Moving Podophyllum

[Graham Catlow]

Hi, perhaps not a problem but more looking for advice.
I moved a podophylum from the raised bed in the first photo a couple of years ago. Since then the remaining roots have been sending up new growths. This year there are over 40. Clearly I cant leave them where they are as they will do what the original one did and fill the bed.
I have tried to remove them individually but they are so far down I either can't get to them, break them, or risk disturbing other plants.

When is the best time to excavate this bed to get these out saving both the Podophylums and the other plants. I suspect from the list below the best time isn't necessarily going to be the same for all the varieties. Which make this the problem.

Things to watch out for:
Cypripedium x4
Dactylorhiza x2
Arisaema flavum - several spread across part of the bed.
Meconopsis
Fritillaria camschatcensis - spreading nicely but most not of flowering size this year.

[pontus]

Hello Graham,

I would advise october, just as the podophyllums, cyypripediums and dactylohrizias are going dormant. at this stage, there are still leaves and stems present, so you can begin at ground level, and carefully dig around the leaf stem untill you eventually reach the rhizomes deep down under ground, find them, and then transplant them straightaway, or pot them up untill they go totally dormant and then plant them out somewhere else. At this stage, if a leaf breaks off, its not the end of the world, as the plnt will have made enough energy reserves to grow well next year, and the leaves are still present for you to find them.

watch out though for the cyppripediums. its of course ideal to move them in october as well, just as they are going dormant, but they will already have formed next years buds and shoots in october, which are very fragile...so be carefull not to break them.

i often have to moove or dig up species tulips and galanthus..etc either for swaps or to sell at plant shows, and if i whait untill the go totally dormant, i never find them (even if they have labels) as some really dig themselves deep down. digging up individual bulbs can take me 15-20 minutes of slow carefull digging as described above, making sure i dont snap off the fragile leaf stalk underground...this can seem time consumimg, but i find its the easiest way...also for transplanting other things...even lilies..as long as they are replanted immediately in order not to dry out..

pontus

[pontus]

also...concerning the frittillaria..these will be dormant by june, so to locate them in autumn just put a small thin stick 5 cm's or so from the stem...they moove well as dormant bul^bs, and you should have no problem finding the dormant bulbs. also, put perhaps small sticks next to the arisaemas as well..i imagine arisaemas will also be slowly going dormant in october, so you can just use the same system as for podophyllums then with those

for the meconopsis, i dont know, as i have had no sucess in ever growing those..its far too warm for them here!.

[Graham Catlow]

Hi Pontus,
Thanks for this useful advice. I thought the fritillaria may have been putting roots out by October which is one of the reasons I was most concerned. After several years of getting them to bulk up and hoping that there would be flowering sized bulbs next year I didn't want to waste them by damaging the roots.
Graham

[ian mcenery]

Graham I have the same problem and as the shoots are appearing many feet apart I think the way I shall deal with this is to apply Roundup when I have removed enough for planting elsewhere  The main problem I think is that when dug up this seems to be a trigger for the remaining roots  to produce long stolons well underground even popping up in the grass

[pontus]

fritillaria camaschstensis seems to be quite adaptable to being mooved around, as long as this is done when its dormant and replanted immediately.

i mooved some dormant bulbs at several points last year, 2 in october, 7 in november and then one in february. all grew very vigorousely and 7 are now in full bloom as i write. if you want 1 or 2 large flowering sized specimens i could post you 2 in june when they have gone dormant, if you want to swap something for them, that you have in good numbers? some podophyllums perhaps? or anything else which is hardy?

Pontus

[Graham Catlow]

Graham I have the same problem and as the shoots are appearing many feet apart I think the way I shall deal with this is to apply Roundup when I have removed enough for planting elsewhere  The main problem I think is that when dug up this seems to be a trigger for the remaining roots  to produce long stolons well underground even popping up in the grass

Ian,
I knew they did this but so many is just too much. I think I will get as many out as I can in the autumn as Pontus suggests and then next year will have to use your 'final solution' method.

[Graham Catlow]

fritillaria camaschstensis seems to be quite adaptable to being mooved around, as long as this is done when its dormant and replanted immediately.

i mooved some dormant bulbs at several points last year, 2 in october, 7 in november and then one in february. all grew very vigorousely and 7 are now in full bloom as i write. if you want 1 or 2 large flowering sized specimens i could post you 2 in june when they have gone dormant, if you want to swap something for them, that you have in good numbers? some podophyllums perhaps? or anything else which is hardy?

Pontus

Hi Pontus,
Thank you for the offer and I would be happy to exchange the podophylum for camaschensis. i will send you a pm.
Graham

[Lesley Cox]

I would be THRILLED if my Podophyllums did this! especially as it looks to be P. delavayi?

F. camschatcensis roots very late. I have dug bulbs at the beginning of winter and still they are dormant, flowering here in Nov/December.

[Brian Ellis]

I would be THRILLED if my Podophyllums did this! especially as it looks to be P. delavayi?

Seconded Lesley

[Maggi Young]

I think a few of us are a little envious of this particular problem, Graham. One man's weed.... and all that 

[Graham Catlow]

Lesley - it is delavayi, and the parent plant is sighted elsewhere in the garden and doing well.
Maggi - I hope to be able to get as many 'weeded' out as possible and will make them available if they are suitable.
It was really the F. camaschatcensis that I was worried about but it seems that everything will be dormant in the Autumn so there should be no problem in searching for the Podophylums.