Transplanting an Agapanthus

10 years ago

I just received two large agapanthus plants unexpectedly (dug from a friend's garden). We're expecting temps in the 80s this weekend, with cooler weather come Monday (cloudy, high 60s). My question is, do I plant the agapanthus tomorrow so they don't dry out (they're in giant potato sacks and I don't think they have much in the way of soil around the roots) or do I wait until Monday when the weather is more favorable for transplanting (but they'll have been sitting around in those sacks for two days)?

Comments (3)

gardenweed_z6a
10 years ago
I don't grow Agapanthus in my garden so I can't speak from personal experience but a general rule of thumb for perennial plants is that most times they're a lot better off in the ground (i.e., in the bosom of Mother Earth) than in giant potato sacks with very little soil around the roots.

My reference book, Perennials for Every Purpose by Larry Hodgson, describes them as '...resilient, grow-them-almost-anywhere plants' which suggests they can take a measure of rough conditions. Why subject them to rough conditions if you have the means to plant them, even temporarily, in the ground or in containers with potting mix?

Best of luck, whatever you decide.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
plant them ASAP ....

do not confuse air temps with soil temps ...

if the temps are fluctuating as much as you note.. i bet the soil.. at depth.. is not 80 ...

no roots on any plant.. will appreciate sitting around in heat ... w/o soil on them .... IN A BAG ... even a burlap sack ....

if you care to experiment.. plant one.. delay the other.. and let us know ... come late summer ...

i always default to ma nature being more capable then me.. in caring for her goods ...

if you cant get to it ... put in a shallow tray of water ... just enough for the root tips.. and in full shade ... against a cool wall ... but not for more than a few days... roots need air as much as moisture.... so do not submerge them .... we dont want the root tips to dry

this is how i would HOLD OVER ANY PLANT ... i have no experience with yours in particular ...

ken
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gyr_falcon
10 years ago
Agapanthus are so tough, I had to smile a bit at the worry over a few days delay. I once removed a variegated agapanthus from it's pot in October, divided it into 4-5 plants, then intended to transplant one section back into the pot. Well, as timing would have it, I ran out of potting mix. So I just placed the bare root plant in the empty pot and planned on taking care of it in a few days.

Well I got busy, and time got away from me. Occasionally I would see it and spray some water over the roots. More time passed, but the plant didn't even wilt; it became a bit of an experiment. That division sat in the pot, without any soil around the roots, until March or April, in our Southern California climate. The fleshy roots hardly even withered; the leaves remained in fine shape. I potted it up eventually and moved it with us to a new house. It has been divided a few more times, and all of the plants are thriving.

I'd have suggested you wait for the cooler weather to replant. But honestly, I doubt that it would matter much one way or the other. :)