My Columbine seeds naturally germinated this fall. There are lots of seedlings that seem to have appeared out of no where . Will they survive the winter? Am I able to transplant them? If so can I do it now or should I wait for the spring.
Location: Ontario Canada
by Kelley4life
4 Comments
This is reasonably normal in my experience with this plant. They should be ok. You can always leaf mulch them for the winter to give them a little more protection than the mulch you have, but it’s a tenacious plant and spreads easily by seed, so I wouldn’t worry about them.
It’s not a good time to move seedlings right now so far north because they are small, densely packed, therefore all of their roots would be disrupted. They could experience transplant shock if you move them and with the harsh season soon ahead they’ve no time to recover. It’s best to just let them be for now.
The spring when they’ve all emerged, giving ample time for new seedlings to sprout, is a good time to move them. Their growth hormones will kick in again and better be able to overcome a transplant shock.
If these plants were larger, I would say go for it and take as much surrounding soil as one can along with them. But they are so tiny and difficult to disturb one without disturbing the other.
It’s normal , don’t worry , in late summer they start dying when it’s too hot and grow back in the fall .
Congrats! They are happy and already have a robust root system. Leave them be and enjoy the (accidental) fruits of your labor!