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Previous Articles
Fractions March 15
Yardner March 8
Urban
Legends of Trees March 22
Que
Serra, Serra March 29
Grocery Store or Garbage Dumpster Plants April 5
Planning Your Landscape Project April 12
Planting
Cool Trees April 19
Keeping
Trees Alive April 26
Thrillers, Chillers, Spillers May 03
Will
You Still Love Them May 10
Ornamental Grasses May 17
In
Memory of Cedar Trees May 24
Gardening is not Childs Play
Versatile
Viburnums June 6
Yardner Plants
June 13
2007
Garden Walk and
Blue Spruce Decline
The Birds
& Bees of Butterfly Gardening June 28
2006 Articles |
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It’s
not hot all day.
You may actually
be at greater risk than your plants during your
summer landscape project, so do your landscape work
in the morning and evening when temperatures are
cooler and the sunlight is not nearly so intense. As
always, when outside for long periods during the
summer, wear appropriate clothing to keep from
getting sunburned and drink plenty of fluids to keep
from getting dehydrated.
Transport your plants with
care.
The riskiest part of a summer landscape
project for your plants is probably the trip from
the garden center to your home. If transporting
plants on the back of a pickup, do it in the early
morning or on a cool, cloudy day. Always drive
slowly when carrying plants on the back of a pickup
so that the wind doesn’t tatter or dry out the
leaves. If transporting plants over 5 miles or so in
the heat of summer, transport them in some kind of a
covered or enclosed vehicle, like a camper shell or
a horse trailer. If transporting perennials or
shrubs in the trunk or back seat of your car, don’t
stop by the mall for two hours with your car parked
in the hot sunlight - always take your plants
straight home from the garden center during the heat
of summer. As usual, use some common sense - if
it’s one of those rare, cool, cloudy days, go ahead
and stop by the mall or run another errand on the
way home.
Watering your new plants after planting.
I’ll assume that you have some kind of irrigation in
place for the long term watering of your new
landscape plants. But those irrigation systems don’t
always do an adequate job of watering new landscape
plants that were planted in the middle of summer.
Especially when planting container grown plants, I
suggest that you plan on giving each plant a little
extra water each day with a garden hose. At some
point during the day, with the hose running about
half speed, hold the hose over the middle of each
plant.
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For perennials, ornamental grasses, and shrubs that
were in one gallon containers, water them for about
5-10 seconds each. For trees and shrubs that were in
5 gallon containers, water them for 10 to 20
seconds, and for trees that were in larger
containers, water them for 30 seconds to one
minute. In other words, pretend that the plant is
still in its container, and that you are giving it
the same amount of water that you would have had you
not planted it yet. Do this for ten days to two
weeks, and I think that you will find your new
summer planted landscape plants will take right off.
One other note about watering summer planted
landscape plants. Only plant when you can be around
for 5-7 days after planting to check the plants each
day. Watch for signs of wilting.
Wilting can be cause by one of two factors. The
plant may be dry - check the moisture level in the
soil that the plant came in and if that is dry,
water right away. If you catch it right away, most
plants will perk right up and be no worse for the
wear. If fact there is some evidence that a little
wilting will stimulate new root growth out into the
surrounding soil. But don’t carry that too far.
Wilting may also be a sign that you planted your new
plant too deep. If there is more than ¼ to ½ inch of
your landscape soil on top of the soil that your
plant came in, you probably planted your new plant
too deep. No problem, just pop a shovel under your
plant, pull it out and replant it at the proper
depth. And rewater it, of course.
Mulch
Mulch your new landscape plants right away. It will
make the task of water your new landscape plants
much easier, keep the soil cooler, and keep your new
landscape plants much happier.
Keep yourself cool and well-
watered, too.
As always, when working outside in the
summertime, drink plenty of fluids. And if you start
to wilt, go sit in the shade until you or the
outside temperatures cool off. Then go finish your
project.
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