My landscaping and yard were installed last winter (a new house.) During last spring, I decided to relocate (transplant) some variegated liriope. (The species as I recall was Aztec).
Most of these transplanted well and grew to a mature size by summer.
A few, however, remained significantly smaller, perhaps 1/4 the size of their larger neighbors. During the summer and fall, I applied to the surface area of the noticeably smaller ones some lawn fertilizer in hopes of stimulating them to growth, a procedure which did not produce the intended result.
Q: What to do next and when to do it? Should I apply root stimulator, and if so , when and how? If not root stimulator, what and when?
A: Before I begin with the answer to this question, I must remind everyone it is time to pre-emerge your lawn and beds for summer annual weeds.
If you or your pet has had fleas in the past, it is time to put out a growth regulator for the fleas. Mosquitoes and fungus should be monitored with all the rain we have had this winter.
I will go back to the liriope (monkey grass to some) question. If they are still as small as you say, I would gently remove them from the ground and inspect them. The ground around them might have settled and made the plant too deep in the hole. Look at the crown of the plant and make sure it is healthy.
The crown of the plant is described as the area of the plant where the roots go one way and the top leaves go the other way. The crown should be at or slightly above existing grade.
If the plants look healthy, you could replant them now at or above existing grade and add Root's Transplant 1-Step to the hole according to the label instructions. This product has a water-holding gel, mycorrhiza (a friendly fungus), poultry manure, humic acid, seaweed, and other biostimulants to help the plant get off to a good start.
I would also drench the area with one ounce of SUPERthrive mixed in a five gallon bucket of water and spray the plants with Messenger for extra root growth. Around mid March, I would fertilize with Possum's 17-00-09 fertilizer that is 100 percent slow release.
A month after applying the 17-00-09, you should take a soil test from this area and make sure we are heading down the right path.
Come May, fax (406-2700, 971-9681, 760-2625, or 766-1512) me and let me know how they are doing. There is a possibility that they will outgrow the others!
Bill Lamson-Scribner can be reached during the week at Possum's Landscape and Pest Control Supply. Possum's has three locations 481 Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant (971-9601), 3325 Business Circle in North Charleston (760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd, in Charleston (766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum's, fax your questions to 406-2700 or e-mail them to your newspaper's editors. You can also call in your questions to " The Garden Clinic", Saturdays from noon to 1 p.m., on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker).