Michele your additional info has been most deeply helpful - I got much of it integrated into the submitted article, and hope to edit/add a bit more of it once it is approved for publication.

Mary, I love the idea of breaking this all out into smaller and more detailed articles on each area of interest ... I just don't have the background or expertise to do it (remember, I came to you all for every bit of input! this is all new area for me - previously I've just planted and watered, period). So, what you did prompt me to do was to check the final length against other instructive articles in the database, and this one is in the middle-average length range. All that said, you are such a wonderful writer, and these would be great topics to see more on ... so if you are so inclined ... I know there'd be many eager readers, me included! Oh, and your picture of the large root system on your plant was superb, and I assumed you'd be okay with me using it in the article so it is included there. I forgot to add a photo credit, but will do so as soon as I have access to the editing tool again.

So, here is the link to the submission preview of the Trimming and Repotting article we all wrote - I'm not sure if you'll be able to see it before formal publication on ATP, but give it a try if you like:

http://garden.org/ideas/manage...

Let me know of anything I've overlooked, or could use changing, etc. As long as the article publishes with an "edit" button I can keep updating it as needed. I do need to also add in a link that takes the reader directly to the DL forum here, in case they are unaware of it.

*YOU ARE SUCH AN AWESOME BUNCH! THANKS A BAZILLION FROM ALL OF US "POTTERS"

yes, I included it for you to use if you wanted -- thanks for reading my mind.

This forum is amazing! Thank you to all who are always so willing to share their vast knowledge with everyone! You are fantastic!

I am sooooo looking forward to your article/set of articles, Tina! But please, do not add me as a contributor as I have not contributed anything. I am, however, learning so much!

I like the idea of breaking this down into several parts/several articles, also. Maybe you could schedule something with Dave and present it as a set of weekly "how to's"?

Another reason for potting up daylilies is for accessibility. Many of us are getting up there in the years and/or have physical limitations so having our daylilies potted and closer to the house makes sense. Also, I know several people who like to rotate potted plants into key display areas so that something is always in bloom (I wish I could get this organized).

I also pot up all new arrivals regardless of where they are going to live eventually (ie., garden landscape versus "pot-ville"). I do this so that I can quarantine them (rust, pests, etc.) and also to verify their identity on bloom.

Again, thank you so much for undertaking this endeavor. I am excited to read the final article(s)!

Ooops - I see there were a couple more replies posted from the time I started typing and the time I posted my reply. Please disregard the parts of my reply that are no longer pertinent.

Tina, I sent you a couple comments via t-mail

Your comments are _always_ pertinent, OldGardener I did end up just listing main contributors for the article, but please know that you and others who added encouraging posts are really just as much part of the final product! I did add a "top 10 reasons for trimming/potting" at the start of the article, and tried to hint that having "easier" DLs to tend is important for those of us, me definitely included, who have age/mobility reasons to establish easy-care gardens.

And, I adore the new ideas you and Mary added - truth be told, though I'm unqualified to claim any part of articles about soil, fertilizer, etc., I am suddenly itching to make an article for people like me who are newer to DLs and want an overview of how to get started out on a small budget. That small budget limits me in terms of obtaining materials other than common household items that are on hand. So, maybe we can try in future to forum-post-interview about soil and fertilizers and such (with photos from the contributing interviewees).

Mary, thanks so much for the addition edits/info in tree-mail, I'll be incorporating them as soon as I'm able!

Tina, I didn't mean to imply "more detailed" articles... just a series of shorter ones. But as you said, it's average length, so I wouldn't worry. You might call it a tutorial rather than an article... not sure if there is criteria surrounding what gets which term. @Sharon would know - she is/was the articles editor.


btw, neither of my reasons for potting DLs made the top 10.

Great article

Eeeks - my "info-overload" while finishing the article on-the-fly means I did miss things that are really needed for inclusion. I can usually weave stuff in, so I'll be going back to get your reasons represented, too! And, I do the same thing - potting prior to planting as a temporary hold-over. :D I agree that it seems more like a tutorial to me, and one that I'm sure I'll have to reference again and use myself each year when trimming or repotting is needed, since senior moments are more like constant companions for me, lol! And, thanks OldGardener, you were the one to initially prompt me to get out here and ask these nice people for all this helpful information!

*Thundering Applause to the Experienced and Insightful!*

I just read the article/tutorial and it is great

Thanks, Michele ... if it might be great (after a little more finishing editing) it will only be due to your kindness in sharing your treasure of knowledge! It made all the difference having your experienced voice to guide, and your patiently answered questions right on the spot. Truly, this will help quite a lot of us DL potters, and you have our warmest gratitude for it!

Tina, while you're busy thanking everyone else, take a minute to stop and pat YOURSELF on the back. YOU are the one who took the pics and wrote it up. Don't sell yourself short just because you're new to daylilies and had to ask other people for some of the info.

Great idea for an article! The team work here is great.

fiwit said:Tina, while you're busy thanking everyone else, take a minute to stop and pat YOURSELF on the back. YOU are the one who took the pics and wrote it up. Don't sell yourself short just because you're new to daylilies and had to ask other people for some of the info.

Three thumbs up for you, Tina.

Looks like the group article went live today, so I've sent around admin-awarded to those who contributed, and many thanks again for such great advice! By now I feel confident in handling and trimming DL roots, but that was far from the case before you all guided us through the process. I'm sorry to say the idea articles do not have an edit button, and with my own fall prep in the garden in full swing I won't have time to go through channels to update and add some of what fell through the cracks. Suffice it to say that the article itself sends readers back here to search further, so they will see first-hand and learn even more from your valuable work.

As of August 25 the repotted plants were sending up new leaves to replace those outer ones lost naturally through the re-potting process (for example, the first picture below shows expected sloughing of outer leaves as the plant re-established itself). Because they were cultivars that were slated for culling ahead of time, I did not keep them beyond a few weeks, until I had seen them progress and stabilize. The smaller of the two, the one that was cut and divided, thrived even though I'd been concerned that the roots were too small and got too dried out from the process. It suffered no ill effects at all.

The larger of the example plants was dug from the garden and cut back the most (I think at least 50% of the root length was taken, and I need to work on trimming less and more carefully) but it also still had green foliage going strongly. When I emptied the pot and sent the fan to the yard-recycle bin as planned, I noted that it may have been experiencing some kind of fungal attack to one of its roots, but a number of days later when adding more yard material to the bin I saw that the fan was still alive and was still sending out green leaves, so it certainly may not have been critical. Because some losses are always possible when a plant is moved and worked on, I now try make sure to establish two separate clumps, fans or divisions especially from those that come from digging up in the garden, just to cover my bases. I'm glad to say that I no longer fear working with roots that need trimming, and that the dozens more potted DLs I've worked with this fall have all done super!!



Hats off to the wise guides who made this article possible; we all applaud your kindness for preparing fellow DL lovers for tackling new skills!

tink3472
fiwit
dormantsrule