Best management practices for the landscape
As cooler weather approaches, many people will set goals of planting woody ornamentals or seasonal color plants in the landscape. If you will do your research and select plants designed for your area, plant them in the correct spot plus manage them right, you should have plants that become established and perform well. Today, I am going to share best management practices for the home landscape. I will be using information from a UGA publication writ- ten by Bob Westerfield, UGA Extension Horticulturist and retired UGA Horticulturist, Dr. Gary Wade.
The first BMP to consider is correct planting time. Fall and winter planting of woody ornamentals and herbaceous perennials is the best time of year. The basic thing to keep in mind is there is less need for food and water by the top part or foliage end of the plant so more of the effort can be put into root establishment. The goal with planting in fall and winter is to get a good root system in place before the next growing seasons begins for woody plants.
Another BMP is proper preparation of the planting area. If you are working with a planting bed, you need to deep till the spot. It is better to till to a depth of 8- 12 inches. If you are digging indi- vidual planting holes, remember to dig a wide planting hole. The goal in each situation is to provide a spot where roots can establish easier. If working with a planting bed, you can also add amendments if needed to improve the soil in that area. Another BMP to consider is in regards to plants for seasonal color beds. Many times these plants will have higher demand for water and maintenance in general. It is suggested to plant seasonal color planted on raised beds that have been amended very well. The plants should perform better and be more water efficient.
Another tip is to stay away from putting granular general- purpose fertilizers in the planting hole. You actually can be doing more harm than good. You may wonder how adding general- purpose fertilizer to a planting hole can hurt a plant. This practice can actually dehydrate the roots and cause injury.
Don’t forget the mulch. Mulching your ornamentals can be an easy way to put them on the road for success. A 3- 5 inch layer of mulch after planting can go a long way in being beneficial to your plants. Mulch had many positives properties for your ornamentals. Mulch can help reduce weeds in the area as well as insulating the soil. Mulch can also help conserve that precious soil moisture. Remember to mulch out to the drip line of plants and make sure you do not put mulch up against the truck of your woody plant. Please note that you will have to mulch multiple times. Some people will do a great job early on in regards to mulching, but will be less observing of mulching needs over time.
Another BMP is to be smart on your irrigation. Note that more plants fail due to overwatering than plants that are not watered often. When plants are getting established, you do need to make sure they have adequate water, but don’t over- do it. Many people will only water when they see times of moisture stress such as wilting or the appearance of an abnormal graygreen color in plants. Watering when plants really need water can help a plant develop a deep root system. These plants may be better suited to handle dry conditions. If you do irrigate, the best time is at night or in the early morning hours. You lose less water to evaporation plus reduce change of disease establishment. Also note that a deep watering is bettering that frequent shallow watering. The shallow watering teaches roots to stay shallow thus not developed to handle dry weather. Think in terms of if there is ever a water ban again. If there were to be a water ban, the plants that have a deep, welldeveloped root system will have a better chance of survival.
Keep proper fertilization in mind when dealing with best management practices. A soil test is the best way to have a correct fertilization plan. Do note that it is suggested to not fertilize during times of limited rainfall or high temperature. This fertilization can cause root burn and plant damage. For more information or BMPs, contact UGA Extension- Gordon County at 706- 629- 8685 or email gbowman@ uga. edu.