Root ball boo boo: Can I dig up, break up, and replant?

I didn't break up the root ball of my petunias before I planted them. Can I dig up the petunia, break up the root ball, and replant them, without killing them? Would it be beneficial, or harmful, to do this?

I just planted them yesterday.

I'm obviously a beginner. I sincerely appreciate any advice! Thanks!

Are you talking about separating a bunch of seedlings, or are you talking about individual plants? If the former, yes, dig up and gently separate the seedlings prior to replanting. If the latter, it is best if you do not disturb the root ball on more mature plants.

I think they were seedlings. I'm not sure how mature they are. I attached a picture of the ones I planted. They are in the front, closest to the rock border.

So, are these petunias that you bought? If so, then no, you don't want to break up the rootball. The only time you'd want to loosen the rootball a bit is if they are very rootbound (i.e. plants that have been in too small pots for too long produce a lot of roots that become compacted together; this is referred to as being "rootbound"). Is that what you were wondering about?

Yes, these are the ones I bought and, yes, that is what I was wondering about :)

I think the soil looks moist, dense, fertile enough that the roots won't have trouble staying moist, which I've always found to be a ("the") problem with root balls of peat. But don't get the idea Petunias are really thirsty plants because they are not. Unless the soil in that ring gets very dry, I wouldn't add more.

BUT, the bigger issue... is there suddenly a foot of new soil around the base and trunk of that tree? I don't know why, but the whole thing looks new to me, the border, the soil, the whole thing... It's a live tree?

The rocks and soil were here when I moved in, which was a month ago. The plants are the only new thing. But now I'm worried. Should I remove it?

And yes it's a live tree.

Telling someone to remove a flower bed is not something I'm equipped to do emotionally, and certainly not from an advice standpoint just from that one pic. Do you have any idea how long it's been like that? Would it be possible to move the soil away from the trunk a bit without ruining the flowers? I'm certainly not an arborist, but I think that's the most dangerous part of this setup, the material covering the base of the trunk.

I've put flower beds around trees before, but not that deep, or right up against the trunk, which I've read over and over are things that can cause harm to the tree's health. When I've done it, I don't put anything over/at the trunk, and start with a very small amount of soil/mulch a few inches away from the trunk, gradually increasing in depth as you get farther from the trunk, but not to exceed about 4-6" of added material under the tree (the zone of its' roots, which have already placed themselves at a depth they prefer.)

A live large tree can handle only one foot a year of soil adding around it. It should be ok, but, you are in Houston so it looks like those are good shade choices for flowers too. What tree are they planted under? Oak, elm? Are you in North Houston???

Well to begin with, I think you flower bed is very pretty. I don't think the fact that you did not break up the root ball is all that important unless the roots were obviously very over grown and tightly bound up with themselves because the plant staying in the pot for too long. Normally if that is the case the roots will also be growing out of the bottom of the pot. On the other hand, if you just planted them one day ago, don't be afraid to dig them up and break up the root ball (but only if the roots were a real tangled mess), just saying that if that was the case it would not hurt the plants much to do that being they were just planted and have not had a chance to root themselves into the ground. I would just sit back and enjoy my new flower bed. I would not worry much about the tree either, I know everything says not to build up the soil level around the trunk of a tree like that, but I see so many of them everywhere and I have yet to see any real damage to the trees. There are trees in my neighborhood that have beds two or three feet high built up around trees and they have been like that for over twenty years and the trees still look healthy. Not saying it is the best thing or that is can not cause problems.I just don't think it is anything to concern yourself over. I think the problem is that a build up of soil could possibly block out oxygen getting to the tree roots and I have read that the soil and mulch put right next to the trunk can cause diseases, just check occasionally and if you see any sign of a problem pull the soil away from the trunk.
Your little flower bed does not look nearly as harmful as the mulch piles the landscapers around here pile up around all the trees. I think the city crew must own stock in the mulch company the way they recently piled that red mulch around all the Crape Myrtles here in town.

According to my neighbors, the rocks, soil and mulch were put in right before I moved in. I'm in SW Houston and I think the tree is an elm tree. The house was built in 1980, so I'm thinking the tree is also at least 30 years old.

And Seedfork, thank you very much. This is my first time ever planting anything, but herbs, so it's been a learning experience. I really think about this little garden all day. The bees come to feed on the blue salvia, which is nice. My house faces southeast, and the tree is planted in front, so the flowers get all the morning sun, are shaded from the midday sun by the tree, then they also get the afternoon sun.

Any other advice is much appreciated!

South Houston you DONT want to lose the tree-even if it is an elm, chuckle. They can get huge before they die, just be aware. Bees and flutterbys love salvia and petunias, tho marigolds draw lil spiders to snack on aphids and other unwarys. You could add herbs in there too and never bother anything. You do kniw some salvias reach 4' hi? Just saying...

Hey, Seedfork, we're neighbors! Awesome! I used to work in Enterprise. Have you been to Dothan nursery? Where else do you shop?

And thanks for reminding me of manners, you're right. This is very pretty. I feel bad you're the only one who remembered to say so.

Begin, it does look very nice. I think about my flowers/plants all of the time too. Glad others don't think this is a problem, or at least not too much of one for the tree. Trees around beds are so cute and make it so much easier to mow.

You may find that shade plants do better there in the future, going by the size of the tree, and the sparseness of the grass around the bed. Things like wax (or other) Begonias, Coleus, Persian shield, Alternanthera, Perilla, polka dot plant (Hypoestes,) Caladiums, elephant ears, Tradescantias, Lobelia.

You could make that much bigger in the fall or next spring by using the border blocks 1-high instead of stacked 2-high, if you feel like you want more space to plant. Just lay newspaper, several layers thick, overlapping, over the grass before spreading the dirt out. With the low light there, that should definitely keep the grass from coming back through.

Kittriana - I didn't know that! LOL well, I guess I'll know later what variety of salvia they are. I didn't pay attention when I planted them.

Purpleinopp - You are right. Either the marigolds are sick, or aren't getting enough sun because they don't look happy. I thought they would get enough from the morning and afternoon, but they're not blooming as big and brightly as others that I have planted in other spots of my yard that get more sun. I'm definitely going to keep handy that list you provided of shade plants.

I'm worried now, again, though. There are little mushrooms growing in the flower bed. Does anybody know what these are, and if I should do something about them, or let them be? I uploaded a picture.

Begin,
I don't know the names of the mushrooms, but I don't think they are anything to worry about. I would pull them myself, just to keep the bed looking nice. I think it is just a sign you have decomposing matter in the mulch and the fungi are feeding on it, that is actually a good thing. I picked up a few hay bales to help stop a wash, and I put them next to my compost pile. Every time I wet the compost pile I wet the hay bales, and dozens of mushrooms sprouted out of those hay bales. I have personally never had any ill effects from mushrooms in a bed or in a compost pile.

Houston gets HUGE mushrooms, stomp em fast before they take over the world! Those however appear to have come from the compost- they COULD have used mushroom compost from the Monterrey mushroom factory a bit farther north. stomp em, not edibles. You will even see little dusty ball mushrooms, n other puffballs. Not wise to stomp, spreads them farther, grrr.