Watering and water management are the most needed and critical element for any successful garden. Again, I will ask you to mimic nature and to trust your gut when making watering choices. The only difference between home gardening and mother nature is that we have the ability to reduce the affects of drought or prolonged rainfall. We can reduce the effects of extreme weather conditions through proper water management. Water will determine the success of all your gardening efforts. Too much or too little for prolonged periods can eliminate the positive effects of proper pruning, fertilizing and mulching. Remember, we want to mimic nature, so at times drought is beneficial and so is prolonged moisture. Extreme heat or cold can be beneficial as well. These weather extremes in nature can induce hardy, vigorous growth, stockier and healthier plants, and reduce pest populations at the same time. Weather extremes can be compared to working out for you, stressing your muscles and your heart will create a stronger and healthier heart for years to come.
Pennsylvania Pride provides growing tips for all our trees and shrubs, and within these tips we'll refer to the water needs of individual plants. Drought tolerant plants can withstand extended dry conditions, however, they will still benefit from thorough soakings every 5 to 10 days during summer months. Plants requiring evenly moist soils cannot withstand dry periods for more than a week or so. Our watering recommendations are guidelines to be applied during peak growing times, mainly spring through fall. Daily watering choices will be made based on weather from last week, today, tomorrow and next week. Watch and learn from your watering choices, your gardens will talk to you. Look closely and you'll see the negatives or positives created from your choices you've made.
The most practical advice I can offer you is that "when you water, water well." Meaning when applying water, apply in ample quantity to fully saturate the surrounding soils. Watering problems arise from either too little water everyday or too much water everyday. Plants must be allowed to dry down before additional water is applied.
For example, let's look at the water available to plants in the soil as a bowl of soup. A bowl can only hold so much soup. You can try to add more soup to the bowl but it simply flows over the edge and is lost to its surroundings. The same is true with your soil. Soil can only hold so much water and then, when fully saturated, additional water will flow to surrounding drier soils. Remember, when you water, water to this point or slightly beyond. OK, now we begin to eat the soup and plants begin to use the water. Even when the bowl of soup is half empty we are still enjoying the soup. As it is with plants, even though the sun is out and it has been a few days since we watered, there is still available moisture in the soil, so it is not yet time to water. Back to the soup, we continue to eat our soup and begin to get to the bottom of the bowl, we have to tip the bowl, the soup is getting cold. Time for a decision, either go without soup or fill up the bowl again. Apply this philosophy to your plants. Soil moisture may be to the point for the plant where it's tipping the bowl, it is just a little stressed, now is the time to water again and fill the bowl. On the nursery, at times we even allow the bowl to empty and remain that way for a day or so. Reduced water has remarkable effects on controlling weed growth and disease as well.
Too much water can have adverse effects such as root rot. Organic matter added to your soil will assist in providing good soil drainage as well as holding moisture. Organic matter allows the soil to breath by maintaining air space within the soil. Over watering is not as common a problem as under watering. Over watering occurs over a longer period of time. Again, it is impossible to over water while you water, the soil can only hold so much moisture. Repeated soil soakings over and over again, where soil is not allowed to dry is when we start to see plant decline and root loss. At times during the growing season, simply allow your soils to dry down to break the cycle of being constantly wet.
Mulch is our number one source of organic matter replenishment in today's gardens. Before processed mulches became available, leaf mold or grass clippings were used regularly. The unsightly characteristics of these mulches launched the effort to develop today's mulches. The most commonly used mulch is processed hardwood. Also available are softwood mulches such as pine bark mulch or hemlock. I personally prefer the softwood mulches which tend to hold their color better and can provide the desired organic matter somewhat faster for your soil beds.
Mulching can reduce water loss in your gardens dramatically while at the same time reducing weed growth. Mulching reduces the need for soil cultivation throughout the year, keeps soil temperatures down during the warmer months, and can keep soil temps up during the colder months, assisting in survivability of more tender plants.
