remind customers that having invested
in the plant, they now need to invest in
their soil. If you have a sandy textured
soil, which is rare in our area, use pure
peat moss in a fifty-fifty ratio with your
soil to slow drainage and fortify the soil
with this organic matter.
Most ofus, however, havecompacted
heavy clay soil, which poses a different
challenge for drainage. In clay, water
accumulates rather than running off, so
the easy planting rule is: plant it high, it
will never die; plant it low it will never
grow. The best planting method in
compacted soil is to dig the hole twice
the width of the plant’s container. Take
the native soil you just dug out of the
ground, and mix it with a complete
planting mix, again at a fifty-fifty ratio.
Dig to the depth of the plant creating
a solid base to the hole, then create a
slightly lower moat around that base,
which creates a drainage trough within
the hole. When you’re ready to plant,
add enough of your soil mixture to fill
the trough, cover your base with
about an inch of the mixture,
and place your plant in
the hole. The crown of
the plant should be
above the existing
soil line. Fill in
the rest of the
hole with your
soil mixture,
t a m p i n g
d o w n
around the
plant as you go. Finally, using your
soil mixture, build a lip around the
entire plant so that when you or Mother
Nature waters the plant, the water seeps
down to the bottom of the plant instead
of washing away.
Improper watering is the main
reason why a new planting fails. To
get your plant well-established in its
new home, water it once a week for the
first month, and then once a month for
a year, skipping those time periods in
which we get at least an inch of rain.
Generally, use about one gallon of
water for a standard 3-gallon pot. Given
the generally poor drainage quality of
our soil, less is better than more for our
new plantings because no plant wants
to sit with “wet feet”. Typically, your
new plant will tell you if it is getting
too much water by yellowing or wilting
and dropping leaves.
Also, don’t count on your automatic
sprinkler system. Yes, it keeps your
grass green, but sprinkler systems
typically run just long enough to water
the top layer of soil, which isn’t deep
enough to satisfy the needs of your new
plant. Shallow watering will force the
plant’s roots to the surface in search
of water rather than sending roots
deep and wide. And without real root
growth, there is no plant growth.
Finally, it’s a good idea to apply a
thin layer of mulch (about one inch)
around the plant, being careful to not
let the mulch actually touch the base of
the plant, which could allow water to
wick up the bark and cause crown rot.
You can increase the depth of mulch in
areas near the plantings, but the thin
layer over the plants themselves allows
for proper evaporation of moisture and
decreases the possibility of root rot.
We have a saying about new
plantings in our region: “The first year
your plant is going to sleep, second
year it creeps, and the third year
it leaps.” Follow the steps
outlined here and your
new plants will establish
a good root system
this year. So plant
thoughtfully and
carefully,
and
your new plants
will
reward
you for years
to come.
540-297-6888
1035 Mercantile St. Suite 104
Moneta, VA24121
Downtown Moneta Shopping Center
540-721-8839
16440 Booker TWashington Hwy
Moneta, VA24121
Bridgewater Plaza
Discover Smith Mountain Lake
Fall 2014
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