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 | Tip of the Day |
| Tip Number: 25 | Date: 2001-04-09 |
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 | How to plant container-grown perennials. |
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| Take the time to prepare your soil beds and insure they are free of perennial weeds. Perennials in pots can be held for several weeks if necessary until your site is ready.
Hold the pot upside-down and shake or tap to loosen the plant. If lots of roots are visible, the plant may be rootbound. If so, the root ball must be disturbed to force new, healthy root growth to be produced. Using a sharp knife, slice off the bottom 1/2-inch to 1 inch of roots and rough up the sides of the ball with your fingers or the knife tip. An alternate way is to slice into the bottom of the root ball with a "plus sign" or an "X", to a depth of about 1 inch.
Using a spade or hand trowel, open up a hole deep enough to accommodate the root ball. For best planting results, use the "puddling method". Fill the hole with water, place the plant upright in the hole and fill in around the roots with soil. Pat gently to thoroughly mix the soil and the water. This helps to eliminate any air pockets around the roots. Be sure the root ball surface is at or just slightly below the garden soil surface. Let the plant settle for a few minutes, top up with a little more soil if necessary, then water a second time.
After planting, spread a mulch to a depth of 2 to 3 inches. Taper the mulch so that a saucer of non-mulched ground surrounds each little plant by a couple of inches. |
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