How do I find the answers to questions

K.huke · April 2020

Hi I want advice on moving a 5ft very old camellia, I can see lots of people asking similar questions but I can find the answers. How do I find them please? Thank you.

Obelixx · April 2020

You click on the question (thread title) and read the posts that follow the question.

The best time to move a camellia ias before flowering starts and the second best time is just after flowering finishes. Make sure you water it thoroughly the day before you plan to move it and again an hour before you move it. This will help lift it with less root damage.

Dig it up with as much of the root ball as you can get out and re-plant immediately in a well prepared hole, making sure it's at the same depth as before and that you backfill with good soil improved with some garden compost or well-rotted manure. Water it well and make sure it gets a good drink all thru the new growing season and into autumn. This will help its roots get established again and also with flower bud formation that starts in late summer.

If needed, you can also prune it after flowering finishes to improve its shape or reduce its size. Have a read of this for info on camellia care - https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/popular/camellia/growing-guide

robairdmacraignil · April 2020

Not sure why you are unable to see answers to posts about moving plants as there have been a number of these I have seen with good answers provided. To summarise the way I would go about it. I would wait until we have a forecast of wet weather for a while as the main danger is that your plant might dry out due to root disturbance. It is better as well to make the move in winter when the days are shorter and the temperatures are colder as this also means there is less chance of the plant drying out. I would also avoid moving plants when they are actively flowering as there can be a rush by the plant to reproduce by forming seeds at the expense of the plant you are moving.

In moving a larger plant that has settled in the same ground for some time some people would even go to the effort of root pruning before the move. This could mean digging down and cutting back the roots on one side of the plant in one year and cutting them back on the other side the following year. This would encourage the plant to make more roots closer to the main stem and then when you move it there is less shock in cutting off the large roots that it would have sent deep into the ground that would stretch too far to fit in the root ball that you move. When the plant is moved it is better to take as much root and soil as possible with it and sit it in a prepared planting hole the same size as the root ball you move.

I'd back fill a bit of soil on top of the roots ball that is planted. Then give it a good watering to help it settle in and put a mulch around it. Make sure it is planted at about the same depth as it was previously and if it is somewhere exposed you could give it a steak to tie it to to provide some support while the roots are settling in again. My aunt swears by adding a bucket of hot water to the planting hole before planting in the new position and I guess this could warm it up a bit to encourage fresh root growth. Some would also recommend cutting back the top growth a bit to allow less work for the roots to maintain the plant growing but not really bothered with this myself and been fairly successful when I have had to move the odd plant.

Pete.8 · April 2020

I recall Beechgrove covered moving mature shrubs a couple of years ago.
I've managed to find the associated fact sheets-

Part 1
https://www.beechgrove.co.uk/module_uploads/2/Factsheet_2018_-_Prog_3_red.pdf
The bit about moving shrubs is on page 7

Part 2
https://www.beechgrove.co.uk/module_uploads/2/Factsheet_2018_-_Prog_21-compressed.pdf
Also on P. 7

How do I find the answers to questions

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