Moving large ferns and other plants

[spader]

Planning to move 4x large ferns and some other plants such as pamaps grass, bux tree, and large unknown connifer type plant in the back garden to the front garden.
Wondering if it would be ok to move them during May - June time. Or would it be better to move them in some other months of the year.
Also would it be better to remove the new fronds during and after the moving the plants, or better to leave as they are? The new fronds are coming out these days with the warm weather continuing.

 

[StephenStephen]

To be honest, this is possibly pretty much the worst time of year to move them - generally better to move plants when they're dormant, so October onwards.

Trees are tricky to move successfully if they're more than a few years old - you need to dig a big hole to get as much of the root as possible.

 

[jj4091]

You might loose the fronds on the fern plant but it will survive and come again next year if not this one. But having just dug up a medium size one myself I can tell you that it will be a hell of a job.I would think the Pampas grass will be the same as that is also tough as old boots but cannot advise on the other 2.

 

[utterlydiy]

I would have said late Oct/Nov a good as the ferns stop budding and becomes dormant for the winter. I moved a Canaries palm some years about now and lost it drying out in Spring/Summer months being dry and hot in the sun.

 

[spader]

Yeah, maybe better wait till Oct / Nov for moving them. I can imagine it will be difficult job digging them out the soil with their wide and deep roots.

 

[utterlydiy]

Dont know about the Grasses, but I think the tree ferns are shallow fibrous rooted by about 6” beneath the trunk . So take care when digging as they are not cheap to replace

 

[Odds]

If you want to limit the growth of ferns then you might consider splitting a large plant then potting it out in situ where you want the new plant to grow. As long as you keep it moist there's no problem...the trick is making sure it won't dry out in the heat of summer. What type of fern is it?

 

[spader]

If you want to limit the growth of ferns then you might consider splitting a large plant then potting it out in situ where you want the new plant to grow. As long as you keep it moist there's no problem...the trick is making sure it won't dry out in the heat of summer. What type of fern is it?

Yeah I was thinking of spliting the ferns into 4x per each, as they are quite large. They are not tree ferns. They are just shrub like Ferns with no tree stems. They might be actually brackens. They were bought from B&Q for a fiver for the whole lot of 4 about 10 year ago when they were in tiny plastic pots.
Now they reach up to over 1m height and about 50cm in diameter.

 

[Odds]

Yeah I was thinking of spliting the ferns into 4x per each, as they are quite large. They are not tree ferns. They are just shrub like Ferns with no tree stems. They might be actually brackens. They were bought from B&Q for a fiver for the whole lot of 4 about 10 year ago when they were in tiny plastic pots.
Now they reach up to over 1m height and about 50cm in diameter.

Ferns are easy enough to propagate and spread like mad given the chance. The ferns in our garden simply drifted in or, more likely, were brought in under the pigeon's sticky feets, to grow willy-nilly wherever they chose. Some are kept, many are not. If its an urgent project then try potting one or two up but if you can wait til Autumn then it'll make it easier, as stated earlier in the thread.

 

[Why Not Indeed]

Prune the roots before moving them [6 months before, according to this]:

Tree Transplanting: Cutting Tree Roots Without Killing A Tree | Davey Tree

Before transplanting a tree there’s crucial root prep involved. But before you attempt to prune tree roots on your own, read this post to learn how to keep your tree as safe as possible in the process.

blog.davey.com

I suggest doing some research on each species of tree you want to move. And budget for some replacements, if you really like them, because there is no guarantee of success.