How To Water New Plants
Did you know: The leading cause of plant death in new landscapes isn’t pests or disease. It’s overwatering or underwatering plants, which, by the way, have very similar symptoms including: leaves wilting or dropping, changing colors, or needles turning brown. So, let’s talk proper watering so you can offer your plants the best chance at survival.
Trees/Shrubs
All new plants require routine watering for at least the first year while the roots get established. All the tips we outline below will vary a little bit based on the size of the plant purchased, soil drainage, temperatures, and rainfall. If it rains more than 1 inch that week, you can skip your scheduled watering.
Of course, the easiest way to water would be to have an irrigation system installed. Our sister company, Superior Irrigation, can program your controller to water your new plants properly with no hassle on your part.
If watering by hand, planting in spring and fall is preferred. The cooler temperatures and additional rainfall will reduce transplant shock, and the amount of time you have to water (unless of course, you decided to plant something in spring of 2023).
Also, when planting be sure to pick a location that has easy access to water. Large trees need at least one 5-gallon bucket of water per 1 inch caliper a week. Each new
container shrub will need at least one gallon of water each week.
There are a few methods you can consider using once a week if not enough rain was received:
- An easy way to make sure your trees get a slow, deep saturation is to buy gator bags, which we have here at Superior Garden Center. Gator bags can be filled in about three minutes and can slowly release water over three hours. Unfortunately, these generally aren’t a viable option for shrubs as they are too small.
- Set a hose around the roots of the plant on a low drip and set a timer. Leave the hose running for 30 minutes per tree, 15 minutes per shrub, and move to other plants as necessary.
- We’ve also had customers in the past literally poke holes in their 5-gallon buckets, fill them up, and let them slowly release the water around the plant.
Sod
New sod is especially picky when it comes to water, and the first two weeks after installation is crucial! We would strongly suggest getting irrigation installed along
with new sod. With irrigation, it can be put down any time of the year. Also, it will
need to be watered thoroughly within the first couple hours of being laid. Then, it
will need water a couple times a day for the first two weeks. If you don’t have irrigation, you’ll really have to babysit it consistently with a sprinkler.
Containers
If you enjoy planting flowers in pots on your porch or deck, keep in mind that the larger the container, the less frequently you’ll have to water. There is more soil in a larger container which the roots can pull moisture from. In the hot months they’ll need to be watered every other day. Some smaller containers will need to be watered daily. You’ll know you have a fully saturated pot when the water comes out the bottom hole.
Moral of the story here? The key to watering properly is to do so consistently and deeply, without going overboard.
Feel free to reach out to Superior Garden Center if questions arise as you water or
contact Superior Irrigation to learn more about irrigation system installation and
WIFI controllers.
Kelly McBride grew up in Columbia just down the road from Rost Inc., and she’s happy to still call Columbia home. She has a degree in plant science and landscape design from MU and was hired as Rost’s landscape maintenance manager after graduation. Her love for plants makes this job very enjoyable when assisting clients with their outdoor tasks. Outside of work, you can find her cooking, gardening, sewing, or doing other outdoor activities
(573) 445-4465
rostlandscaping.com