transplant shock.. keep watering.. deeply with near drying.. and pray ... alleged drought resistance.. is thrown out the window at transplanting ....

it should have been planted months ago ... so as to be able to get thru the heat of summer ...

no fert ... just patience ..

i would have held the pot for fall planting.. rather than plant in july .... just cuz you buy it.. doesnt mean it has to be planted.. in the wrong season .... otherwise.. it will torture you by doing what it is doing ....

try looking just at the growth buds.. it will sacrifice all to maintain those.. and as long as those look relatively good.. you will win .. it just might not be pretty for this season ...

ken

Thanks for the help, Ken. I'm okay with it not looking pretty so long as the whole thing doesn't die on me!

You can set a lawn chair over it for temp shade until it perks back up. Removing some of the leaves can help it transpire less. If it is moist but still wilty, resist the temptation to give it more water. You don't want it to rot while it's settling in.

In general, prairie plants actually do better in lean soils vs. composted top soil, so it may be .

JLC, I find that Rudbeckia transplants very poorly, especially in the heat of the summer. However, it also seems difficult to kill. Given enough time, watering and patience I bet you'll be good and next year will be especially gratifying.

I agree with Steve.
I transplanted a piece of rudbeckia early this spring - way before things got hot. The new piece went right beside an established plant because I wanted a larger patch in that spot.

Now, by the end of the day, the established plant is doing fine while the new piece is suffering in the heat (perks up by morning again)

Clearly, since they are in exactly the same conditions, the only variable is the transplant. Once the roots are well established I'm sure it'll be fine.

I transplanted one of my Rudbeckias from my backyard a few weeks ago and it was huge. I covered it with newspapers and I watered it 3 times a day for a little over a week and now it is finally doing great.

I bought 4 Rudbeckia Priarie Sun in the spring and they were doing great. Now we have had rain about every day for at least two weeks and when the sun comes out the humidity is oppressive. Three wilted all of a sudden and one is still OK. They are planted in the same area. My situation does not reflect the solutions I have read that I should keep watering or that they are in shock from transplanting since it has been almost 3 months since they were planted. Does someone have another guess?

Ninam,
Your plants are all nicely established, but they may be suffering from too much water. Rain constantly will keep the roots from being able to breathe, because the water fills all the gaps in the soil that should contain air and oxygen. If the water is there too long, the roots begin to rot and can't do their job of maintaining the rest of the plant. Rudbeckia are prairie plants that function best in soil that is dry much more often than wet.

Martha