P.O. Box 632 Findlay, Ohio 45839 Phone: 419-420-9327

Jean Bowman
"Beautify Findlay" by Transporting Plants Properly
By Jean Bowman
Jun 29, 2008, 22:49

Many people have caught onto the idea that summer is an excellent time to plant - and that's great!  This big ball we float on called Earth needs more trees and shrubs, and every planting makes a difference.

But, there is one practice that unsuspecting homeowners commit.  That is whipping down the freeway with a newly purchased plant sticking out the back window of a car or the open bed of a pickup truck, thrashing around in the hot wind.  This will definitely burn the leaves, could cause total defoliation and kill the plant more quickly and assuredly than most anything else.

A 69-mile per hour wind off a desert is known to kill a plant within a matter of minutes, and driving the highway at even 55 miles per hour on a hot summer day will have the same effect.  That velocity almost instantly dries the plant out.  It is no different from holding a lighted candle underneath a leaf.  Even five minutes on the road can cause temporary or permanent defoliation.

This is also true for needle evergreens.  People tend to be even more careless with needle bearing plants.  They think because needles don't flap in the wind as much, the plant isn't suffering.
If you're guilty of such handling, don't panic.  Even though the plant has lost leaves and undergoes extreme stress, it can be saved.  Plant it and water it thoroughly and regularly without building up excess soil water.  Also apply fertilizer at about half the recommended rate, once the soil is moist.  The full dose may push the plant's growth processes too fast due to its current weakened state or may not be picked up by pruned roots at all.  Also moderately thin out the top of the tree so the plant will have fewer branches and leaves to support.  Under these circumstances, do not remove more than 10%.  Remove entire branches to space them out by at least 8 inches to 12 inches apart up and down the trunk and radiating in all directions from the trunk.  Stressed out as the plant is currently, it may, in time, replace the lost growth with new foliage.

To correctly transport a plant, it MUST be covered.  The best condition is to have it entirely enclosed within a car, truck or van.  If it must be opened to the air, shroud it with an open weave fabric such as burlap, canvas or an old bed sheet.  This fabric shades the plant and drastically reduces the wind velocity on the foliage.  Do not use plastic bags as they can kill the plant.  The heat generated beneath the plastic can soar up to over 115 degrees Fahrenheit in minutes and cook the plant.