Let's start with watering. Watering is step 1 to your plants' survival.

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Why Water? Natural rainfall or lawn sprinklers do not provide enough water to saturate a new plant’s root system. Manual watering with a hose provides water directly to roots, which allows the plant to thrive.

 

How Do I Water? It is best to individually water each plant with an open-ended hose set to water at a slow flow. This deep watering ensures that the root system is getting an adequate amount of water. The amount of water needed depends on the plant size and the time of year. A rough guideline can be to water trees for 20-30 minutes, and shrubs for 5-10 minutes, each at a slow flow allowing water time to seep into the ground.

 

Watering for Spring/ Summer Plantings: Water immediately after planting. It will be necessary to water the plant every day for up to 3 weeks if temperatures are above 80°F. After 3 weeks, water every other day. As fall weather brings cooler temperatures, it will be ok to water once week. No watering needed over winter. Skip watering if rainfall is 2”+.

 

Watering for Fall/ Winter Plantings: Water immediately after planting. With cool weather, water every other day until the plant enters into dormancy. It is important to water fall plantings again in the spring using the springtime watering guidelines.

 

*These watering instructions assume that soil is well-drained. It is possible to over water and drown the plant. Check that soil is moist but not soggy. If soil is more soggy than moist, slow down on watering amounts.

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