I can’t help to chuckle a bit when people want to buy a new plant and are totally amazed that the little tree, shrub, or perennial in the pot is going to grow really much bigger than it is.  Some plants have invasive growth habits too, and while most qualified nursery personnel will give you the information about the plant; it is essential to do a little detective work and learn a little about the plant you are thinking of putting in your landscape.

Thinking about a new tree or shrub in your yard:

Get to know the plant before purchasing.

Realistically, many people don’t realize that the cute, little, flowering cherry tree in the container or burlapped ball is not going to stay little.  They will grow large trunks and canopies and take up lots of room.  The same goes for evergreen trees like the pines, spruces, and firs.  These trees  grow huge!

Of course there are some dwarfed varieties of these trees, but most are specialty items not usually stocked in your local nurseries.   The same applies to shrubs and perennials.  These plants come in containers for the consumer’s benefit and ability to transport the plants from the garden centre to your homes.

Once planted in the landscape, they will fare much better and get much bigger than they are in their little black pots.  Make sure you have plenty of room for that tree or shrub to reach its mature size.  Check the library, go online, or pick up a garden magazine and get to know the plant before you put it in your garden. A little time spent on researching will go a long way!

Using Starter fertilizers:

When purchasing new plants or transplanting plants in my garden; I prefer to use a plant starter fertilizer.  I use this type as it promotes root growth in new transplants. The middle number in this fertilizer represents phosphorous which is beneficial in promoting good root growth. Phosphorous is also beneficial for flowering and fruiting growth.

Starter fertilizers are sold in liquid or granular form.  I like the liquid as it reaches the plant’s roots right away. When using a starter fertilizer in lawns; the granular form works best as it is less time consuming to cover a lawn with a granular application as opposed to a liquid.

Watering your plants:

After reading arborist magazines, I have found that deep watering of plants and established lawns is the way to go.  When I hear a client say that they watered a new planting for ten or twenty minutes with the garden hose or used several watering cans of water on their plants; I ask them if they realized that the water has probably reached only an eighth to a quarter of an inch down into the soil.  A rootball on some plants may be 8-12 inches deep and on others a total of 24 inches in depth or more.  If you are watering the way I described above, then the plants don’t have much of a chance.  The water just doesn’t make it down those 24 inches or more to the rootball.  I always recommend deep watering. Deep watering with a new tree means getting that hose right down near the bottom of the rootball and putting the water on a trickle for about an hour.   Watering this way insures that the roots are getting adequate moisture.  With shrubs, I recommend a half an hour atop the rootball on a trickle.  Trickling the water this way guarantees a slow, complete absorption and no runoff away from the rootball.  Deep water the plants every 2-3 days when it’s sunny and dry. Obviously, when it’s raining you will not need to water.

With lawns, deep watering is essential to keeping a lawn established. The roots look for water and air in the soil.  So the deeper the watering, the deeper the roots will go and the stronger the turf.   I have seen lawns where there has been little or no watering and the turf grass plants readily come up out of the soil.

For established plantings, deep watering every few days can help keep your plants healthy and vigorous!



Happy Gardening!

Rhonda