Establishment and Care Advice

Elliott Hallum June 10, 2014

See How Easily You Can Learn to Water Plants This Way

You’re shopping at the garden center and something catches your eye. You purchase impulsively and take it home. You have found the right site and dig a proper hole for the future of your new investment. You even install it correctly. But wait!

Install Tip: Irrigate until a pool forms. Soak the transplant, then allow to dry. Repeat

Then you forget about it… for two days(or longer) and the leaves are dead. Burned to a crisp by drought stress (wilting). (I just did this with some annual Zinnia flowers. They will recover).

What happened? Learning Curve!!!

You didn’t water it! Or more appropriately, you didn’t irrigate correctly or effectively.

But wait, you say! I sprayed water over the stems and leaves for a good 30 seconds. I promise.

Irrigating the stems and leaves might make you feel good, like it’s cooling a shrub’s branches and leaves. But if you don’t reapply every few minutes, the lasting effects are minimal. The roots are the only thing that matter here.

Soak, then Allow to Dry

Trees and shrubs grow best when they are soaked, then allowed to dry. Ebb and flow, just like rainfall, the ground is very wet, and soggy. Then the Sun comes out and the soil is baked dry.
Roots grow away from the new plant into the soil in search of moisture. They won’t grow out unless they need water. If you’re over-irrigating, then the root stay put. They are fat and happy where they are.
If no moisture is available, the plant will enter stress and decline. Keep them moist by soaking, then check with your finger daily.

Pro Irrigation Techniques

First, buy a 3/4″ water hose. I don’t like anything in a smaller diameter. 1/2″ is bad. 5/8″ is bad. I like the premium quality hose, spend as much as you can afford. You pay for what you get.
A new plant has 100% of its roots directly underneath the tree trunk or shrub stems.

Direct all the water there by dripping it from the garden hose. Spraying the water over the stems and leaves might make you feel good, but it’s not effective.

The most effective and efficient way is to place the hose end directly on top of the new plants’ root ball.

A second, inexpensive way to irrigate new plants is with five gallon buckets. Use a drill bit and drill a small pin sized hole on one side of the bucket bottom. Fill the bucket with water from the garden hose and place the pin hole side near the root zone. All the water slowly flows to exactly where it’s needed.

Use a drill to make a small hole on one side of the five gallon bucket.

I love the bucket method because it’s temporary and portable. No need for a irrigation system or multiple hoses.

Efficiency

Keep the area around the roots weed and grass free.

Grass sucks moisture from the soil like a straw. The less vegetation near your new tranplant, the more water it will keep for itself. Use a shovel to cut the grass, use mulch to smother grass, or use chemical herbicides to keep the invaders at bay.

The more grass and weed-free space around the edges of your new plant’s root system, the better.

Do you have a great technique for irrigating plants? Please share it on the Facebook page.

Filed Under: Establishment and Care Advice, Expensive Mistakes, Speak Landscape Like A Pro

Elliott Hallum May 23, 2014

You Can Transplant Trees Right Now – If You Follow This Plan

You wake up and hear the birds chirping and the sun is shining outside. It’s spring, FINALLY! After a long cold winter, you get the urge to step outside and create something beautiful with the great outdoors. But, how do you succeed the first time? Follow this no-nonsense plan.

I’ve killed more plants than you’ll ever grow. It’s easy to do. Learn from my mistakes. Timing is critical so follow these five steps to 100% success.

I’ve been there before, it’s a challenge to develop the great habits needed to nurse a tender plant into a new permanent place. It’s unnatural in the first place to move plants. They’re made to stay in one place their entire life. It’s almost comical, but plants are successfully transplanted almost everyday of the year.

Plant Evergreens for Privacy

Season

Spring (March – June) is the best time of the year to plant perennials and annuals. Fall is the best time for trees and shrubs. Realistically, you can transplant (install) plants all year long as long as the temperatures outside don’t bother you.

Don’t let the season slow you down. When you’re ready to succeed, you can plant. I’ve installed successfully February – December.

