Moving is a part of life for many gardeners.
This is my third garden, and there's been some big moves along the way.
If you ARE moving on, you don't have to leave everything behind.
You can take some of your plants with you.
Today, I'm gonna share some tips on how to move with your plants.
The simplest way to take your plants with you is by seed.
They're like nature's way of transporting plants in miniature.
And many plants grow well from seed,
particularly annual vegetables and flowers.
When you get to your new property, all you need to do is add water.
Once you've picked them, you need to let them dry.
And then when they're completely dry and brown,
store them somewhere.
So you could either store them in a jar or a paper packet.
Just make sure that you label them and keep them somewhere cool and dry.
Sometimes we've got plants growing in the ground
that we want to dig up and take with us.
I'm gonna use this Viburnum tinus as an example.
It's less than knee-height, and at this size,
it's likely to transplant really well.
Digging plants up can be really stressful to them,
because it severs roots and it results in moisture loss,
and then the plant has to expend a lot of energy to recover,
so digging them up correctly is the best way to ensure their survival.
Before starting,
remove about a third of the foliage to compensate for the root loss.
This will also help curb the amount of water
the plant is losing through its leaves
and make it more likely to survive the transplant.
The best time to do this is in autumn,
and in my climate, I'd wait till we've had significant autumn rains
and the ground is moist enough to be able to dig.
It's also a time when there's enough warmth in the soil
that the plant's roots will be able to put new growth on
in their new environment.
Now, if you can't do it in autumn, you CAN still do it
in winter and early spring,
but, obviously, avoid moving plants in the heat of summer,
when they're gonna stress for moisture.
Use a sharp spade and aim to sever the roots in decisive clean strikes.
You may come across larger woody roots.
These need to be cut cleanly with secateurs
to ensure proper wound response and healing from the plant.
Work from the sides, cutting down 90 degrees,
and then, when you've encircled the plant to the depth of the spade,
try levering it out of the ground.
If it's still attached, start to work in sideways underneath the plant
to cut the bottom roots off.
If you're not going to replant it immediately, pot it on,
and then it will be ready to ship to its new home.
Now, water is the most important ingredient
for a successful transplant.
Make sure you water your plant in the pot really well.
If it's gonna stay in a pot, even be prepared to water it daily,
and if you're gonna plant it out,
make sure you give it a really good, deep soak
about once a week for the first three months.
The plant's had its roots severed,
so it's lost its ability to get water for itself,
so you've got to baby it until those roots grow back.
A word of warning - invasive plants and declared weeds
should never be moved from one location to another,
as this can help their spread and harm the environment.
If your plant's a bit too big to transplant,
your next best bet is to take cuttings.
That way, the plants that grow
will be an exact clone of the parent plant.
This is ideal for shrubby plants or perennials.
What you want to do is you want to choose wood
that's not too soft and not too woody.
And then you cut it just below a node.
That's where the leaves come out on the stem.
You're looking for a piece about the length of your index finger.
Remove the lower leaves that would be under the soil level.
Now, apply hormone gel to the base of the cutting
and then pot up into propagation mix.
Water well and keep moist over the coming weeks
and don't allow it to dry out.
Now, it's one thing to pot up a handful of cuttings,
but what if you've got bigger plans?
Say if you want to do a hedge,
you'll need a lot of plants, and that can be quite expensive.
So, for bigger numbers,
use something called a speedling tray.
This is what nurseries use to propagate en masse,
and you can often find them at recycle yards.
This tray holds 100 cuttings.
So with these carob cuttings, I'm gonna do the same thing.
I'm gonna cut just below a node and remove the lower leaf,
but I'm also gonna reduce the length of the existing leaves
so the plant doesn't draw as much water, and then...
..into the rooting gel
and into the cell.
If you're moving interstate,
be aware that quarantine rules vary between states.
So check your plants
against Australia's interstate quarantine website
and also your local state's biosecurity authority.
Western Australia and Tasmania also have particularly strict rules
on the importation of plant material from other states.
Pots are inherently portable, and that's part of their appeal,
but they can also be really dangerous,
because when the pot is full of wet soil,
with the added weight of your plant, they're really heavy,
and lifting pots is the number one cause of injuries to gardeners.
So when you're lifting pots, use your back properly
and be careful and lift them sensibly.
Now, if you've got any really big heavy pots
like this concrete planter,
you're actually better to lift the plant out and pot it on,
empty all the soil out and then move the concrete planter separately.
Major pests and diseases have been spread around Australia
on plant material and on soil,
so check with your local council and your state government
to see if YOUR area is home to any invaders,
and always check your plants for hitchhikers.
Once you've got your plants potted and ready to go,
you might need to rely on a car to get them there.
And this can come with its own set of challenges.
Strong winds generated by travelling at speed
can shred soft foliage AND break branches.
If ever you want a demonstration of this,
look at a highway near a garden centre on a long weekend.
Your best bet if you can't hire a fully enclosed trailer
is to hire a box trailer like this one.
I'd always pack a trailer or ute tightly
so that plants don't slide around and get damaged.
And if you've got a plant which is too tall for the cage,
simply lie it down and secure the base of it properly
using other plants.
Using ropes, adhere tarps to all sides of the cage.
This will stop wind entering and wreaking havoc on your plants.
As always, make sure that your load is properly secured
if using a trailer or a ute,
not only so the plants don't slide around and get damaged,
but pots which appear heavy CAN still fly off at great speed.
And finally, if you're selling,
removing significant plants after the point of sale
can actually violate your contract of sale,
so better to do your souveniring of plants
before your place even hits the market.
So there you have it.
If you're uprooting your life,
there's no reason you can't take a bit of your garden with you.
And remember, change is inevitable.
Growth is optional.