pool. It gets pretty big and blocks the walk area around the pool. It's actually too big for the bed and grows toward the pool. It gets about 3' high. It's beautiful except too big for the area. When my husband prunes it back it looks pretty ugly because it shows all that undergrowth. Is there a proper way to prune so as to not have that problem? It was here when we moved here so I know it's older than 5 years. I'm wondering if we could cut it way back and pretty much let it start over. Will it put back out? Thanks for your input.

[gsblake]

Without knowing what you have it's tough to suggest pruning specifics. But generally speaking if you prune back conifers too far into old wood they will not grow back - you'll have big bare spots. As for cutting back it completely, it might regenerate but in all likelihood removing all the foliage will kill it (again, most all conifers do not sprout new growth from old wood). Honestly, why bother. If it's such a poor fit just remove/relocate it and start over.

[curtindobber]

Thanks, again for your reply. The only reason my husband prunes is to make walk space. I really hate to lose it. I think it is probably too big to relocate. Not sure about the longivity of this type of conifer. At least we have some choices. This conifer is huge...probably about 3-4 feet in diameter. I may just try to reach under and remove the branches that are causing most of the problem. Do you think that would work? You seem to know your conifers. I'm going to watch for your posts concerning other plants. How long have you been organic?

[gsblake]

Oh, I've seen bonsai conifers that are over 300 years old. But your mileage will likely vary. Go ahead and prune as you'd like. Just know that it's not like pruning a rose bush - go too far into old wood and it won't aesthetically recover. Visit a book store or two and you'll likely find conifer books that give pictorial directions for pruning. You can use them to figure out what kind of conifers you have too. ;-)

I've been organic for maybe 5 years, about as long as I've had a serious interest in plants. I never used RoundUp or chemical fertilizers then "became" organic. I just learned that way. That said, I do not believe that all non-organic methods are evil.

[curtindobber]

You have been very helpful. I really appreciate your input.