|
ABC's of Planting/Transplanting
Healthy plants are expensive! Most shrubs and trees can only come as plants from the
nursery, but some bedding plants do quite well from seed. These will take longer to establish and often require
specific conditions to get started.
I would encourage you to attempt to use seed on some plants not only
for the savings in initial investment, but for the excitement of it. (This is
especially true if children are involved.) Subscribe to the many seed
catalogues - many of which are free - and keep a running wish list of new
things you might want to try.
For the most part, shrubs are happiest when planted and transplanted in
the fall. This gives them a
chance to get a foothold (or roothold) before the dry winds of spring and
summer roll around. Trees
normally do best if planted and pruned during normal dormancy, usually January
and February. This is especially true of oaks because pruning during warmer
months might invite unwanted beetles that may cause serious disease.
Planting perennials can usually be done from pots any time.
Seeding is normally done the opposite season from bloom time.
In other words, if they bloom in the spring, seed in the fall, and
visa-versa. Perennials should be
planted in groups, or “drifts”, with an odd number of plants in each
grouping if possible. This makes
them look more natural.
When
planting shrubs and trees, the hole should be twice as wide as the diameter of
the root ball (the container) but no deeper.
You should NOT amend the backfill.
Just return the same soil into the hole around the plant so that the
roots will establish into surrounding soil rather than staying in that one
spot. Be sure to plant the shrub
or tree at the same level as it was grown in the nursery.
Many plants are lost by placing additional soil around the trunk.
When a plant dies it is not always its fault.
Look for other circumstances that may cause problems. Too much or too little water or sun is often the culprit.
Soil deficiencies also account for some failings.
If you must replant something that I have recommended to you, please
take a soil sample of the area. Specific
directions for this are available at the County Extension Office.
Preferably, a soil test should be done every five years anyway and
always before a major undertaking of landscaping.
The fee is nominal (under $20 usually) and it surely is nice to find
out your soil has problems before
you lose a tree worth $200 or more! This
will also allow you to give your plants and turf the exact amount of
fertilizer it needs. So many of
us waste a great deal of time and money on over fertilizing.
And it doesn't do too much to help ground water and salt buildup
either.
Proper
distance between plants is very important to achieve the finished look you
desire. Shrubs, trees and most
bedding plants are accurately depicted on the planting grid you received.
For ground cover, the distance between plants (2" or 4" pots)
should be 8-10 inches apart, so about two plants per square foot.
When planting perennials, the general rule is to plant at half the
distance of the mature spread. That
means a plant that will get 1-2 feet tall should be placed at about 1-foot
intervals, allowing half the plant (6") on either side so that eventually
they will touch. This will look
rather sparse at first, but putting them closer together will force them to
compete for space and nutrients. They
will get larger---I promise.
|
