Joshua Tree Survival After Transplanting

 Q. We have a few Joshua trees on our property. We planted three more that were relocated from Arizona and had the proper permits. They didn’t do well so we dug them up and saw root rot. Does it make sense to cut away any damaged rot? Or perhaps you have a better suggestion all together.

Joshua trees taken from the desert should be small or established in the container before planting.

A. My experience with native Joshua tree survival after transplanting is that the larger the tree, the poorer the survival. The biggest reasons for lack of success were watering too often and poor soil-water drainage. Smaller plants in the desert are capable of surviving relocation better than larger well-established ones. Survival “tricks” were used sometimes when relocating plants such as orientation and soil additives. Some “tricks” made “sense” such as removal of a portion of the plants top to compensate for root loss and improve transplant success. Outside of orientation and soil additives, how are size reduction “tricks” done to Yuccas?

Super Thrive is a well known additive that makes claims for improving transplant success. Some people swear by it, others swear at it.

The Smaller the Plant the More Success

Native plants have a very wide and established root system. Big native plants look beautiful but are exceedingly difficult to move from the wild primarily because of their established root system. The same is true of established landscape plants; smaller ones are easier to relocate than larger ones.

Larger native plants like this Joshua tree has had limited success reestablishing in a landscape unless it is well rooted in the nursery.

The best luck planting is with plant Joshua trees less than three feet tall that were established first. The best survival was with those under three feet in height. Dip the roots and lower stem in a Bordeaux paste and let it dry before planting. This gives cacti some protection from watering too often. Amend the soil at the time of planting and stake them if needed. Water at first planting and then every three weeks until they have rooted.