How to Transplant Perennials in Late Fall

Transplanting perennials in the late fall produces beautiful spring gardens.

Perennials are plants that survive year after year in the garden without having to be replanted the following year. Normally spring-flowering perennials are planted in the late fall, while fall flowering perennials are planted in the spring. Fall planting offers the perennial plants the opportunity to grow roots before the yearly growth of leaves begin. The ideal weather for transplanting perennials is cool and cloudy. Choose perennials that are going to survive your local winter weather.

Things You'll Need

• Water
• Shovel
• Fertilizer (20-20-20, water soluble)
• Mulch

Instructions

1. Water the soil in the perennial container until it begins to drain out the bottom. A well-watered plant does not suffer from transplant shock as much as dry plants do. Set the perennials to the side while the water drains.

2. Remove any weeds and debris from the planting site. Be sure that the location is favorable to the perennial plant's needs. Loosen the soil with a shovel to the depth of 12 inches. Break soil clumps up and remove any rocks.

3. Dig a hole the size of the container. Scrape the sides of the hole with the edge of the shovel. Roughing up the edges helps prevent soil compaction, which traps the roots inside the hole. Remove the perennial from its container by turning it upside down and sliding the rootball out of the plant pot.

4. Place the rootball into the hole. Adjust the height of the perennial plant by adding or removing soil from the bottom of the hole. Align the plant's crown with the soil line. Fill the hole with soil and firm the soil around the rootball to hold the plant in place. Plant the rest of the perennials at the recommended space on the label.

5. Add 1 tbsp. of 20-20-20 water-soluble fertilizer to 1 gallon of water. Pour the starter fertilizer directly onto the soil around the perennial plants. This stimulates root growth of the perennials.

6. Spread a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch like straw, wood chips, shredded bark or dried leaves around the newly transplanted perennials. Do not cover the plant crowns with the mulch. Mulching offers the perennials winter protection and reduces water loss from the soil.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the soil around the transplanted perennials moist while they grow new roots. Water the perennials throughout the fall and winter when the weather is dry and temperatures are above 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Planting perennials at the earliest opportunity is beneficial to the plants. Planting in the late fall exposes the unestablished perennial to frosty weather and soil heaving, which is the freezing, thawing and refreezing cycle of the soil during a harsh winter.

References

• North Carolina State University: Perennials: Transplanting; Erv Evans; 2000
• Virginia State University Cooperative Extension: Perennials: Culture, Maintenance and Propagation; Diane Relf and Elizabeth Ball; 2009
• University of Illinois Extension Gardening with Perennials: Planting & Transplanting; 2011