New plants need plenty of water
Landscaping and sprucing up the yard has been a wonderful chore for many us who have been cooped up at home with staying-in-place orders. It feels great to get outside and dig into the soil, making the yard beautiful. But, from now until October, there is the responsibility to keep new plants alive and thriving. Here are a few tips. And remember this old garden saying, “First year they sleep. Second year they creep. Third year they leap.” Water — Extra watering attention must be given to newly installed landscape plants. This means giving them a good deep drink of water about once a week. This is true even if the plants are deemed “drought tolerant.” Those plants will be drought tolerant next year after their roots have spread out into the soil.
Feed lightly — You want your plants to be husky and healthy during their first summer in the
ground. Feeding them with a 4-4-4 all-purpose natural fertilizer will do the trick. Feed at planting time, then every four weeks until September. Just the soil scratch around a little the roots. into Then, water deeply. Mulch — The weeds will come thick and quick if you do not use mulch. Mulching smothers weeds, Redwood and conserves feeds shred the mulch moisture soil. is great for suppressing weeds. Chipper mulch from the local tree service is cheap, even free in most cases, and has a natural look. Just make sure poison oak has not been shredded in the chips. Fir bark mulch, though costing a bit, is especially attractive. If the area to be mulched was extra weedy, lay a bit of cardboard or newspaper on the soil before adding the mulch. Observe and enjoy — Landscaping takes a bit of work, especially after the project has been completed. You will know if the plants are happy and thriving when new growth begins pushing forth from twigs and stems about six weeks after planting.
Terry Kramer is the site manager for the Humboldt Botanical Garden and a trained horticulturist and journalist. She has been writing a garden column for the Times-Standard since 1982. Contact her at terrykramer90@gmail.com.