March 13th, 2009 Five Common Gardening Errors
Silver Leaf Dogwood planted correct distance from building
- We’ve all seen them – shrubs that grow against a house, twisting the plant into a grotesque monster that hides windows and damages siding. Often, people only consider the mature height of a shrub or tree when the mature width should also be considered. Plant shrubs far enough away from building foundations to allow the shrub to reach its mature width without being crammed against a wall. Not only do the shrubs benefit, but you won’t have to worry about the roots of the shrub damaging drainage tiles buried underground.
- Planting in too shallow a hole. Container grown shrubs should be planted so the top of the soil ball is at the same height as the ground. The soil ball should not stick up above the soil level. That exposes the roots to air causing them to dry out, which leads to a plant that struggles.
- Planting too deep is just as damaging. That smothers the stem of the plant, affecting its ability to send nutrients and water to the leaves. It also increases the potential for rotting of the stem which kills the plants.
- Planting the wrong plant. Plants that like some shade, protection from the wind, and moist soil will not last long in an area of full sun that is dry and windy. The same is true of planting a shrub in the shade, when its requirements are full sun and well drained soil. .Read the label at the nursery or do your homework online so you know you are selecting the right plant.
- Incorrect watering. When planting, make sure you water it in well. A slow trickle of water applied for thirty minutes, is much better than a rapid soaking. By watering slowly, you give the root ball time to absorb the water. Soaking will cause the water to drain away into the subsoil and not enough will be retained by the plant to give it a good start in its new home. New plantings should be watered every day for about a week. Then you can cut back to twice a week until the plant is showing evidence of new growth.
