Video on how to plant in clay or poorly draining soils

Earthworks Nursery Planting Instructions

Thank you for your recent purchase from Earthworks Nursery.  We hope you find these planting instructions helpful.

Dig your hole two to three times wider than the root ball.  If your soil is clay, use fine pine bark in a 50/50 mix with the soil from the hole. (If your soil is sandy, use peat moss.)  Carefully remove the plant from the container.  If the roots are wound tightly around the outside of the root ball, pull on them gently to loosen them.  Place the root ball in the hole. Add enough soil so the plant is slightly above the surrounding soil. Backfill the hole with the amended soil mix. Tamp lightly to remove excess air pockets.

Water the plant(s) in very well. Turn on the hose with a low volume of water and place at base of plant. Let it run until the area is well saturated. It is best to allow your plants to become slightly dry before repeating this process. We have seen far more plants drowned than we have seen die of thirst. Mulch plants well with pine bark, pinestraw, or hardwood mulch. Be careful not to put excessive mulch on the stems of the plant. This is an invitation for pest and disease to attack the plant.

When planting in late summer or early fall do not fertilize. A late season flush can be damaged badly by early frost. A light fertilization after our area has received a hard freeze will give your plants an early jump on spring. Your spring fertilization should occur about 2 weeks before our area’s last frost date (April 21st).  If planting after our area’s last frost date, fertilize at the time of planting. A slow release fertilizer such as Osmocote is what we recommend.  

Spring / Summer Planting Tips:

Plants may lose some leaves or experience some wilt when summer planting, but will recover quickly once established.  Planting should occur in the evening rather than in the morning or mid-day to allow for a more temperate recovery. A light tip-pruning will help to stimulate root growth when planting in the heat of the summer.