Quick Jump: Watering Guide . Warm Weather Care . Protecting Your Plants . Stonework and Pavers
Watering Guide
The most crucial factor for plant health and vigor is appropriate irrigation. Immediately after planting and until the plant becomes established, perennials, shrubs, and trees need water to thrive. When you water make sure you are watering the soil where the new rootball is located. Never water when the rootball is saturated.
How do you know when your plants are established? In our region it normally takes one year for each inch of trunk diameter. So a 2" trunk diameter tree would take two years to be established.
The most frequently asked questions we get are how often and how much water do I give my new plants. See the guidelines below:
| Size Of Plant | How Often To Water | How Much |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubs and trees with main trunk less than 2" diameter |
|
Apply one gallon of water for each inch of trunk diameter each time you water. |
| Main trunk is 2" - 4" diameter |
|
Apply two to four gallons depending on trunk diamter each time you water. |
| Main trunk is 4" or more in diameter |
|
Apply four or more gallons each time you water. |
Warm Weather Care
Good hygiene is important to healthy gardens. Remember that your new garden is a living system, and all parts of the system need to work well for it to flourish.
- Inspect your plants regularly for damage from wind and rain, insects or disease. This is a pleasurable activity when done in the morning or evening. Take a notebook with you and note what problems may need to be addressed.
- Cut away any dying branches or diseased growth, in order to prevent its spread.
- Encourage the birds to nest in your yard with feeders, bird baths, and bird houses. Besides being a charming addition to the garden, a strong bird population is a natural deterrent against insect damage.
- Use chemicals sparingly. Japanese beetles are best hand picked off your roses, or you can purchase pheromone traps to lure them. Slugs can be sprinkled with table salt, or enticed with jar lids filled with beer and set on the ground overnight. If you must spray, try to use one of the many organic pesticides.
- Black spot on roses is a problem for most northeastern gardeners who face hot and humid summers. A good organic spray can prevent the fungus, but you must start your spraying regimen before hot and humid weather begins, then reapply it every 7-10 days.
- Apply fertilizer in the spring. The best fertilizers are natural ones, like manure, compost, and blood or bone meal. Commercially prepared fertilizers are second best, but are more easily scratched into the soil. Fertilizer sold by the bag is marked with three numbers, for example, 5-10-5, or 10-10-10. These numbers represent the amount of the plant nutrients present: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Ornamental garden plants should be fertilized with a product whose numbers are all below twenty. Anything higher will be too much of a good thing, and can damage your plants.
- Earthworms are a sign of healthy soil, so the more you see, the better. Soil is part of the living system of your garden, so keep it alive with regular applications of organic materials - compost, manure, shredded leaves, and pine needles. Feed your soil, and the soil will feed your plants!
Protecting your plants
The following actions should keep your newly planted garden looking beautiful once spring arrives:
Knock snow off tall evergreens like arborvitaes and cedars with a broom. This keeps their branches from splaying outward and prevents permanent damage to the shape of the plant.
Climbing roses and other tall plants may need to be secured to a trellis or stake to prevent breakage from snow or wind.
Evergreen shrubs can be burned by wind and winter sun. Spray them with an antidesiccant, coating each leaf carefully. This should be applied in late autumn when temperatures are still above freezing. You should consider wrapping your evergreen with burlap and twine.
For more garden maintenance ideas see our monthly guide.
Stonework and Pavers
Stone surfaces are subject to wear and tear from snow, rain, and frost over time. To help prevent ice penetration, protect them by using a concrete sealer 3 to 6 months after installation.
If your stone surfaces are in shady or wet locations, you may eventually see moss or algae growing on them. Although moss is ornamental to some gardeners, you may want to remove algae as soon as possible. Spray your stonework with a soap-based, organic moss and algae remover. If the spray doesn't take care of the algae on its own, you can scrub it off with a stiff wire brush.
