I dug out six of the twelve crowns that I planted last fall. I could not believe how big the Santiam crowns had grown in just one season, especially considering how intolerant the cultivar was of my climate (Santiam does not like heat and humidity). I also could not believe how difficult the crowns were to dig out even after hitting the plants with glyphosate (a.k.a. Roundup) a month ago.
What’s amazing is that the cultivar I was certain would not make the cut going into the growing season was spared the same fate as Santiam, Horizon, and Fuggle. For some reason, Spalt Select is more heat tolerant, less photoperiod sensitive, and more insect resistant than the other latitude 48 cultivars that I have worked with in the past. The Spalt Select hills performed surprisingly well considering that they started out as smaller field-grade plants, not whole crowns.
el_capitan, it’s a great time to do that sort of thing. One big benefit is that the soil is usually easier to work with at this time of the year, as many times you’re dealing with a bunch of mud in the Spring. Not only is it messy, but you can harm your soil structure when it’s wet.
The other huge benefit is that those cuttings that are moved will be able to begin developing new roots until the soil freezes. When you do this in the spring, root growth/development is very slow until the soil warms enough to get them going. Try one crown this fall and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
Interesting. We have four hills going, and all are in half wine barrels. two will need some work, and I had intended to clean them up in January or so. Are you saying it’s better to “harvest some rhizomes” now? I’ve done this type of thing with rhubarb for years, and had planned the same M.O.
I was mostly talking about crowns, but I think just cutting and moving rhizomes might be a little more dicey due to rhizomes having less energy stored up than crowns. Actually, that’s how I obtained my first cuttings. I spotted a wild one about this time of the year and took the chance of yanking up a chunk of rhizome and planting it in a cornfield close to where I lived. The following spring I dug it up and moved it to a permanent location with great results. They’re really durable plants and have a great desire to live so I’m sure you’ll have success with whatever you plan.
Well now I’m all ambitious to go do some late fall digging! I think I’ll at least get started with 2-3 of the crowns and go from there. I know what you mean about springtime mud. My soil has lots of clay, so it takes quite a while to dry out enough to work. I’m trying to get the main garden prepped for spring this fall by raking, spreading compost, and topping with straw mulch.
I am looking at replanting my crowns over the winter/spring. I live in Texas and our soil never freezes but we will go through some cold weather over the next few months. Am I better off moving them in the next few weeks or should I wait until early spring?