By Kathy Conner Cornell
Fall is a
perfect time for planting woodies, which in the horticulture world are trees
and shrubs, especially fruit trees. If
you can get a shovel in the ground, it is ok to plant. However there is a correct method that will
help ensure the success of your new planting.
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In a few weeks this Winterberry will have bright red berries
that persist during winter, until the bluebirds gobble them up. It is a great
native plant for winter interest.
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Think about
it, spring really asks a lot of plants.
We want them to send out new growth, flower and maybe even set
fruit. This expends a lot of energy
from the plant. We can’t see it so we
don’t think anything is happening but when you plant in fall the plant has the
opportunity to grow roots and get established.
The plant will be more likely to survive its first year with this
advantage.
Digging the
hole is easy but so often done incorrectly.
I heard a lecture from Don Haynie of Buffalo Springs Herb Farm. He was saying that peat moss is a terrible
thing because all of his new tree plantings died due to peat moss. His plantings died because the landscaper
improperly planted his new trees. You
never want to dig a hole deeper than the root ball of your new plant. Planting high is not a problem, planting
deep is. The landscaper dug deep and
backfilled the hole with peat moss.
This was guaranteed to fail. Peat moss has no weight to it so of course
once the tree was planted, the peat moss sank and the tree was planted way too
deeply. This will cause rot of the base
of the tree.
To dig a
correct planting hole dig it only as deep as the root ball and twice as
wide. If the plant has wire around it,
remove it. If it has burlap, remove it
if you can or at least pull back the burlap and just let it stay outside the
root ball. A lot of burlap today is
rubberized so it will never deteriorate.
It’s a good idea to take a few slices around the edge of the ball to
loosen the roots. Although it is
tempting, do not amend the hole. The
plant will enjoy that nice fluffy media and then when it reaches native soil it
will recoil and start to girdle, meaning it just starts wrapping back where it
came from. Backfill the hole with the
native soil and you will be better off.
Take a shovel and rough down the sides of the hole. Our clay is slick so this can also cause
girdling. Tamp down the ground to
remove air pockets. Do water slowly and
deeply. Shallow watering makes root
grow near the surface and not establish a firm foundation.
There are many native shrubs that have
winter interest. Redtwig Dogwood, Cornus
sericea, has beautiful red stems that are lovely after the foliage has died
back. American beautyberry, Callicarpa
americana, has beautiful purple berries that persist during the
winter. My favorite is Winterberry, Ilex
verticillata, which has gorgeous red berries that the bluebirds just
love. But anything in the Ilex
or holly genus must have both a male and female. The female has the wonderful berries but will not do so without a
male nearby. However, much like real
life, one male can service several females.
Reputable garden centers can guide you to the correct cultivars.
Take advantage of the cooler weather
and plants some trees and shrubs this fall.
You will be doing your plants a big favor by allowing them to get firmly
established before springtime.
