Summer planting is successful planting. Long warm days give newly planted trees, shrubs and perennials all the daylight they need to establish new root systems over the remainder of the summer and fall.
Simply provide each plant with adequate, but not excessive moisture and nutrition, and they are sure to follow their internal genetic programming that favors growing new roots over producing lots of top growth. This will prepare summer plantings to store lots of energy this season for an explosion of growth next spring.
I recommend mixing a moderate amount of timed release fertilizer in with the soil you fill in around each of your new plants. Mix the fertilizer evenly into the backfill soil and don’t overdo on the amount of fertilizer. With each watering, the plant will get a wonderful little dose of nutrition.
Two nice rains of almost 2 inches each have come to the Northfield area in the last week and a half, partially alleviating some of the stress that the dry spell of April and May caused for landscape plants, for cops and natural lands. Keep in mind that sub-soils got extremely dry this spring and that several more substantial rains will be needed to restore moisture reserves to normal.
If long dry spells return in July, August and September, your plants will benefit from a good watering, but for now that won’t be necessary unless you have landscape plants that have been planted during the last 12 months, and are still trying to grow new roots out into the surrounding soil.
I have also shared this post with the Northfield News on their website.
