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Saturday - May 26, 2007

From: Buda, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Transplants, Wildflowers
Title: Optimal time to separate and transplant black-eyed Susan
Answered by: Joe Marcus

QUESTION:

When is the optimal time to separate or transplant black eyed Susan. I have some in a planter on my patio, but it has multiplied and become too crowded for the pot; it needs water daily.

ANSWER:

The best time to transplant most plants in your area (Central Texas) is fall and early winter. However, if the plants in your planter are suffering, transplant them when they finish flowering, thin them or remove the flowering stems and transplant them now. The name Blackeyed Susan is a applied to several plant species. The species most often referred to as Blackeyed Susan in your area is the annual or short-lived perennial plant Rudbeckia hirta. Since the plants are short-lived, transplanting them might not realize much advantage since the plants die after flowering and producing seeds.