How to Move Hydrangea Plants
Timing is important when moving a hydrangea plant. The best time to move a hydrangea is when the daily temperatures are consistently above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and below 85 degrees Fahrenheit. By moving the plant in spring, you give the hydrangea time to establish its root system in its new location before its summer blooming period begins. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Garden twine
- Long-handled shovel
- Spading fork
- Wheelbarrow
- Peat moss
- Compost
- Perlite
- Potting soil
- pH kit
Instructions
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Relocating Plants
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1
Tie garden twine around the branches of the hydrangea you want to move. Draw the twine tightly enough to make the plant compact so that once it is disengaged from the soil you can lift it easily. Do not draw the twine too tightly or you may snap the branches.
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2
Score a large circle in the soil several inches from the base of the hydrangea with a long-handled shovel. Place your foot on the top of the shovel blade and press it down and under the plant. Repeat this motion all around the circle. Using the shovel or a spading fork, lift the hydrangea gently from the ground.
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3
Place the plant in a wheelbarrow and move it to its new location. Dig a hole two or three times larger than the size of the hydrangea's root ball. Mix peat moss, compost, perlite and potting soil with the dirt, then fill in the hole. Leave about one inch of the root ball above the surface. Cut the twine and water the plant thoroughly.
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Tips & Warnings
Hydrangeas flourish in locations where they receive indirect sun, and in soil that has a pH of 4.5 to 6.5. Visit your local garden center for a pH kit so that you can measure the acidity of the soil where you plan to move the hydrangea.
A hydrangea's root system is large; if you try to dig up the plant too close to its base you will damage the roots and may even kill the plant.
