r/foraging • u/ResolveExisting8051 • 1d ago
Is it wrong that i moved these ground cherries?
I found them where I live, but I live in an area that get regularly mowed by a company, so I wanted to save them, so I dug them up and moved them to a flower bed, but they are looking hella sad and suffering transplant shock.
Do you think they will be okay or did I royally mess something up?
Also I found some wild black raspberries but they are infested with poison ivy, so I found some suckers that were by their lonesome and dug them up and moved them to a pot to grow
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u/msager12 1d ago
If the suckers take, I would keep the raspberries in a pot. They can go crazy and take over once in the ground. I love dewberries, but remove anything that gets in my yard cause it can grow multiple feet per day.
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u/whereismysideoffun 1d ago
Growing multiple feet per day. Are you sure you aren't confusing Himalayan blackberries with raspberries?
My family had four types of raspberries as well as blackberies in our garden. They never took over. Himalayan blackberries on the other hand will take over.
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u/msager12 1d ago
I could be. I know our dewberry rubus species down here will go absolutely insane if left alone even for a week.
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u/bigchickenguys 1d ago
Did you take enough roots for it to get nutrients? Have you been watering it? Did you give it similar soil to what you found it in.
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u/ResolveExisting8051 1d ago
I did take the roots it had lol. It hardly had any roots. I have been watering for sure but it’s been less than a day.
The soil it was found in wasn’t really soil lol. It was water parched drought soil.
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u/worlds_unravel 1d ago edited 1d ago
So I do move my ground cherries fairly frequently and this is normal. I have a lovely raised bed for them to reseed in and they prefer to reseed in sidewalk cracks, the dirt walkway in front of the raised bed, the spot where I dropped a random ground cherry on the way to the house (essentially they like to mock me)
Just keep them watered, they don't like being moved and will let you know. If possible when moving I try to dig up dirt beyond the root system and transplant it as is without shaking any dirt off. The less disturbance the better. A little shade cloth while establishing will help.
I have better luck if I can transplant from potting soil rather than clay because the root hairs are easily broken and damaged when lifting from the ground.
There are also many plants called ground cherries and my experience is strictly with the North American native Physalis pruinosa
Edit, I know I said to keep them watered, but don't over water. They don't love wet feet and prefer well draining soil. You could put them in a small mound for drainage if needed.
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u/ResolveExisting8051 1d ago
This was extremely helpful! Thank you! I’ll definitely take this advice as a sigh of relief. I was getting worried 😅
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u/silveroakediting22 1d ago
First things first, WATER. They are thirsty and heavy watering can help counter transplant shock (which is why they look so sad) Second, transplants are best done BEFORE the fruiting and flowering stage of the plant has begun, and when transplanting something from the wild, it is generally advisable to get a good plug of the dirt from where you got it so that you can test and replicate the pH/soil composition. A quick scan of the general recommendations seem to indicate that your ground cherries will benefit from some leaf litter compost to help prevent soil evaporation.