When To Transplant Forsythias [And How To]

Would you like to learn when to transplant Forsythia? How do you do this? Well, we have researched this topic and have answers for you. Let's dive right in!

It's best to transplant Forsythia during the spring before it blooms or in the fall after it blooms. It's vital for your Forsythia's health to transplant it while it's still growing, so avoid transplanting in the winter.

In this article, we will learn when and how to transplant Forsythia. We will also learn the answers to other interesting related questions, such as how do you propagate Forsythia, and how often should you water Forsythia? Keep reading to learn more.

Closeup of blooming forsythia - beautiful yellow flowers against blue sky background. Spring season and allergy concept - When To Transplant Forsythias [And How To]

When Is The Best Time To Transplant Forsythias?

To transplant Forsythias, it is essential to consider the plant's life cycle to ensure it takes well to its new location. The most critical factor in whether a Forsythia does well during a transplant is if the plant is actively growing new roots.

Forsythias grow most of their new roots in the spring before bloom and during fall in preparation for winter. During the winter, they enter a dormant phase, and in the summer, they spend much of their energy blooming.

If you transplant in the spring or fall, your Forsythia will quickly grow new roots and be healthy.

Transplanting in the summer can also be successful but can cause unnecessary stress on the plant since most of its energy is working on blooming.

If, however, you transplant in the winter, then your Forsythia won't be able to establish new roots and may die.

Be sure to transplant your Forsythia in the spring before it blooms or in the fall after it blooms for the best chance of a successful transplant.

How To Transplant Forsythias

Springtime maco close-up of blooming yellow forsythia blossom flowers against a blue sky

To transplant Forsythias, take a narrow-headed shovel and begin cutting a circle around the base of the plant. The circle should be eight to twelve inches from the bottom of the plant and one to two feet deep.

It's critical at this step to encircle as much of the roots as you can. The more roots you can save, the faster your Forsythia will recover from the transplant.

Pull the shovel back to lift the Forsythia a small amount. Keep rotating around the circle and slowly lift the central root mass. You may need to cut a few offshoot roots with your shovel.

Once the central root mass is severed from the ground, carefully lift the Forsythia from its hole and set it on the ground.

Next, carry your Forsythia to its new home. It can be best to have a hole prepared before you dig out your Forsythia, but Forsythias can handle being uprooted for at least an hour without any effect.

Hence, it's okay to prep the new hole after removing the Forsythia.

You should dig the new hole six to eight inches deeper than needed and filled with potting soil to the desired height.

You want soft potting soil under your Forsythia's roots because it gives the plant an easy place for its roots to grow and helps it survive the transplant.

Once your Forsythia is in its new hole, take the handle of a shovel and compact a tight circle of dirt around the base of your Forsythia. Compressing the ground around the bottom of your Forsythia decreases the chance of wind blowing the plant crooked.

Be sure to water your Forsythia thoroughly after transplant to help encourage new root growth. It is also helpful to add a small handful of fertilizer around the base of your Forsythia.

Keep checking on your Forsythia daily for signs that it isn't doing well in its new location and respond to its needs, and your Forsythia will be healthy in no time.

How Do You Propagate Forsythias?

Yellow forsythia and daffodils in the garden

Forsythias can easily be propagated if you know the proper technique.

The first step to propagating Forsythias is to take a pitchfork and begin lifting around the plant in a circular pattern. Insert your pitchfork eight to twelve inches away from the base of the plant to avoid damaging the roots.

As you lift the central root mass from the ground, you will notice that large sections of roots want to break off the central mass. These sections of separating roots are what we want to remove and transplant to propagate the Forsythia.

It's vital to work methodically to avoid damaging the central root mass. Ideally, the main root mass will stay in place, and you will harvest only the separating roots clumps.

Once you have removed several separating root clumps, rebury the central root mass. Now water the original Forsythia to keep it from stressing too much.

