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Thursday, September 10, 2015

How to Transplant Joshua Tree

Q. When is the best time to transplant a Joshua tree?

A. The best time is in mid to late spring but could be done in summer. The worst times are fall and early winter months. Stay away from these time periods for planting Joshua.
Joshua tree rootball

            The biggest mistakes made on planting Joshua is watering too often. Joshua's are not the easiest plants to transplant mostly because the roots taken when harvested from the Desert are not very extensive.
            Start with a smaller plant and stake it to keep the roots from moving. Plant them the same depth as they were when they were harvested.
            Amend the existing soil with about 25% compost at the time of planting. They will benefit from improved soils at the time of planting. Water at the time of planting thoroughly and then hold off for at least three weeks before watering again.

            Water no more than about every three weeks in summer. Less often in cooler and colder weather.

2 comments:

  1. Please help. I have "baby" joshuas at the base and up to 12 inches from an adult tree. Can those be transplated? Or are they tap roots/attached to the adult tree and i will fail at the attempt? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
    Wendysue1horsegirl@gmail.com
    (661)993-1969

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    1. You had me a little mystified when you talked about Joshua pups. Cactus pups usually are side shoots from the main cactus stem or they can be produced on short rhizomes coming from the mother plant. I have not heard of Joshua trees producing pups. However, they do grow quite easily from seed. So I am wondering if these pups are really seeds that have dropped to the soil and have germinated. If they are from seed, they can be fairly easily dug up when they are very small and relocated or put into containers. Let me redirect you to this site on propagating Joshua tree from seed.

      http://www.desertplants.org/?page_id=65

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