Il. CHECK DRAINAGE
Plants need adequate drainage to insure successful growth. To test the drainage of your soil. dig the hole for your plant and fill it with water. If the water merely stands in the hole, or drains very slowly, you will have inadequate drainage for most plants and precautions must be taken. It may be necessary to install a tile drain field to draw off the water, it will also help to mound the plant above the existing soil level.

III. PREPARE SOIL

A. Planting Beds should be developed to allow annuals, perennials, ground cover and small shrubs to perform at their best. Loosen the soil to a 6" to 12" depth with a spade or tiller. When clay soils exist, organic material should be added and worked in. When grading or leveling planting beds, leave a slight crown to the area. Plants will stand out more and roots will be raised if poor drainage exists.

B. Individual Hole amending is an acceptable planting technique for trees and large shrubs. The existing soil should be loosened and removed from the hole. Plant Balled Burlap and Bare Root plants back into existing native soil. Container grown plants need a similar soil to that in the container. or the roots will not be able to grow out into the planting hole. A transition soil must be created in the planting hole when the soil in the pot is of high organic content. Mix 1/3 organic soil with 2/3 existing native soil for backfill into the hole, around the roots.

C. Mounding the soil will get plant roots out of standing water in low areas or poorly drained soils. When adding soil or organic material. till the new layers of soil into the existing soil to create an interface for moisture and nutrient exchange. Failure to create a transition can cause layering, poor water penetration, toxic conditions, and root depth.

IV. PLANT

A. Dig Hole about three times the width of the root ball, and at the same depth as root ball.

B. Refill the bottom of the hole with enough loosened soil or soil mix so that the top of the root mass is slightly higher than the surface when the plant is placed in the hole.

C. Fiber Pot grown plants give you three planting alternatives:
1. Leave in Container the plants that have not fully extended roots. Punch holes in container to facilitate breakdown in the soil. Pot-bound plants should have the pot removed.
2. Make Lengthwise Cuts in Pot. Leave the pot on until positioned in the hole and carefully peel it off.
3. Carefully Remove from Container, if plant is balled and burlapped or has a solid root ball and can easily be removed without disturbance.

D. Other Container grown plants must be carefully removed from the container. Avoid damage to roots that have not yet fully exctended by gently placing root mass in planting hole.

E. Loosen Roots carefully if the root mass is in a hard root filled condition. Use a knife or pointed stick on the roots at the sides and bottom to be sure the roots go out and do not encircle root ball.

F. Balled & Burlap Plants should be planted in native existing soil and should not have the burlap removed. Position in hole so the top of the root ball is a bit above surrounding soil level. Refill the hole halfway. Untie string from around trunk of plant and tuck burlap down away from root ball.

G. Bare Root Plants are to be planted in existing native soil. If drainage is inadequate, raise the entire planting area to keep the roots out of standing water. Remove any broken or damaged roots. Place roots over cone of soil in hole. Make sure crown of plant is 1" above soil.

H. Refill the Hole, working the soil around the roots and taking care not to leave any air pockets. Soak well. If possible, push hose end (with water on about 1/2 force) into soil around perimeter.

V. FERTILIZE - Very Important for Continued Healthy Growth

A. Total Plant Growth will be much faster if fertilizer is combined with loosened planting soil and top dress with fertilizer just inside the perimeter of the hole. Never put fertilizer on or near the trunk. Use a fertilizer that won't burn newly forming feeder roots, such as Webfoot Jump-Start, Whitney Farms organic plant food or Bone Meal.

B. To Reduce Transplant Shock, encourage vigorous growth, and to help develop 25% more feeder roots quickly, apply Ferti-Lome Root Stimulator as soon as the roots have settled in. For best results apply 3 times, 10 days apart.

Vl. STAKE

A. Protection: Strategically placed stakes may make a young plant more noticable or obvious. These types of stakes are placed to make people aware that the plant is there.

B. Anchorage: Newly planted plants (especially bare-root plants) may have limited root systems which cannot firmly anchor the plant to the soil. Staking, in this case, may stabilize the plant until the roots are firmly established. Trees should be tied loosely to the stakes, giving the tree an opportunity to anchor itself as it moves with the wind. Staking should be removed after two years.

C. Support: Stakes used on trees which may not be able to stand straight by themselves.

D. Guying: Anchoring larger plants with cables to ground-level stakes.

Vll. PRUNE

A. Bare Root Trees: Thin (Remove selected branches) branches to bring top growth in balance with root growth when imbalance occurs. Prune out any broken or damaged roots or branches.

B. Balled & Burlap/Container: Requires no pruning except to remove stray branches or to achieve a desired appearance.

C. Annuals & Perennials: Pinch back when root and top growth are out of balance, and to encourage bushiness. When pinching, leave at least three leaf intersections for the new growth to start.

Vlll. WATER
Newly planted materials need to be kept moist, but not soggy. This will encourage roots to penetrate the soil in and around the planting hole. Watering schedules are dictated by rainfall and soil type. Rainfall is not usually frequent enough to depend on, and extra irrigation will be needed while the plants are establishing. Sandy or very well drained soils require more frequent supplemental irrigation to maintain the newly planted material. Plants in clay or heavy poorly drained soils can be sensitive to waterlogged conditions and irrigation must be monitored carefully.

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