Planting out my new plants
So you’ve selected your
new plants at the garden centre and now it’s time to get them into
your garden. Just follow these step’s and you’ll do fine, but
more importantly your plants will thrive.
Choose the right time of the year Generally you want to avoid the weather being too hot or too cold, so where you live will have an effect on that. Early spring and autumn are usually pretty safe.
Avoid the midday heat
If the day time temperature is getting above 25 C, it will be best to do your planting in the morning or evening, to avoid stressing your plants.
Place out your pots first
It’s always a good idea to place out you plants while they are still in their pots and before you start digging any holes. Use the label information as a guide to the size and shape that the plants will grow too.
Dig the holes
As a guide dig the holes , so that they are at least 50% bigger and deeper than the pots. This extra size in the hole will help the plant develop and grow it’s root system. In cases where the ground is very hard (a good indicator is if the sides of the hole is shiney), it will be a good idea to fill the hole with water, and after the water has soaked out , scratch up the side of the hole as much as possible. The idea is to make growing as easy as possible for the young root system.
Plant your Plants
This is the fun bit where you get your hands dirty.
- Put loose soil into the bottom of the hole, and level out. You will need to place the plant in the hole to check that the height of the root ball of the plant will be approx. 1 – 2 cm below the surface of the ground after planting. You may need to adjust the amount of soil in the bottom of the hole until this height is right.
- Take your plant out of its pot and place it in the centre of the hole. Gently backfill the hole around the plant. You may need to hold the foliage up while doing this.
- Firmly press the backfilled soil so that it is in good contact with the roots of the plant. This is also the time to make a small saucer or dam around the plant with any excess soil from the hole. This will make watering the plant in much more successful.
- Water in, and keep monitoring for a few weeks (2 -4), watering as required.
- Mulch your new garden to help conserve moisture and suppress weeds . See mulching article.