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| New England Gardens Plant Care Tips for Newly Planted Trees | Shrubs | Perennials | Watering | Fertilizing Watering: It is the most essential part of the process for successfully establishing newly planted trees and shrubs.  During and after installation, all plant material should be very thoroughly watered. We recommend applications of Root Stimulator every week to reduce transplant shock and plant stress. The best way to tell if your plant needs water is to stick your fingers an inch or two into the soil. If the soil has dried below the surface, it is time to water again.
* Run the water to remove hot water in the hose before putting it on the plant. Lay a hose at the base and turn water on to a very slow trickle (about the size of your little finger). Depending on the size of the root ball, the weather, and soil conditions will determine length of time you should let the water run. With average conditions: twice per week for 2 hrs for large tree, ½ hr for a medium size shrub, 5-10 minutes for large perennial or annual. Watering very slowly allows water to seep deeply into the ground to the roots rather than running off at ground level. Watering should be done on a regular basis, yet, not every day. The plant also needs to have water drain away and not be constantly saturated. Letting the hose run for too long is not a problem. Watering too frequently will cause a problem. Between watering the soil should be allowed to dry just slightly. This may take several days and will be weather related. If it is sunny windy and hot you will need to water more frequently for longer periods than if the weather is cloudy and cool. Each watering should be deep and thorough. Slightly decrease watering in early fall to help signal plants to prepare for winter.
* Always water all your new plants very thoroughly just prior to the soil freezing in late fall before you put your hose away for the winter.
*Attention: Lawn irrigation is meant for shallow rooted grass. Lawn irrigation or rainfall is not sufficient to water plants for several growing seasons, because it does not provide for the deep watering that new plants  need. Avoid using sprinklers if possible. Continuously wet foliage promotes the growth of fungus, leading to unsightly plant damage. Fertilization: Applications of Root Stimulator used as directed will help your new plants become adjusted to their new home. Plants will benefit greatly by being fed with an organic fertilizer such as Pro-Gro Organic Fertilizer or Plant-Tone fertilizer for continuing nourishment every spring, or a synthetic granular slow release fertilizer such as Start-N-Grow.
"I think there is something wrong with my plant. Is it dying?"
First, plants have sun and shade preferences. Is it getting too much sun or too much shade? Consider how you have been watering it. Review the entire section above on watering. Are you watering too often? Too little? Some plants are heavy drinkers and require more than usual watering. Some plants, like Juniper, prefer soil on the dry side. Giving Juniper extra watering when it it's getting brown will do more harm. Some plants are more prone to transplant shock than others. Do you give it regular weekly applications of Root Stimulator to reduce transplant shock? Read the page on planting to be sure you have planted it correctly. Could it have been planted too deep? Mulched too deep? Do you see insect damage or spots of fungus that are attacking it? If you're still stumped, take pictures. (print them out please, yeah, we have that over 40 eyesight and can't detect anything on those little screens) Bring your pictures and a branch or leaf samples for us to take a look. If possible come during the week when we're not so extremely busy.
Is it dead? Many plants are late sleepers. They stay dormant longer in spring than all the rest of the plants in your garden. Don't dig it up! Rose of Sharon, Hydrangea, Butterfly Bush, Perennial Hibiscus, Summer Sweet, Ornamental Grasses and many other plants that put their show on in the summer and fall are all late sleepers. Shhhhhh..... let them be. If it was planted within the last year, it may be just delayed from transplant shock. Look at other plants that are exactly the same kind to see if they are very actively growing or just starting. It could be in soil colder than other areas and will be slower to wake up and get going. An application of Root Stimulator and warm water may help. You can apply Organic fertilizer at this time or to apply synthetic fertilizer wait until you see growth and then apply it.
Scratch Test ~ If you think a part or all of your shrub or tree is dead, try the scratch test. To do the scratch test on a suspect branch, use your fingernail or knife, lightly scratch a small spot of the top most layer of bark. If the wood under the bark is green, it's alive and will recover. If it is brown, that part is dead, continue to scratch sections further down the branch as well as other branches. Prune off portions that are dead, and tip prune the entire plant to stimulate new growth to fill in bare portions. See the Pruning pages for more details. To prevent winter damage in the future see the page Fall Winter Prep.
For more information on New England Area Plant Questions and Gardening Tips see our Plants - FAQ page or check:
Plant Diagnostics Problem Search for a great source of helpful information | |
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