transplant the plum tree seedlings

Check! All done.

Of the five transplants, four seem to have died. I think that was my fault – I let their roots dry out. They were also on the small size.

So I replanted four of the larger treelings yesterday. They were planted right away, no chance to dry out. Last night it poured and poured rain, too.

But there’s still so many of them!

Tommy, Gabriel and I were out in the backyard today, figuring out our garden and landscaping plans. I had the shovel so I decided to dig up some of the seedlings and transplant them to an area we agreed will be the “plum orchard”. Because we are out in the country (we share the property with my parents and little brother and sister so anyone reading understands) on 13 acres, we have a lot of space! Most of that is for the cattle, sheep and equines, but we have a considerable backyard.

So I get the shovel and start digging some up and – I’m not even sure these would be called seedlings. I’m not even sure if they ARE plum trees! The plum tree is the only tree in that area, so it’s the only thing that makes sense. They’re all connected together though, over a large area, by a root! So when I dig them up, I unfortunately have to cut up the root.

My brother in law said that they should transplant alright, so long as part of the root is included in the transplant. He suggested I wait a bit longer though, til it’s a bit warmer at night.

In the meantime, we can’t use ALL of them for the orchard, so I’m thinking maybe advertising on kijiji and freecycle for anyone who wants them to “come and get ‘em!”

Earlier today we were at my mom’s friends house to dig up some irises, star of bethlehem and wild raspberries. She said she’d be delighted to take some of the seedlings, but there are seriously SO many.

So… anyone in the area want some free plum trees? :P