How to water new plants

Watering new plants correctly is critical to the life of the plant. Either too little or too much can kill it.

Balled and burlapped plants lose a great deal of their root system when they are dug. Because there are fewer roots to draw water into the plant, the remaining roots need to take up more. In turn, the remaining roots need even better care.

In general, water balled and burlapped plants while you backfill the hole in which you planted them and again when the planting is finished. Then water thoroughly the next day. These two waterings help the soil settle around the roots and reduce the size of air pockets. Water again the third day and then every 7 to 14 days as needed for the next several weeks.

Container grown plants are transferred from the pot to the soil with virtually no root loss and can easily continue on a regular watering schedule. After a few initial soakings, water container grown plants once a week for three to six weeks.

For the balance of the season, I would follow a general rule of watering newly planted balled and burlapped plants once every ten days to two weeks for the next eight weeks, then once every two to three weeks for the remainder of the growing season, watering thoroughly each time. Container grown plants should be watered once every two or more weeks for the balance of the first year and the following season.

Thorough watering occurs just before flooding the plant, when a puddle appears on the surface of the soil and does not soak in. Soil varies and different locations on the same site will vary in the rate at which water is soaked in. It is far better to water more thoroughly and less frequently which allows excess water to drain beneath the plants roots.

You can test the soil to determine if it needs watering after the third to seventh day by taking a three foot long wooden stick and inserting it into the soil up to a foot deep. It's kind of like inserting a toothpick into a freshly baked cake to see if it's done. Remove the wooden stick and if it is very wet at the bottom, don't water. This procedure is where watering moves from a science to an art.

The measuring stick is especially helpful during periods of frequent rain when the newly planted shrub or tree may not need to be watered as frequently, if at all. A parched surface doesn't always indicate the need to water.

Proper watering of newly planted trees and shrubs is critical. If you have any questions ask your installer or local landscape professional, nursery or garden center where you purchased them for help.