Shirley Hobbs
Your plants are in. For the next few weeks, the only job is water. Here's exactly what to do.
Water early in the morning. Every watering should be a long, deep soak.
- 1Don't let the root ball dry out. Right now all the roots are still in the ball of soil that came in the pot. If that dries out, the plant struggles, even if the ground around it is damp.
- 2Water deep, not quick. Each watering should soak the whole root ball and the soil around it.
- 3Check before you water. Feel the soil right at the base of the plant.
- 4Don't skip watering after a rain. Our rain almost never soaks deep enough to count.
When to water
Start often, then slowly space it out. Each time you wait a little longer, the roots reach farther out into your soil to find water. That's what builds a strong plant.
| Dates | How often |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1 to 2Oct 22 to Nov 4 | Every 2 to 3 days |
| Weeks 3 to 4Nov 5 to Nov 18 | Every 4 to 6 days |
| Weeks 5 to 6Nov 19 to Dec 2 | Every 6 to 8 days |
| Weeks 7 to 8Dec 3 to Dec 16 | Every 8 to 12 days |
Water deep, every time
How often will change over the weeks. How deep never changes. A short, quick watering only wets the top few inches, and roots stay shallow where they dry out fast.
How to tell if it's working
- Leaves turning yellow and soft
- Drooping even though the soil is wet
- Soil stays soggy or smells sour
- Leaf edges turning brown and crispy
- Drooping that's still there the next morning
- Root ball dry two inches down
Looking ahead
You don't need any of this yet. It's here so you have it when the time comes.
Keep spacing it out
- Add a few more days between waterings every couple of weeks.
- Keep watering just as deep.
- Slide drip emitters out to the edge of the root ball so roots grow outward.
Frost nights
- Hopseed handles our frost, so there is nothing to cover.
- Keep watering through winter on schedule. Dry roots on a cold night do more damage than the cold.
Warm weather
- As it heats up, plants drink more. Your first summer they'll need water about once a week.
- Text me in April and I'll help you set your summer schedule.
Fully settled in
- A hedge takes about 2 years to fully root in.
- Let it grow together before you start shaping it. Once it reaches the height you want, trim in spring or fall, not in summer.
- After that, they'll need water much less often.
Mulch and feeding
Every plant went in with compost on top of the soil. That layer holds water, keeps the soil cool, and feeds the soil life along the wall. Leave it on top, don't dig it in, and add more when it thins out.
About a month after planting, once new roots are growing, start feeding every month. If you want to do it yourself:
Catalyst Jenner 8
Organic liquid fertilizer that feeds the plant and the soil life at the same time.
Organic Nitro Jen
Organic nitrogen for strong green growth.
Kelp Fertilizer
Trace minerals that help new plants handle transplant stress.
Find them at Catalyst Product Group. Click Products, then Home and Garden.
If something looks off, send me a photo. It's much easier to catch a watering problem in the first few weeks than to fix it later. As a client you're already in the Garden Nerd Club, so you've got direct access to me there too.
New planting schedule adapted from AMWUA, Water Use It Wisely, and the University of Arizona Water Wise program.