Planting and Watering Guide

General Planting Tips

  • For planting trees, shrubs, or perennials, you’ll want to dig a hole two times wide and same depth as the original container.
  • Carefully remove container from plant. B&B needs all twine removed (sometimes it’s under the burlap). Star wire cage can be removed, if possible, but can be bent down and left in hole. The top third of the burlap needs to be cut away. You can make a few slits in the bottom to aid in breakdown. DO NOT ROUGH UP/BREAK UP B&B ROOT BALL.
  • Grow bags need to be cut away/off the root ball. Roots will not grow through them as they do with B&B. Containerized plants that have roots that are root bound will need to have the roots roughed up a little to encourage the roots to grow out rather than continue to spiral.
  • Amend soil as needed for poor or heavy soil. Mix in soil prep/pep, or some other chunky material to aid in aeration and water capability to percolate to the bottom of hole. 1:3 ratio (1 amendment to 3 native soil) The object is to coax the roots out into the native soil. If you make it too nice they won’t leave that comfort zone. Back fill in with amended soil.
  • Build a berm or water well with soil around the perimeter for deep watering. If it is flush, water will run off and not down to the bottom of hole. If in grass, turf will act as said berm. ○ It’s ok to plant evergreens a few inches higher for drainage. You can drown an evergreen pretty quick.
  • Stake trees after planting only if in a high wind area. Use three stakes for all
    sides and only use for one year.

General Watering Tips

  • Deep water with a hose! Sprinklers are never enough to establish a newly planted anything. Watering time has many variables: Air temp, wind, soil composition, location. The goal is to keep the root zone moist, never allow to dry out, but also not standing in a soggy bog.
  • Trees: Deciduous trees need a deep watering for 10-20 minutes depending on the size. Let the hose run on low dribble for the allotted time. June-August, every 3-5 days or more. Sprinklers between are ok. September, one time a week. Oct and into November, if dry, every other week. Roots need to go into winter wet. Evergreens usually are ok with one time a week. Need to check soil for moisture, dig down to the side and look/feel.
  • Shrubs: Deep water daily for the first week, then 2-3 times the following week. Once established, a good deep weekly drink and sprinklers in between.
  • Perennials: Deep water daily for the first 2 weeks. Sprinklers are ok 2-3 times a week after that.

Tree and Shrub Planting Tips for First Year Success

Soil Amendments

At the time of planting, using soil amendment products increases the chances of a plant’s survival in poor or heavy soil. Here are some of the Soil Amendments we carry at The Greenhouse Nursery:

Millers Soil Prep (Local Business):

  • OMRI listed for organic use
  • Made from composted forest materials and steer manure
  • Composted organics improve soil structure to aid in water retention and drainage with the added benefit of nourishing the plant.
  • This product may also be used as mulch in vegetable gardens and flower beds to aid in water retention and reduce weed infestations.

Mix with native soil in a 1:3 ratio (1 part amendment to 3 parts native) and use amended mixture to backfill the hole once you have placed your plant. The mixture will help ease your plant’s introduction into new soil and improve soil structure to better support your plant through the establishment period.

Circle Soil Biochar (Based in Salt Lake):

  • Adds aeration and drainage
  • Acts as a reservoir for water use when needed
  • Provides nutrients for plant life
  • Reduces acidity of the soil
  • Moisture wicking effect to prevent root rot
  • Purifies soil by filtering out pollutants
  • Promotes beneficial microbial activity
  • Safely locks carbon in the soil rather than releasing it harmfully into the atmosphere

This biochar is created from wildfire mitigation wood waste in Utah that is superheated, without oxygen, producing a nutrient rich soil amendment. As a soil amendment for tree and shrub planting, you may mix in a biochar amount that is equivalent to 10% of the native backfill soil. This stable form of nutrient dense carbon will provide its benefits in the soil for hundreds to thousands of years.

Compost:

  • Improves soil structure
  • Aids in aeration and drainage of heavy, clay soils
  • Improves water retention in sandy soil
  • Provides slow release nutrients for better absorption
  • Can be used as mulch if made up of bulkier woody material
  • Made from recycled organic matter
  • Reduces soil erosion
  • Filters pollutants

Well decomposed composts (similar particle size to soil) can be used as a soil amendment for garden beds as well as trees and shrubs. For garden beds mix 1 inch of compost into the native soil and till 2 inches deep. For trees and shrubs you can follow a 1:3 ratio (1 part amendment to 3 parts native soil) mixing well and using the amended soil to backfill the hole you planted.

Fertilizers:

Mykos Mycorrhizae:

  • OMRI listed for organic use
  • Increases nutrient and water uptake
  • Stimulates root growth
  • Protects roots against harmful pathogens
  • Improves structure of clay soil and sandy soil
  • Helps break down organic compounds and convert them into plant food

Mycorrhizae is a beneficial soil fungi that forms a symbiotic relationship with plant life. It helps stimulate root growth and connects with other mycorrhizae networks to source nutrients from farther distances. This allows plants to have more stable access to nutrients. In addition, Mycorrhizae acts as an extra, defensive barrier to root systems, protecting them from pathogens. Mykos Mycorrhizal Inoculant can be used in the following doses as a fertilizer:

1-3 gallon container 1-2 tbsp
5-7 gallon container 4-6 tbsp
10-20 gallon container ½ cup
25-50 gallon container 1 cup
100 gallon container 2 cups

Fall Tips:

DeWitt Tree Wrap

Tree wrap is a great way to protect your trees from sunscald as well as trimmer and mower damage.

Sunscald presents as scorch marks or cracking in the bark, commonly caused by the sun reflecting off of snow. This causes it to be commonly seen in Utah winters due to heavy snow accumulation paired with sunny days.

Any damage to trees can be a gateway for parasites and disease. Tree wrap helps prevent this by reflecting the sunlight away from the bark of the tree. It is made from breathable fabric that slowly photodegrades to keep it from girdling the trunk.

To install tree wrap, start by wrapping the base of the trunk once and tying in the end. Then, continue wrapping up the tree, overlapping each layer by about 1 inch. When you reach the base of the lowest branch, cut the wrap from the roll, and tuck the end into the last 2 layers of material that you wrapped. It is best to apply tree wrap in the late fall, before the first hard frost, and to remove it in the spring after the last hard frost. *TREE WRAP IS FOR WINTER OR TEMPORARY USE ONLY*

“DeWitt Tree Wrap protects trees from scorching, and from trimmer and mower damage. Tree Wrap is made of polypropylene fabric and easily conforms to fit any tree shape or bark texture. Tree Wrap slowly photodegrades to prevent girdling of the tree’s trunk. This product is approved by leading universities and horticulturalists.”

Spring Tips

Ferriplus Chelated Iron

Chelated iron fertilizers are a simple way to treat iron chlorosis. Iron chlorosis is prominent in Utah due the high alkaline soil which does not provide a lot of readily available iron. Chelated iron is specially formulated to be bioavailable to plant life so that it is easily absorbed and utilized.

Ferriplus Chelated Iron comes in a concentrated powdered formula that must be diluted in water according to the dosages on the package. One diluted, it can be used to water around the affected plants to increase their iron intake.

Commonly Afflicted Trees and Shrubs: