*If you don't have time to read this full blog post, be sure to at least pay attention to the 3 tips below:
- Walk your landscape twice this week checking for issues.
- Stay on top of weeding because extra watering can cause weeds to spread fast.
- Plan to cut back watering schedule next week (another email will remind you).
Tips for your New Plants: 3 Things to Watch
We hope that you will be out in your yard enjoying your new landscaping this week. While you're enjoying it, we want to give you a couple of things to watch out for to ensure its long-term success.
1.Drooping/Browning Plants:
New plants need a lot of water to get adjusted - especially in our sandy Florida soil and blazing heat.
Setting your irrigation to run daily* is something our install team does (if they were given access to your irrigation controller) to help set you up for success. It is not uncommon to have a few plants that need water more often than daily for the first couple weeks. Make sure to watch out for this and add water as needed, whether it's from your irrigation system or with a hose.
If it goes on for longer than a couple of days, you may want to verify the sprinklers are effectively hitting these plants, or check for air pockets (Tip #2)
2.Planting Air Pockets:
If one or two new plants seem to have the same conditions (water, sunlight, soil) as all the similar surrounding plants, but they continue to show signs of drought stress, it could be an "air pocket" around the plant's rootball.
This is what we call it when the soil doesn't compact properly around the root ball, leaving an area void of soil causing roots to dry up and present drought stress symptoms.
The cure for this is to use the heel of your shoe or the handle of the shovel around the edge of the root ball and press it around the edge of the rootball to pack the soil into that pocket of air. The weight generally collapses the soil around the "air pocket" and keeps the roots from drying out.
3.Too Much Water:
This is typically only seen several weeks after installation in either clay-filled soil or deep shade - but new plants can get over-watered. That is why we recommend cutting back the irrigation to every couple days after two weeks and starting to wean your new plantings off the daily watering cycles*.
The best way to tell if this is the issue is by checking the soil around the plant when it's struggling. If its leaves are wilting and the soil at the root ball has stayed moist for several days, it could be overwatering.
It is more common to mistake under watering for overwatering though, so be especially sure it is getting too much water before you cut the sprinkler settings back.
*Watering is only set to daily in the growing season. We use a lower setting in winter due to lower heat and evaporation.
Our Warranty Means Peace of Mind with Your Landscape
Our plants come with a 1-Year warranty as long as you use these two services to protect them:
- Ornamental Plant Health Program (Fertilization & Pest Control)
- Seasonal Irrigation Service (2x per year)
Call our office today to get this started!
(352) 378-5296
Keep an eye on your email for next week's tips for taking care of your new landscape.