Hi everyone - I have a F & E Peppermint Hydrangea. It was in a pot and last fall I transplanted to the ground. I mulched it, watered it during the dry winter and it grew out and bloomed like crazy this past spring.
We have had a very harsh summer (in Tx) and I've been watering the plants every day for about 15minutes. They are on a drip line system. I was inspecting the plants the other day and noticed on this Peppermint, alot of the roots are no longer in the soil, they are only covered up by the mulch.
Is this something I should be concerned with? Do I need to add more soil to cover the roots? Do I completely uproot the whole plant and plant it all over again?
Thanks in advance for your help!
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luis_pr
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It probably depends on how big these roots are, how many and how they make the plant look compared to the surrounding soil. Here are some general guidelines...
The plant should normally be about 1 to 1.5 inches above the surrounding soil. If it is less than that then the you could replant it as you describe.
Otherwise, the soil may have eroded or the plant may just be suffering from the exceptional drought and trying to find water wherever it can. If you water lightly, the plant may develop a tendency to produce roots near the top soil so, you need to water deeply and not often. For example, water deeply twice a week; on "off days", you can water lightly IF supplemental water is needed.
If the root growth makes the plant look higher than 1 to 1.5" than the surrounding soil, replant it as you describe and consider pruning off some of the surface roots so this does not become an annual garden chore with this shrub.
Luis
PS - You could wait to replant later... when the plant is dormant; keep the roots moist covered with mulch. Also, keep in mind that replanting could affect bloomage produced in early Spring by the old wood that the plant has already developed.
Also, be aware that some counties have started Stage 1 Drought Procedures that require watering only twice a week. This is ok for a few days since we have cooler temperatures but they may cause extreme problems to hydrangeas when the high temperatures return. If only the low temps were to stick around longer!
The plant should normally be about 1 to 1.5 inches above the surrounding soil. If it is less than that then the you could replant it as you describe.
Otherwise, the soil may have eroded or the plant may just be suffering from the exceptional drought and trying to find water wherever it can. If you water lightly, the plant may develop a tendency to produce roots near the top soil so, you need to water deeply and not often. For example, water deeply twice a week; on "off days", you can water lightly IF supplemental water is needed.
If the root growth makes the plant look higher than 1 to 1.5" than the surrounding soil, replant it as you describe and consider pruning off some of the surface roots so this does not become an annual garden chore with this shrub.
Luis
PS - You could wait to replant later... when the plant is dormant; keep the roots moist covered with mulch. Also, keep in mind that replanting could affect bloomage produced in early Spring by the old wood that the plant has already developed.
Also, be aware that some counties have started Stage 1 Drought Procedures that require watering only twice a week. This is ok for a few days since we have cooler temperatures but they may cause extreme problems to hydrangeas when the high temperatures return. If only the low temps were to stick around longer!
Thanks Luis,
It's a combination of both thick and thin roots. There seems to be alot out of the soil - should I replant by uprooting it, or do I add more soil?
Here is a pic.
[url=https://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/mlsalcido/Hydrangeas/?action=view¤t=d74361bb.jpg][img]https://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/mlsalcido/Hydrangeas/th_d74361bb.jpg[/img][/url]
It's a combination of both thick and thin roots. There seems to be alot out of the soil - should I replant by uprooting it, or do I add more soil?
Here is a pic.
[url=https://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/mlsalcido/Hydrangeas/?action=view¤t=d74361bb.jpg][img]https://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll196/mlsalcido/Hydrangeas/th_d74361bb.jpg[/img][/url]
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luis_pr
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That looks like the erosion of some form exposed the roots. Any idea what caused that? I would try to replant it but I would also try to understand why it happened so countermeasures can be applied to prevent the problem from reoccuring. Any clues? Is water flooding the area? I also wondered if wind could have done that but if it did, it probably would have almost dried out the plant first. If you are watering only a little, water deeply instead to force the roots to grow down and spread outwards. While replanting, make sure they are not growing in circles.
so I was going to transplant the Hydrangea today and when I went to dig it up, it was all muddy. Looks like it's not draining well. So my question is this - what do I add to the muddy soil to make it drain correctly? I tried leaves and a bit of mulch but it just made mud balls - 
As always any and all help is appreciated.
Thanks!
As always any and all help is appreciated.
Thanks!
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luis_pr
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- Posts: 824
- Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 8:31 am
- Location: Hurst, TX USA Zone 7b/8a
It sounds like you need to channel the water out of there somehow. I had to remove and add soil in certain areas of the yard once to correct that type of problem but ended using a landscape company on another house because the soil had too many ups and downs for me to mess around with. I asked them to level the soil and they did a good job. Do be aware that clay soil will do this and there is a lot of clay soil around here. I add compost to clay soil because of all the amendments out there, compost absorbs a lot of water.