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  • From: "Marge Talt" <mtalt@hort.net>
  • To: "gardenwriters-on-gardening" <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [gwl-g] moving miscanthus
  • Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 01:26:51 -0400

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> From: Rich Pomerantz <rich@richpomerantz.com>
> About 18 inches - I guess need to go further.

Not necessarily, what you need to do is go under it; you're deep
enough.

Realize that the root ball on a 5 year old plant is going to weigh a
LOT. Unless you are very strong, you may have to drag it out of the
hole or, as others have suggested, do your dividing in situ. Boards
are also good for getting big rootballs out of holes....you put two
or more on an angle into the hole and under the plant as far as you
can get them and then drag the plant up the boards. I usually have
burlapped plants for this operation; gives you something to get a
grip on to do the dragging.

> I know early spring is when this should be done. I have been
thinking about
> it and planning to do it since early spring, doesn't that count?

:-) Of course it counts:-)

> No - I wasn't sure if that would do any permanent damage. If I hack
up the
> roots, will the plant survive? And will the roots that get left
behind grow
> into a new plant in the same spot?

Plant will survive major hacking. It will not be real thrilled about
it since I have to assume it is in growth now, but it will survive.
I have never had them regrow from remaining roots; have moved many
rather huge clumps of Miscanthus. These guys are seeders, or at
least some of them are; they don't propagate via roots.

Root system is (as you have discovered) incredibly dense; virtually a
solid mass. If you go a foot under the soil or more, most of the
roots will be remaining and the plant will put out new ones once
replanted. This is a warm season grass; does its growing now, which
is why moving them at the beginning of the growing season is the best
thing. They do not do well moved in fall since they will not put out
much new root growth and sometimes don't make it through winter.

> I guess I'll have to go at it with more force. It's in the middle
of a very
> nice perennial bed that I would rather not disturb too much, but it
looks
> like I may have to.

Uh oh...well, that does complicate matters. I think you would be
better off shifting some of the closest perennials to pots or a
holding area during this operation; less damage to them in the end.
You're going to end up with a large hole where this plant was so
you'll need to revamp that section of your bed anyway, plus there's
the issue of getting it out of the hole and the bed...you need a
clear path to work in here.

If you have any trees or shrubs in the vicinity, you could be
encountering some of their roots running through the grass roots and
helping to hold it in the ground.

> What the heck are "secateurs"? The word is not in my dictionary.

Maybe you call them clippers? There are two types; anvil and bypass.
I prefer the bypass myself because the cut is cleaner with no
crushing of the stem. Felco makes excellent ones and I am becoming
very fond of a pair of Fiskers with the revolving handle that I
received as a gift...much less strain on the hand when you are
pruning for hours on end.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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