Lilac is a favorite plant of many gardeners. Unpretentious, perfectly accustomed, every spring pleasing with lush inflorescences with a delicate aroma. However, when caring for this resident of the site, the question sometimes arises: "When is it better to transplant lilacs?" We will answer it together in this material.
When do I need a lilac transplant?
The first inflorescences on the lilac bush appear already after 2 years, and after 5-6 years it turns into a lush shrub or slender tree - depending on how you decide to form the appearance of the plant. But it depends not only on spring pruning, but also on the variety, the correct care.
Although lilac is not a capricious enough character, it still needs to comply with planting rules, top dressing, pest treatment, disease prevention and transplantation. When to transplant a lilac? It is better to do this after two years after planting a seedling on the site. The reason is as follows: replanting to a new, more spacious place promotes the active development of the plant - new branches appear, become heavier and inflorescences become more magnificent.
Although lilac transplantation is a mandatory procedure, many gardeners ignore it, believing that it will not only not breathe new strength into the plant, but will also be detrimental to an already mature shrub. This is fundamentally wrong.
Why do I need a transplant?
In the first years of its growth and development, plant roots actively absorb all nutrients from the soil. Even if you regularly and in proper quantities apply fertilizers and feed lilacs in other ways, the soil will still not have the supply of nutrients necessary for luxurious full-bloom.
If you grow lilacs for medicinal purposes, then the question "When to transplant lilacs?" all the more relevant for you, because by absorbing the necessary elements from a depleted substrate, the plant is not characterized by a high level of beneficial properties.
Regarding the question of wild and varietal varieties, we would most of all recommend a transplant for the latter.
When to transplant lilacs: in spring or autumn?
Shrubs are traditionally replanted in spring or fall. But the best time for a lilac transplant, according to many gardeners, is the end of summer, the last days of August. If the summer was very hot, then the best option for a transplant would be the end of September. By the way, this period is favorable for planting seedlings. Once again, we remind you that only an adult plant should be transplanted - two- or even three-year-old.
The choice of this particular period is due to the fact that lilac is an “early” shrub that fades faster than the bulk of others. Therefore, in August, he is already at rest, and will also be able to take root in a new place when choosing such a transplant time before frost. With a later autumn transplant, there is a risk that the plant does not have time to "settle down" before the cold.
If you planted a plant only in the spring, then a transplant in the fall of that year is likely to destroy it. In the case when, nevertheless, for some reason you need to change the place of growth of the bush, we recommend waiting for the next spring. Then, necessarily after flowering, is the best time to transplant a young lilac.
To determine when a young bush is ready for transplanting is simple: judge by lignification - when the entire trunk, from the bottom to the upper buds, has found a brown color - the time has come.
Transplant Preparation
Having examined when it is possible to transplant lilacs, we will move on to preparing for the process:
- If you have already decided that you will take a transplant in the fall, start preparing a bush for it in the spring: dig a trench, chopping off long roots along its borders. The length of the root system should not be more than 30 cm in length. Fill the pits with nutritious fertilizer. The trench will continue to be the boundary of the designation of the size of the lump of earth with which you will dig up lilacs.
- Choose a place: you need a fertile substrate, moderate soil moisture. Lilac does not like lowlands, wetlands.
- Now pit preparation. If the soil is fertile, then it is dug shallow - approximately 50x50 cm (height and width). If the soil is loamy and heavy, then the suitable depth of the pit is not less than a meter, and its bottom has to be drained. Only in this case, the plant will be able to extract the proper amounts of nutrients from the substrate.
- Do not forget to fertilize the pit and leave time for subsidence of the soil before transplanting.
Plant transplant
And now let's move on to transplanting lilacs in autumn or spring:
- Before the process, carefully inspect the bush - be sure to remove all dry or damaged branches.
- The length of the bush, if it has grown greatly, will be useful to shorten.
- When to transplant a lilac? The best option is in the late afternoon. On a quiet cloudy day, you can choose another time of day.
- Make sure that when digging a bush on its roots there remains a lump of "native" land - this will help to take root more quickly in a new place. Why do not shake the plant during transportation.
- The roots should fit freely in the pit. It should also be possible to sprinkle them on top of fertile soil.
- Do not forget to pour 1-2 liters of ash into the pit immediately before planting.
- Finally, water the plant abundantly around the trunk. It’s great if you also mulch the soil with needles or leaves. Approximate layer thickness - 3-5 cm.
After transplant
We figured out when to transplant a lilac, but what to do after that? The plant will not require special care:
- Loosen the soil regularly around the roots.
- Do not forget about timely watering.
- Prevent fungal infections.
With the right transplant in the fall of next spring, lilacs will also delight you with lush fragrant inflorescences.
As you have seen, lilac transplantation is a simple procedure. The most important thing is to correctly determine the time of its holding, to prepare both the plant and the soil.