Planting Day Checklist
Spacing, watering, staking, mulching.
A planting day done well saves three years of remedial work. Soak the pots the night before. Plant high, water deep, and mulch the same day. The rest is patience.
The day before: soak every plant in its pot in a tub of water until air bubbles stop rising. A dry root ball planted on a dry day is a casualty waiting to happen.
Spacing: read the mature size on the tag and trust it. The single most common mistake in home gardens is planting at the size you can see today instead of the size you'll have in five years. A garden that looks sparse in year one looks correct in year three and overstuffed in year five only if you planted too tight.
Plant high: the top of the root ball should sit about an inch above grade after settling. Trees and shrubs planted too deep are a slow-motion failure that takes five years to express itself.
Loosen the roots: if the root ball is pot-bound, slice it vertically in three or four places with a knife. Without this, roots circle indefinitely and the plant never establishes.
Water deep: a slow, deep soak — five gallons for a one-gallon plant, fifteen for a five-gallon — penetrates the surrounding soil and pulls roots outward. A quick spray wets the leaves and accomplishes nothing.
Mulch the same day: 2 to 3 inches, pulled back an inch from the plant stem. Mulch touching bark invites rot.