Next, plant your new root clumps in the new location where you'd like to grow Forsythias. It will help if you have potting soil at the bottom of each new hole to encourage root growth. You should also administer water and fertilizer to support the new Forsythias' growth.

Over the next few weeks, check on your new Forsythias and your original for signs of stress and respond accordingly. In a few weeks of caring for your Forsythias, you will know if your propagation was successful.

How Often Should You Water Forsythias?

Forsythias tolerate low water and don't need water as often as other plants. It would be best if you watered your Forsythia once a week for at least twenty minutes.

Forsythias don't like their soil too wet but prefer damp to dry. Check that the soil around your Forsytnia isn't dry during the week and if it is, increases watering until it stays lightly damp.

If you live in an area that receives more than an inch of rain a week, then during those weeks, you should skip watering.

When Should You Fertilize Forsythias?

Closeup of blooming forsythia - beautiful yellow flowers against blue sky background. Spring season and allergy concept. Selective focus

Forsythias require a lot of nutrients to bloom and should be fertilized more often than most plants. Forsythias like to be fertilized every three weeks during the spring and summer when they are growing the most.

For each plant, take a small handful of fertilizer and sprinkle it evenly around its base. Using a fertilizer that uses all three vital nutrients for plants is best.

It doesn't matter which ratio your particular fertilizer uses since the plant will only absorb the nutrients it needs.

If you aren't sure which fertilizers contain all three vital nutrients for plants, here are two of the most popular fertilizers on Amazon that include everything you need.

Triple 10 All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer

See it on Amazon here.

Jacks Classic All Purpose Fertilizer

View this fertilizer on Amazon.

Don't Fertilize Forsythia during the fall or winter. The energy needs of Forsythias drop dramatically after they bloom, and continuing to fertilize them during the fall and winter risks burning them.

Fertilizer burns are caused by over-fertilizing and can lead to your Forsythias dying.

Why Is My Forsythia Dying?

Forsythia (Oleaceae) flowers on a white background.

There are usually three main reasons your Forsythia are dying: over watering, under watering, and over-fertilizing. Let's look at the signs of each of these problems and discuss how to remedy them.

Over Watering

Over watering can cause a myriad of problems for your Forsythia. When you overwater Forsythia, it becomes susceptible to fungal and bacterial infections.

A common sign that your Forsythias have a fungal or bacterial infection are leaves covered in spots and turning yellow. You are overwatering if you notice the wet ground around your Forsythia.

The solution is to reduce how often you water and for how long. If your Forsythia has contracted a fungal or bacterial infection from over watering, you should treat it with a spray that can kill both fungus and bacteria.

Here are two of the best sprays available on Amazon to remove fungus and bacteria from your Forsythias.

Garden Safe Fungicide Spray

You can find this product here on Amazon.

Monterey Fungicide & Bactericide

See this product on Amazon.

Under Watering

If your Forsythia is dying from lack of water, the signs will include wilting leaves and dry soil around the base of your plant. Fixing under watering is easy since you only need to increase how often you water and for how long.

Be sure not to increase watering times too fast to avoid the problems of overwatering. Slowly increase watering times until you find your soil stays damp but not wet.

Over Fertilizing

If your Forsythia is dying from over-fertilizing, you will notice your plant getting sick a few days after fertilizing. You may also see the leaves turning completely yellow and dying.

The solution is to flush the ground around your Forsythia with water.

Place a hose at the base of your Forsythia and allow it to soak the ground for an hour or two. Once thoroughly saturated in the ground, allow your plant to dry by not watering for at least a week.

If you remove enough fertilizer, your plant will be healthy. If your plant is still sick, you may need to repeat soaking the ground once a week until it responds positively.

Final Thoughts

Yellow forsythia blooming in spring

In this article, we learned to transplant Forsythia in spring before it blooms or in the fall after it blooms. We also learned the proper techniques to transplant Forsythia.

Remember, Forsythias need frequent fertilization but shouldn't be fertilized after it blooms to avoid fertilizer burns.

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