I'm so not a 'green thumb' and I always seem to get it wrong. Hopefully someone can help. Here's what I've done so far: - I purchased 26 emerald cedars last week from Home depot at an amazing $20/tree; I planted 3 of them right away and the remainder i stored in my garage (for an entire week) - this weekend i proceeded to plant more of them and here's what I did: - dug a hole the size of the plastic pot the tree came in (approximately 16inchesX 16inchesX 16 inches); I doused the hole with some CIL Plant Starter solution as per the product's instructions - I placed the tree in the hole, covered it with some of the removed soil, raking and tamping with my foot to balance and stabilize it; i soaked the planted trees well with a garden hose - I was not capable of planting all of them, so there are about a dozen left ft in my backyard; it will be raining for the next 3 days and the temperature will be dropping to about 7-8degrees celsius. Any feedback?
Wow! Thanks for the quick response. I'm assuming the remainder of what I did or didn't do was not that bad, correct? Seeing as all I'm going to do now is eliminate the plant starter and apply mulch.
Keep them outdoors. Hardy plants need light and air. For cedars, 8°C + heavy rain = early spring bliss!
do not assume that the rain will water you trees enough esp if they are in pots. . If they are in pots, each day check the pots to see if they are wet or dry. Then water as needed. Do not store in you garage, all plants need light. When you plant --- Dig the whole wider than the pot - maybe 2x as wide BUT only the depth of the root ball. Water well - mulch and water as needed through out the year. Do not assume the rain is enough. Mike
I'm not a strong proponent of digging holes 3 times the size of the rootball, but usually at least 4 inches to 6 inches space around the ball for fill soil. I tamp the first of the fill with the shovel blade and the handle. Then foot tamping. Good thing you are planting those now. I rarely plant those after mid-June due to the disproportionate small amount of roots to large volume of foiage. The mulch idea mentioned already is very important.
I agree 3x may be too big - I was concerned when the original post said "the same size as the pot ---