Planting Around Tree Roots

Article by: Jim Putnam

Have you ever tried to cut through layers of maple roots , The World of Herbs to plant , Teak Patio Furniture Is The Perfect Choice For Your Terrace that groundcover or flowering shrub , Discover the Single Most Important Trick to Overwintering Pond Fish that you so diligently picked out? Have you ever found that after picking the perfect spot to plant , Flowers Guide that there is a four-inch diameter root , The Design Principle of Unity in Gardening and Landscaping in the middle of the hole? Well there is a better way to plant , Potting Benches: Beautiful and Practical in the shade and it does not involve digging at all. After years of struggling with pick axes and shovels, I started planting on top of the soil. , Teak Patio Furniture Is The Perfect Choice For Your Terrace

The first step to my above- ground planting technique is to remove all debris from the planting area ( i.e., leaves, sticks, old mulch). Next, lay down old newspaper in the planting area. This will help reduce weeds , Flowers Guide and prevent the old tree , Teak Patio Furniture Is The Perfect Choice For Your Terrace roots from invading your planting area until the new plants , Colour in the Garden are established. It is best to water , Outdoor Storage Sheds the newspaper to prevent the wind from blowing it away.

Now add pinebark mulch on top of the newspaper to the depth of the pots. , Care of Dendrobium Orchids If you're using one gallon plants , Want to Build a Pond? this would be about 6". The reason I use pinebark mulch is that it is not toxic to plant , Outdoor Waterfalls roots. Hardwood mulch or any mulch containing woody material will rob your plants , Know Your Bird Feeders; Part 2 of nutrients as it breaks down. Be careful not to pile the pine bark on the existing tree , Composting for Kids trunks. That would be an invitation for insects and diseases. , Themes of Shade

If your planting area is large, the pinebark can be acquired in bulk. It is sold by the cubic yard , The Truth About MTD Snow Blowers at landscape , The Secret to Pruning Apple Trees supply companies. A cubic yard , How to Choose a Snow Blower for Your Garden is 27cubic feet. If the area will be 6" deep, you can expect to cover 54 square feet per cubic yard. , Great Gardening Gift Ideas That same area would take 9 (3) cubic foot bags from your local garden , Pond Filter center.

After the area is covered in bark the holes can be dug by hand. Remove the plants , William Baffin Climbing Rose from the pots , Know Your Bird Feeders; Part 2 and pull at the roots , The Perfect Beginner Perennial Flower if they are wrapped in circles. If the plants , The Design Principle of Unity in Gardening and Landscaping are very root , Lawn Furniture bound cut from top to bottom with a knife or shovel. Place , The Secret to Pruning Apple Trees your new plant , Decorate Your House With Specialty Trees in the hole and backfill to the top of the root , The Secret to Pruning Apple Trees ball. Don't put any mulch on the top of the root , Themes of Shade ball. Everything that was above the roots , Want to Build a Pond? in the container should still be seen.

Water the bark well to settle in the plants. , The Truth About MTD Snow Blowers A drip hose should be used for the first few weeks while the plants , Mower Safety - Blood On The Blade! become established. It is hard to say how often to water , Know Your Bird Feeders; Part 2 because it depends on the time of the year and the amount of wind the area will receive. I like to run the drip hose for a couple of hours and then check by hand to see if the water , Teak Furniture: The Premier Outdoor Furniture has saturated the bark. Let the area become slightly dry before watering again. I have seen far more plants , Teak Furniture: The Premier Outdoor Furniture killed with too much, rather than not enough, water. , Decorating Outdoor Decks and Patios With Themes

The pinebark has very little nutrient content and needs additional fertilizer. A slow release fertilizer is best. Slow release fertilizers have a coating that prevents all the nutrients from being released at once. This prevents the plants , Composting for Kids from being injured and your fertilizer money from being washed away. All garden , The Perfect Beginner Perennial Flower centers have many different brands of fertilizers, so ask a sales person for a good slow release brand and follow the directions on the bag.

I have used this technique many times with great success. So put away the pick axe and the shovel and enjoy planting around the trees. , A Waste of Packaged Gold

Jim Putnam is a registered Landscape , Wild Flower Garden - Plan to Plant Contractor in North Carolina and Owner of Earthworks Nursery

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Planting Around Tree Roots

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