# Desert gardeners - anyone have success transplanting creosote volunteers?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-gardeners-anyone-have-success-transplanting-creosote-volunteers/841578>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 10, 2019, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-gardeners-anyone-have-success-transplanting-creosote-volunteers/841578 "2019-10-10T05:10:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-gardeners-anyone-have-success-transplanting-creosote-volunteers/841578/1 "2019-10-10T05:10:34Z")

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Mods, please move if this is not the place.

I adore creosote bushes, and while I was hiking I saw some volunteer babies. Can I move them? Maybe pot them for a while then transplant into my desert yard?

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**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-gardeners-anyone-have-success-transplanting-creosote-volunteers/841578/2 "2019-10-10T05:25:23Z")

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Wiki [Larrea tridentata - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larrea_tridentata)

says yes. But you need to coddle the babies.  
Quote from them:  
young creosote bushes are much more susceptible to drought stress than established plants. Germination is quite active during wet periods, but most of the young plants die very quickly unless water conditions are optimal. Ground heat compounds the young plants’ susceptibility to water stress, and ground temperatures can reach upwards of 70 °C (160 °F). To become established, the young plant apparently must experience three to five years of abnormally cool and moist weather during and after germination.

Good luck

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-gardeners-anyone-have-success-transplanting-creosote-volunteers/841578/3 "2019-10-11T02:40:53Z")

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In addition to not transplanting well (young plants may be connected by runners to a parent plant and not survive when this connection is cut), there could be a question of breaking the law by digging them up, depending on who owns the land and what native plant protection statutes there are.

A number of plant nurseries carry them.

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**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-gardeners-anyone-have-success-transplanting-creosote-volunteers/841578/4 "2019-10-11T03:09:11Z")

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I couldn’t find protections on creosote in AZ, and where I want to grab them is private property and I have permission. My neighbor was successful transplanting some volunteers that sprung up but yeah, since no one seems to have first hand experience, I will try the nursery