The weather this spring has been full of surprises from being in the 80’s in March then freezing weather and snow in April, and lately, a record setting period in April for the longest stretch on record of no rain in this month. We all like the sunny weather but remember….”April showers bring May flowers.” This can be a serious situation for trees and shrubs planted last fall and this spring.
It is important to remember that the root system of anything newly planted is rather small and the roots are concentrated in this small area and because of this situation the soil ball can dry out very quickly. The concentration of roots in this small area will “wick” or absorb the moisture from this small area like a dry sponge or a blotter. When the humidity is low, like it has been during the preceding 2 weeks, moisture is drawn out of the plant rapidly. Then add the nice breeze we have been enjoying and you will see plants with foliage, like evergreen trees and shrubs dehydrate very rapidly. These conditions put high demand for water on the roots and the roots are in a very limited area, they are not out into the soil around them very much when they have been transplanted within the last 12 to 15 months. The roots soon run out of water and then the stress on the plant system starts to kick-in and evergreens will drop needles and younger growth will start to droop. If this situation persists very long the plants may not recover.
The moral of the story is to be observant to the conditions that are affecting your new plants so you can provide them with what they need for the first couple of years and they will reward you immeasurably for a long time. After all, when plants have to be replaced you lose 3 times. Once when you lose the growing time to get the plant started and secondly when you have to expend the effort to make the replacement when you could be spending your time just chilling out rather than working up a sweat again. Thirdly, is when you have to provide the ICU type of care again to get the plant established in your landscape.
So relax and get ready to plant during soon and keep your eye on the weather and this will be a great gardening year.
Your gardening team at,
Meadow View Growers