Right Plant in the Right Place

Whether you’re looking for privacy, color, shade, or food, it’s important that sunlight be considered. Installing most plants in a shady location will minimize success rate. Four hours or more of sunlight is recommended for most plants. If you have shade, follow suit with shade tolerant .

It’s crucial that you know what variety goes where. This is the most important reason to contract with a landscape professional or local garden center. If you’re looking to save time, use an internet search engine. Search sun loving tree, or shade tolerant shrub for ideas. I use Google Images all the time for reference. Double check validity because many images are mislabeled.

Dig A Proper Hole

Don’t get in a hurry! Make the hole twice as wide as the root ball. No deeper than the roots is recommended. It’s ok for the container root ball to be 1-3 inches above the soil line. Loosen soil chunks with your hands or shovel as you fill the empty space in the hole. Don’t try to cram a root system into a tiny hole. You’re setting your new transplant up for failure. As you’re filling the hole with loose soil, add water to create a muddy mixture. This eliminates air space and helps the plant avoid transplant shock.

If you have more than one tree or shrubs to install, pace yourself and dig one hole a day.

Soak with Water, then Allow to Dry

After a successful installation, it’s time to provide daily or weekly irrigation. Most plants benefit from moist, well drained soil. Before irrigating your new transplant, feel the root area with your finger. Is it moist? You may not need to water today. Does the root ball feel dry to the touch? If so, irrigate directly to the roots, avoiding the stems and leaves. For larger plants, it’s perfectly fine to lay the water hose at the trunk and slowly drip water over several hours.

Whatever you do, don’t just spray the canopy and expect the plant to thrive. Soak the roots, then allow them to drain. Moisture is critical to your transplant success.

Inoculate with Mycorrhizae

Soil is alive with billions of microscopic organisms. To help your new transplant establish and become a part of the soil food web, purchase mycorrhizae from a local garden center or the internet. Follow the directions on the package and mix with water. Your transplant success rate will increase because mycorrhizae strengthens root systems. It is absent from most new plants at the garden center. Help your new plants and they will thank you later by needing less water and attention.

What successes and mistakes have you made installing trees and shrubs? Let me know in the comments below.

Filed Under: Establishment and Care Advice, Expensive Mistakes, Plant Install

Elliott Hallum May 5, 2014

How Do I Establish a Tree or Shrub

Establishment means the tree or shrub will live indefinitely without the need for human help. Human help usually takes the form of fertilizer or water. Once a plant reaches establishment, it can get both on it’s own.

This holly will need TLC for two years to reach full establishment

Establishment means the tree or shrub will live until it’s killed by old age, a lightning strike, exceptional drought, or a human error like a chain behind a pickup truck.

Right Plant in the Right Place

To establish a plant properly, first plant it in the right place. That means it’s planted where the sun exposure is correct, the climate is ideal, and the water hose isn’t too far away. More people kill plants this way than any other reason. If you’re unsure whether your prospective plant will be put in the right place, leave me a comment below.

Fertilize Correctly

For the first two years after a tree or shrub is planted, it will need human help establishing. Fertilize with compost, organic, or inorganic fertilizer. This encourages the plant to make new roots into the surrounding soil and speed up growth. When the tree or shrub is freshly planted, it’s roots will be near the edge of the branches. Spread the fertilizer in a ring shape. Always follow the directions on the bag. Do not overfertilize, because this can harm the new plant.

Soak, then Allow to Dry

Water when appropriate. When the soil is dry surrounding the roots, irrigate by soaking. Don’t spray the stems and leaves. This does nothing over the long term. Soak the plant, then allow it to dry. Repeat. This encourages roots to grow away from the base and speed establishment. Keep the soil moist, but well drained. Use your finger to feel the soil. If it’s dry to the touch, irrigate.

Happy planting! If you have any comments or questions, please reply below.

Filed Under: Establishment and Care Advice, Right Plant In The Right Place, Speak Landscape Like A Pro