AndrewSmith
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Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 1:40 am
Location: Markham, Ontario (Canadian zone 6a)

Keeping a Dogwood bush alive after transplanting

Where I live the Red Osier Dogwood grows in the wild. I dug one out of the ditch and planted it into my front yard because I love how it looks in the winter.

It's struggling, looking like it's about to die:

Image

That's after about 3-4 days. It's hot here, but there's also been plenty of rain. So I only watered it once when I planted it.

What should I do now? I have 3 options that I thought of, not sure if any of them are likely to succeed in saving it so it can recover next year:
  • Leave it alone and see what happens.
  • Cut all the branches down to the ground and hope that the roots survive so that it will grow new branches next year.
  • Rip it out and get a new one. But I'm not sure what I'd do differently next time.
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

ButterflyLady29
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Location: central Ohio

Look for a new one but dig a larger hole to remove more of the roots. The roots spread out at least as wide and nearly as deep as the branches on top. It looks like you didn't get enough of the roots for this plant to survive.

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

It may just be transplant shocked. You can give it a little more chance. But in the heat of summer is a hard time to transplant things. Keep this one very well watered and see what happens. If it doesn't make it, try again in the fall.

AndrewSmith
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Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 1:40 am
Location: Markham, Ontario (Canadian zone 6a)

Keep this one very well watered and see what happens. If it doesn't make it, try again in the fall.
Will do, thanks for the advice. When in the fall do you figure? While the leaves are still green, or after they fall off but before the ground freezes?

I know it's recommended to plant new things in the fall or the spring but I don't really understand how the process is supposed to work in the fall. Isn't it hard for the plant to adapt after a transplant when it's cold, and turning to freezing?

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rainbowgardener
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After the leaves drop, but soon after. Your main concern is that it has time to put roots out into the soil before the soil freezes. Keep it consistently moist but not soggy and be sure to give it a good watering before a hard freeze.

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applestar
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Yep it takes time for the ground to completely freeze even after first frost. Not until daytime temperatures are consistently hovering in the freezing point or below and with night time temps in the 20's°F.

In my area, I think that happens around middle to end of November, about a month to 6 weeks after first frost. Does the winter temperatures come on faster in Canada?

AndrewSmith
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Posts: 29
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2015 1:40 am
Location: Markham, Ontario (Canadian zone 6a)

It's hard to say, it varies a lot (by weeks) every year. I've given up trying to figure it out :) But I can see when the leaves fall, so that's a great way to figure out the timing!



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