Your garden is your prized possession and you want it to outshine any other in the neighborhood. Hence, your landscaper needs to get all the essentials right. One important aspect to consider in this context is planting rightly in your garden. There is much more to planting than just digging a sapling into the soil. Planting a tree is a process which once begun from a small plant continues onward till it reaches taller heights and still goes on. Following are some basic planting tips for your garden:
Preparing the Soil
It all starts from digging a hole into the soil to hold the roots of the tree. The hole should be broad enough to allow the roots to spread in the future times to come. The soil should be cleared of grass in three feet area of diameter.
Test the soil to decide whether it is compacted or clay type and choose plants best suited to that type. Hardy plants grow well in soils with poor drainage or those having clay content. You can add gypsum to your dug hole for tackling poor drainage issue.
Your gardener can otherwise change the clay soil into an almost workable soil by composting it. The other option is to get better soil from elsewhere and make a wide mound of earth to plant your tree into. Clayed soil should be reworked a little earlier to your planting date. The surface of your hole should then be roughly evened around the sides.
Basic Steps to Planting
Remove the tree from its container: Remove the tree from its wrapping carefully without causing harm to the root ball.
Confirm the hole’s depth requirements: The tree should be set into the hole in such a way that root flare lies at the soil level. Avoid planting the tree deep down into the hole as that will shorten its life.
Put the tree into the hole: The roots of the tree should be easily spread out within the hole. Any damaged, encircled roots need to be cut off.
Place dirt around: Cover the hole with dirt and stomp it to make a firm surface. Compost the surface soil in and around the young tree and avoid adding fertilizer or peat moss to it immediately.
Watering requirements: Water the tree immediately after planting in case the soil is dry and also for ensuring its final settling. This is essential for the tree to survive.
Add mulch: Mulch the soil surface around the young tree for about four inches deep. This allows the nutrients to be released gradually and thus thwart competition. But, ensure that the mulch does not touch the tree trunk.
Staking only if necessary: The normal circumstances for the roots and trunk to grow strong is through natural flexing. Staking can be done for the first year when the roots are on their way to getting strong and firm. However, ensure that the ties are not tight so as to prevent movement and damage to the trunk.
Build dirt dam: Form a round shaped dam of dirt around the external edge of the planting area so that water gets retained in the basin formation. It is essential to water your trees in the first couple of years and in the course of a drought.
Post Planting Care
Your garden care does not get over just by planting trees and watering them in the initial years. You need to look after their health just like humans; pamper them with mulch, manure and fertilizer when the need arises and you will see them grow tall and beautiful.
The post Basic Planting Tips for your Garden appeared first on Landscaping Melbourne.
Landscaping Mates 