Ideas for re-planting from 5 gallon to in-ground?

emcd124 · July 9, 2013

i had a chocolate cherry planted in ground, doing well until a chipmunk gnawed it off at soil level. In an effort to save it, I cut a clean cut across the bottom, stripped the lowest leaves, and stuck the stem deep into a 5 gallon bucket filled with Promix potting mix and home compost. It took about a day and the plant started perking back up again, and now seems quite recovered (it even keeps trying to put out flowers).

I'm thinking I'd like to get the plant back into the ground to give it plenty of room to grow, as I understand chocolate cherries can get quite large and the 5 gallon bucket was only an emergency measure, nothing I thought I would grow in for the long haul. But now that the time has come that it is recovered, and I'm at a loss as for how to get it back into the ground without a whole new world of stress on the plant. Unlike those tiny plastic containers you get plants in from the store, I cant see how I can just pop out the entire contents, hold it in my hand, and transfer it.

Should I try to shovel it out of the bucket and just get as much dirt as is humanly possible? Is there some other better way? or would the poor thing be better off left alone in the 5 gallon than to put back in the ground?

Thanks!

habitat_gardener · July 9, 2013

How long has it been in the bucket? Did the stem go all the way to the bottom of the bucket?

I have popped perennials out of 5g buckets into my hand -- but the roots were holding the soil together enough, and the moisture level was just right so it held together. And the top growth was pretty sturdy.

Another alternative is to cut the bottom off the bucket, so that the roots have access to more soil. Or you can dig a hole the size of the bucket, put the container in, and gently cut it away.

I had some rescued tomato plants that were getting too big for their 1-gallon pots, and the only reason I didn't plant them in 5-gallon pots was because I didn't think I could get them out undamaged if I wanted to plant them in the ground later. (I finally found a spot for them in the ground yesterday.)

ScottinAtlanta · July 9, 2013

Just lay the bucket on its side next to the hole, slide out the plant and as much plug as you can into the hole. It should be just fine. When I over-winter, I actually wash the dirt off the roots completely and plant in fresh dirt. I I see no harm done. They are pretty hardy.

ChilliJez · July 9, 2013

I think plants can cope with a huge amount of trauma to their roots and do ok. As Habitat Gardener said, I don't know how long the plant has been in the 5g pot and how much root mass it has formed there. If it's only a few days I wouldn't be too concerned about protecting what's there.

If it might have developed a new root mass filling the bucket then I'd dig a hole into whuch the bucket would fit. I'd lay the plant on it's side with the rim of the bucket on the edge of the hole. I'd take a strip of fabric/plastic/tarpaulin - whatever is to hand, the same width as the height of the bucket. Slide the bucket off the root ball with the strip of fabric held by another person to support the rootball as the bucket is removed. Then lower the fabric and lift the stem so the plant tips into the hole.

Easier said than done but worth trying.

More important than any of this is to manage transpiration after the move. A blanket or fleece or some kinnd of windbreak to limit air movement after the move 'till the roots get established in their new place is number 1.

And water in well so that soil/compost is settled in around the roots.

all the best.

Jeremy

July 9, 2013	#1
emcd124 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: South Bend, IN Posts: 104	Ideas for re-planting from 5 gallon to in-ground? i had a chocolate cherry planted in ground, doing well until a chipmunk gnawed it off at soil level. In an effort to save it, I cut a clean cut across the bottom, stripped the lowest leaves, and stuck the stem deep into a 5 gallon bucket filled with Promix potting mix and home compost. It took about a day and the plant started perking back up again, and now seems quite recovered (it even keeps trying to put out flowers). I'm thinking I'd like to get the plant back into the ground to give it plenty of room to grow, as I understand chocolate cherries can get quite large and the 5 gallon bucket was only an emergency measure, nothing I thought I would grow in for the long haul. But now that the time has come that it is recovered, and I'm at a loss as for how to get it back into the ground without a whole new world of stress on the plant. Unlike those tiny plastic containers you get plants in from the store, I cant see how I can just pop out the entire contents, hold it in my hand, and transfer it. Should I try to shovel it out of the bucket and just get as much dirt as is humanly possible? Is there some other better way? or would the poor thing be better off left alone in the 5 gallon than to put back in the ground? Thanks!

July 9, 2013	#2
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,540	How long has it been in the bucket? Did the stem go all the way to the bottom of the bucket? I have popped perennials out of 5g buckets into my hand -- but the roots were holding the soil together enough, and the moisture level was just right so it held together. And the top growth was pretty sturdy. Another alternative is to cut the bottom off the bucket, so that the roots have access to more soil. Or you can dig a hole the size of the bucket, put the container in, and gently cut it away. I had some rescued tomato plants that were getting too big for their 1-gallon pots, and the only reason I didn't plant them in 5-gallon pots was because I didn't think I could get them out undamaged if I wanted to plant them in the ground later. (I finally found a spot for them in the ground yesterday.) Last edited by habitat_gardener; July 9, 2013 at 04:33 PM.

July 9, 2013	#3
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	Just lay the bucket on its side next to the hole, slide out the plant and as much plug as you can into the hole. It should be just fine. When I over-winter, I actually wash the dirt off the roots completely and plant in fresh dirt. I I see no harm done. They are pretty hardy.

July 9, 2013	#4
ChilliJez Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: UK Posts: 57	I think plants can cope with a huge amount of trauma to their roots and do ok. As Habitat Gardener said, I don't know how long the plant has been in the 5g pot and how much root mass it has formed there. If it's only a few days I wouldn't be too concerned about protecting what's there. If it might have developed a new root mass filling the bucket then I'd dig a hole into whuch the bucket would fit. I'd lay the plant on it's side with the rim of the bucket on the edge of the hole. I'd take a strip of fabric/plastic/tarpaulin - whatever is to hand, the same width as the height of the bucket. Slide the bucket off the root ball with the strip of fabric held by another person to support the rootball as the bucket is removed. Then lower the fabric and lift the stem so the plant tips into the hole. Easier said than done but worth trying. More important than any of this is to manage transpiration after the move. A blanket or fleece or some kinnd of windbreak to limit air movement after the move 'till the roots get established in their new place is number 1. And water in well so that soil/compost is settled in around the roots. all the best. Jeremy