Has anyone transplanted Abutilon?

19 years ago

2 weeks ago, we have transplanted our 1 year old healthy and great looking Abutilon hybrids 'Nabob' and Abutilon megapotamicum 'Halo,' both are about 5 foot tall and 3 foot wide, from full-sun spot to partial sun spot in our backyard.

Now they look very sad and dry. I expected this for it is what our salvia did after transplanting. Salvia always came back. But is Abutilon going to? Has anyone had similar experience? Is there anything we can do to help Abutilon recover?

We had to move them for we desperately need tall screen plant where they were but when we planted Abutilon a year ago, we did not need tall screen then. :-(

Featured Answer

hoovb zone 9 sunset 23

8 years ago

A plant's negative reaction to root disturbance can be due to a number of reasons. For some plants, root disturbance lays the plant's roots open to infection by soil borne pathogens that can kill the plant. (Proteas!) For others, a change in soil level can do it. This is because the oxygen level in the soil changes. Too much deeper and the roots don't get enough oxygen and they fail.

For Abutilon which is a relatively thirsty plant it could be that the roots stop taking up moisture, or the top growth needs considerably more moisture than the disturbed roots can provide. In addition, the Abutilon root system is relatively large, so losing some of it is very stressful to the plant.

What I do when transplanting just about anything is to provide temporary shade via a shade cloth covering a cylinder of wire fencing until the plant can once again take the level of hot California sunshine that it could previously handle. I try to get as much of the root ball as is physically possible. I keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. If the plant fails, well then...garden center retail therapy for the plant owner is advised. ;^)

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
19 years ago
Mine have always transplanted OK. Yours sounds like it was transplanted without cutting it back. I always reduce the top growth when transplanting one as big as yours. Al
sunsetnovicegardener
Original Author
19 years ago
Calistoga,

Thank you for your response! You are correct that we did not cut them back. We are novice gardeners so bear with us for asking probably basic of basic questions for youÂ

1. Is it too late to cut them back now?

2. How small would you cut your abutilon? 2/3 of the size? We are not sure how much to cut to "reduce top growth."

3. ÂHaloÂ has multiple lax stems and would you thin them or would you still reduce top growth?
Related Professionals
Gainesville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Sioux City Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Bend Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Indianapolis Landscape Contractors · Fort Worth Landscape Contractors · Mason City Landscape Contractors · Janesville Landscape Contractors · Durango Landscape Contractors · Idaho Falls Landscape Contractors · Magnolia Architects & Building Designers · Victoria Architects & Building Designers · Middletown Architects & Building Designers · Greenfield Architects & Building Designers · Superior Architects & Building Designers · Scottsbluff Architects & Building Designers
bahia
19 years ago
2/3 of original size might be about right. With Abutilon, as with almost all shrubs, you should cut back long stems to just above a leaf node or where it is branching. If they got moved to a spot with more sun than what they were originally growing in, they may need some temporary shading to help them adjust.
sunsetnovicegardener
Original Author
19 years ago
Bahia,

Thank you for your response! The spot we moved gets less sun and more protected from wind than where both Abutilons were originally growing.

We will cut them to 2/3 of the original size above a leaf node or where it is branching. Hope this still helps though they are drying out as we speak... I will remember your and Al's advice next time we move shrubs.

My husband and I started gardening 1.5 years ago and our backyard was a weed wonderland before then. We still have a lot of blank spots but things are starting to grow now so we have a hard time reducing the size of any plants... But we will do whatever good for the plants.

Thank you again for your advice.
calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
19 years ago
Abutilon in cool shady areas does not bloom much and tends to sprawl all over. If you are zone 17 you may find your new location not sunny enough. If you decide to move it again wait for next year as it probably will not survive another move in its present state of shock. Al
flyingflower
19 years ago
Give it some Vitamin B1 for transplant shock or Eleanor's VF-11.

I've had good luck transplanting Abutilon but I did cut it back first. It's a pretty plant but eventually I had to remove them all because they attract ants like crazy. No matter where I transplanted them the ants found that plant and only that plant. They are an ant magnet and that's a big negative in my garden.
bug_girl
19 years ago
I found they do not transplant well. I just get new ones, as needed.
sunsetnovicegardener
Original Author
19 years ago
Al, FlyingFlower, and Bug_Girl, thank you for your advice!

Al, We thought about that too... I hope the spot is sunny enough. If not, we will replant next year. And this time, we will reduce size before replanting.

FlyingFlower, I have heard about Vitamin B1 this past weekend from someone else too. I will try this.

Bug_Girl, we were afraid to hear that... 2 more weeks passed and 'Halo' still looks very dead. We will probably keep it for until next spring and see what it will do.
Laurel Zito
8 years ago
I just found this old post, when I trying to see if there was any tips I could get on transplanting. I still have never transplanted an Abutilon to a new location useless it was very small. I found that the roots do not like to be disturbed. If you break up the root ball, they will go into shock and if there is hot or cold weather this will increase the shock and they may not live. I am wondering if anyone knows what is the deal with Abutilon? Why are they so hard to transplant?
Laurel Zito
8 years ago
I had just placed a new Abutilon in the ground from a garden center, but I did not score the root ball at all. The weather has been cool and its doing great, but I wonder if that means the roots will not make their way into the soil. It will probably die like an annual in the winter. But, never move one larger then three feet. I also had a tree size one when I bought the house and it had scales and I treated it. Over the course of a few years the wind began to break off the branches and then it just up and died on me. I will really upset, as a tree size one is very lovely, and very hard to obtain due to the mortality rate of the young ones. They don't like heat, and they don't like cold. The ideal climate would be San Deigo, I imagine and I am in zone 9 with very hot summers. They get spider mites which are the hardest pest to control.