General Planting and Pruning Tips

Care on arrival for mail order plants

When your plants arrive in the mail, open the package and check to make sure that the roots are still damp. If you are planting them immediately, place the roots in water for a few hours, but no more than 6 hours. If you cannot plant them immediately, be sure to keep the roots damp and cool. If planting will be delayed for several days, place the roots temporarily in soil, damp sawdust or a similar material until you can plant them. Do not allow the roots to dry out. Be especially careful when planting that they are not allowed to sit in the sun or wind.

Planting bare root material

Prepare the ground prior to planting by removing any sod or weeds in the area where the plant is to be set. Pay particular attention to the removal of perennial weeds such as quack grass and vetch.

Good preparation at this stage will save countless hours of weeding in the future. In sandy or gravelly soils, incorporate organic matter such as a good finished compost to increase the water holding capacity of the soil and to furnish nutrients. A small handful of bone meal and blood meal worked into the soil you are placing around the roots is an excellent addition as well.

In heavy clay soils it is better to plant the roots using the same soil and place the compost on the surface. Never put soluble fertilizer or fresh manure in contact with the roots. These can burn the tissues of the plant. Most plants grow best in a soil with an acidity level (ph) of 6.0-6.5. It is a good idea to have your soil tested to know your soil acidity. If you have an acidic soil (most northern soils are) incorporate lime in the soil. Without a test you cannot know how much lime to add but as a rule of thumb a cup of ground agricultural lime (not hydrated lime) worked into the soil around your new plant will be sufficient in most northern soils. There are exceptions that should be noted. Plants such as rhododendrons, azaleas, blueberries and many evergreens prefer a more acidic soil. With such plants avoid using lime.

When planting, spread the roots evenly in the hole and pack the soil carefully around the roots. Avoid creating air pockets. When you finish the plant should be at the same level it was growing at in the nursery. Be sure not to plant hardwood trees or evergreens with their bark below the soil surface or they may rot and die. It is wise to leave the soil slightly dished around the new plant so that the water will not run away from the plant. When you finish packing the soil around the roots, soak the plant with water until the soil is saturated. Do not be stingy with the water. Keep your new plant will watered the first season but avoid keeping the ground soggy. They need oxygen as well as water.

We recommend placing a layer of mulch such as damp rotted bark, rotted sawdust or leaf mold on the surface. A mulch will aid in keeping soil moisture levels high and will prevent the germination of many annual weed seeds. It will not prevent weed growth but will make the job of pulling them much easier. As it rots it also adds to the organic content of the soil.

Planting Potted Stock

When planting material that has been grown in containers, prepare the hole in a similar manner to that described above. Remove the container. Stubborn pots can often be removed by giving them a sharp hard rap on the bottom of the pot. Examine the outside of the root ball. If the roots are matted or coiled they should be teased out until they can be spread in the planting hole. If the roots are impossible to undo it is better to take a knife and make several shallow vertical cuts down the rootball. This cuts the lateral roots, forcing them to grow outward. If this is not done the roots will often never penetrate into the surrounding soil and in some cases early decline and premature death will result.

Notes Concerning Roses

The roses we produce are grown from cuttings and are on their own roots. You do not have to concern yourself about the placement of the bud union as you do in budded roses. Plant them in the same manner as any other shrub. Any suckers which appear from the base of your rose in the future will be the same variety you purchased. We recommend pruning your new rose back approximately one-third to encourage vigorous shoots. It is not necessary to prune them drastically as you do many packaged roses. In fact many prefer not to prune our roses at all when planting. Many roses are briar-like plants and will sucker and spread if given cultivated ground. As your rose ages, we recommend pruning out the oldest canes and allowing new suckers to take their place. New roses should require only the removal of winter-damaged canes in spring. Generally shrub roses are pruned more sparingly than hybrid teas or floribundas. If you want to cut back an older shrub rose do it in early spring before the buds expand. Rose hedges should also be pruned at this time. Be sure to keep the base of your hedge wider than the top to allow light to reach the bottom stems.

Althought winter protection is generally not necessary with these hardy roses, if you are trying to grow a variety that is tender in your area you can protect it in winter with either an overwintering blanket or by mounding the base with a mulch such as bark chips.

Remember that good flower production demands adequate moisture at all times, good drainage, good fertility and high light levels. If these conditions are met, and weeds kept under control, you should enjoy many beautiful blooms.

Pruning Newly Planted Fruit Trees

When you receive your fruit tree it will be either a one year tree with no or very few branches or a two year tree that is branched. One year trees generally require little in the way of pruning. You may want to prune off the terminal if it appears soft or withered, otherwise it can be left. Some people remove unwanted buds on the stem by rubbing them off sideways and leave buds only where they want branches. Generally these buds should be spaced in different directions approximately six inches apart. Two year trees should have any branches removed below 18 inches and existing branches spaced so that they are 6-8 inches apart in different directions. If the terminal is soft or damaged, prune back to a good bud, preferably facing the westerly wind, which will help straighten the new shoot. Your purpose in training young trees should be to form a balanced framework and to remove weak narrow-crotched branches or diseased wood. It is better to prune hard the first year and prune only as necessary in later years. Heavy pruning will delay fruiting, however lack of pruning may result in overcrowded branches that allow little light into the center of the tree.