Recommendations change for how much mulch to apply. Too much can actually have a negative effect on soils and plants over the years, and too little may not accomplish our goals through mulching. I use about 3 inches per year in my garden. I find that mother nature can continue to break down this amount each year and I can avoid mulch build up. Please consult with your local Pennsylvania Pride Preferred Garden Center Professional for application rates in your area.
Fertilizing is necessary for your home garden and yet may be the area where home gardeners fail the most. Today there is a very wide assortment of fertilizers available for the home garden that comes in easy to use and apply formulas. Unfortunately, the larger "box stores" usually do not have the experience or staff to properly recommend which fertilizer to use. This is the time to see your local Pennsylvania Pride Preferred Garden Center Professional for advice and assistance in putting a fertilizer program together for your gardens.
All fertilizer labels read the same, 10-10-10 or 10-5-20 or whatever the numbers may be, they all mean the same. The first number is for available Nitrogen (green growth), the second for Phosphorus (root growth), and the third for Potassium (flower or fruit). While all plants use many more nutrients in addition to these 3, these nutrients are used in the highest quantity. For the most part, many fertilizers provide other nutrients as well. Although nutrients needed for growth occur naturally in most soils, for the best gardening results it is necessary to supplement the levels of nutrients available.
Nutrient availability is governed by several factors like soil pH, moisture levels and temperature. Fertilizers are blended to increase availability for specific soil conditions and plant needs. I would recommend you take the time to thoroughly read the label on any fertilizer you choose. More is not better when it comes to fertilizer. Fertilizers should be applied according to the label only.
Younger, newly installed trees and shrubs require fertilizer in greater levels during the early years. As trees and shrubs mature, their ability to retrieve nutrients from the existing soil is greatly increased. We prefer to apply fertilizer in the fall when trees and shrub roots are most active. Warmer soil temperatures during cool weather allow the plants to increase their ability for nutrient uptake and storage for the coming winter and next spring. We also prefer a slow release fertilizer whenever possible. Slow release fertilizers require less applications and provide a more consistent level of nutrient availability. Let's talk candidly here. Someone may not fertilize because it's scary and somewhat difficult to understand. Home gardens suffer because of this. Fertilizing is as important as pruning and watering to the success of your garden. Whether from trial or error, studying or following professional advice, review your fertilizer needs today and take action.
Here on the nursery, we prune constantly. Our prune list includes trees and shrubs of over 450 different varieties. On a weekly basis, we review pruning priorities. Also, in my own garden at home, I am constantly improving my collection with selective pruning. I learned to prune through trial and error as should you. The key is to prune.
Most Pennsylvania Pride plants you use will require some type of pruning at some time, be it removal of broken branches or aggressive shearing to induce new growth and flower buds. Rule of thumb when it comes to pruning is to have a reason to prune, a goal of the pruning, and an expected response. My grandmother would tell me, "When you prune, prune aggressively or don't prune at all." I still follow this today, both on the nursery and at home.
We refer to pruning as either simple or involved. A simple prune means we recommend an aggressive prune and do not be concerned with where, when or how hard you prune. An overwhelming and common mistake in the home garden is not pruning enough. For some plants we recommend an involved prune, meaning it is imperative that certain cuts at certain times be done. Fortunately, most involved prunes occur on the nursery long before your tree is taken home.
Prune regularly, follow our growing tips and contact us on-line for specific questions or ask your local Pennsylvania Pride Preferred Garden Center for advice. But trust me on this, the risk in not pruning is far greater than the risk in pruning. The reward for aggressive pruning is fresh growth, new and increased flowers and well behaved plants.
You won't have any trouble locating Pennsylvania Pride products at your local Garden Center. We've developed helpful and attractive signage to guide you in your search for the best plant to suit your landscape needs. Look for these signs as you shop and you'll find superior trees and shrubs with the exclusive 3-Year Homeowner Guarantee.
Look for this tag. It means the Pennsylvania Pride item you've purchased is guaranteed by the grower for 3 years from the date of purchase. Since maintaining a distinctive home landscape takes work, take comfort in the peace of mind you'll have by planting Pennsylvania Pride Trees and Shrubs.