How To Move Your Garden Without Killing Your Plants

There are plenty of reasons you might want to move your garden. Maybe you bought a new greenhouse or are moving to a new home. But whatever reason you have, one thing remains constant: plants don’t like to be moved. 

Whether you’re moving them across the yard or across the country, your roses and your rhubarb may not survive the trip if you don’t do it right. But don’t fret! With the proper care and attention, you can successfully transplant your entire garden and give all your flowers and plants a new home. 

Read on for steps on how to make your move easy for any plant you have, and be sure to check out the How to Move Your Garden infographic too!

---

Move Your Plants in Spring or Fall

The worst time to move a garden is in the heat of the summer. Exposing roots and root systems to that scorching sun can suck all the moisture from them, and may cause irreparable damage. More on this from thespruce.com:

 

“Exposing roots to the air is a traumatic experience for a plant, and not all specimens survive the ordeal…[I]n summer, transplanting is not advisable because the weather is simply too hot, which puts too much stress on the plant. If transplanting during hot weather, provide shade for the plant for about a week.”

 

If you’re moving somewhere that regularly has freezing temperatures in winter, then moving plants during that season also isn’t advised. If you have no choice but to move your garden in the heat of summer or the chill of winter, we will include tips along the way to ensure your garden’s safety.

Transporting Your Plants: Water, Dig, Contain

If you are moving your outdoor garden from one home to another, then you’ll need more than just pots, buckets, and burlap. You’ll definitely need something to transport your plants in, but more importantly, the shock of moving is enough to kill many kinds of plants, so it’s important to prepare them for the trip. And it starts before you stick your spade into the dirt.

1. Water Them Well First

In the lead-up to your move, you’ll want to give your garden plenty of water to help them endure the stress of transit. The larger your garden, the more time you’ll need to prepare your plants for transport, so plan ahead. Don’t wait until it’s time to dig up and pot everything! Allow for several days of generous watering, which comes with the added benefit of making the job of digging up your garden easier.

It’s also important to give your plants plenty of water while transporting them. Keep them cool. Keep them in the shade. Give them plenty of fresh air.

At the same time, be careful not to overwater either. Too much water in the soil can deprive plants from soaking up critical oxygen through their roots. This is especially pertinent to potted plants in transit, as there is nowhere for any excess water to go. 

One exception to this watering rule goes for plants with bare roots, or “naked roots.” The bottoms of these plants need to be submerged in water for two to three hours before being replanted.

Here are just a few common bare-root plants:

• Shrubs
• Hosta
• Daylilies
• Roses
• Fruit trees
• Prairie Onion

2. Dig Around the Drip Line

Once it’s time to dig those plants out of your old garden, you’ll want to be careful not to dig too near the base of the plant. Doing so risks chopping off some of the plant’s most important roots!

Instead, take a hand shovel and dig a ring around and a bit away from the main stem of your plant, carefully paying attention to any roots you might inadvertently find. This ring is called the drip line, so named because this invisible line marks the area where your plant drips rainwater onto the ground. For larger plants, the ring you dig around the plant should be at least 6 inches deep.

 

“Once your plants are replanted in your new place, provide some shade to protect them from any direct sunlight for at least a couple of days.”

 

When you start digging around any size plant, you will find that you will most likely cut at least a few roots along the way. This is not disastrous, but keep it to a minimum and make sure you cut any roots cleanly. Tearing or shredding the flesh of the roots is unhealthy for the plant.

Once your ring is dug, use a larger shovel to get below the root system and pop the plant out of place. Don’t shake or remove any soil from the root ball, since this is some of the best protection for your plant during the move.

3. Contain Your Plants Correctly for Transport

As you dig up and remove each plant from the ground, waste no time transferring them to the pots, buckets, or burlap you’ll be transporting them in. Remember that you’ll need to keep everything adequately watered, so a pot or tub of some kind will keep your burlap-wrapped friend from leaking all over your car!

But should you trim your plants? Some sources like The Garden Helper suggest cutting off any stems or foliage that are dying or in excess. Doing this will diminish the trauma your plant might experience. They do, however, note that this may not be appropriate for all plants (but don’t mention which ones). Others wonder whether trimming or pruning the less healthy or over-abundant areas of your plants might do more harm than good.

We suggest underdoing it rather than overdoing it!

Replant the Right Way

As soon as you arrive at your new home you’ll have a hundred things to do. But keep in mind, unlike your flatscreen tv or dining table, plants can wilt and die. It’s important to sort out your garden and replant as quickly as possible.

First things first, be sure to have your plants’ new homes ready to go before you take them out of their old ones. The less time your flowers and plants spend in limbo, the better.

 

“The worst time to move a garden is in the heat of the summer. Exposing roots and root systems to that scorching sun can suck all the moisture from them, and may cause irreparable damage.”

 

If you are transplanting from smaller into bigger pots, have enough extra soil at the bottom and more on hand to fill in the extra space around the edges. If you are planting directly into the ground, make sure each new hole is dug out big enough and watered before you pull anything from its pot. Also, pack the soil solid, but not so much that the water runs off and away.

And if you can’t help but exercise your green thumb in the heat of summer, douse your freshly dug holes with even more water before transferring those plants. The roots will need lots of moisture to mitigate the shock of being uprooted and exposed to the hot air and sun.

Reduce Stress in Your Plants’ New Home

Once your plants are replanted in your new place, provide some shade to protect them from any direct sunlight for at least a couple of days. Keep being generous with the water, something best done early morning or in the evening. And if you see any plants with drooping or discolored leaves, give them extra special attention.

Your plants will thank you for it.

---

Check out our infographic for all the tips in one place! Happy Gardening!

Infographic by Subin Yang