i read in my "how to garden" book that when planting a plant to take it out of the container and gently tease out the roots. with the black-eyed susans i bought, the roots were so tightly woven together that it stayed in the same shape as the container - i could barely see any soil. i ended up just plunking the whole thing into the ground. was i wrong to do that? i did water them close to the roots immediately upon planting them...
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to all. i'll keep all your suggestions in mind next time i am planting :)
so far the balck-eyed susans are doing wonderfully. the purple coneflowers are slowly coming around.......
Just wanted to add one more thought on Junebug's original planting question. A local nursery man here suggests removing as much as the potting mix of a new plant as possible (within reason - when the roots are really tangled there's only so much you can do of course) - the idea being to get the roots well in contact with your own soil rather than with the potting medium. The reason is that the very light potting mixes used commercially can act somewhat like sponges around the plant roots over winter (taking in the moisture and then freezing) and seriously lessen the plants ability to make it through that first crucial winter. This may not be quite as big a deal in the GTA vs. here in Ottawa, but I've found it has made a big difference for me.
thanks.....I have planted the ligularia in dappled shade also, lavender astlbes and yelloe blooms on ligularia should look nice like Easter LOL
Your astilbes will love dappled shade.Just remember that they are thirsty beggars so keep well watered.I have planted them in full sun where they did very well, but I couldn't keep up with the water needs so I moved them to part shade.Thanks for the kind words,if I can help with someones questions,I am glad to do it.
I love you to anser as you are so knowledgeable and it helps us all.
I bought 4 new astillbes in a lavender colour, 2 gal. pots so they are quite large. Is dappled shade oK for them? Thanks again.
I have gardened for years.I have taken horticulture courses,I read lots of books,mags,I do alot of researching on the internet and still ask tons of questions,and I am always learning.I have a greenhouse,grow most of my own plants ,shrubs and trees overwinter plants in a plant room in my basement that are not hardy in my zone.With all that said,I still learn something new every day.So you keep asking questions, and don't worry, because gardeners love to answer them too.
every little thing is a learning experience for me too, and I have been gardening for many years!! (an I am a biologist by training!) There is always more to learn, especially from fellow gardeners, and you need to have an experimenter's spirit for sure. My hero(ine)s are Lois Hole and Marjorie Harris, who are absoultely fearless and advise to try things out and see how they do, move them around, try different combinations etcetera, until you get the effects you want. I love Marjorie's books! You are on the right track to ask lots of questions and try things out...
i may ask dumb questions...this is my first time at at any form of gardening. want to make sure everything is done properly so every little thing is a big learning experinece for me :)
I would leave them.I never loosen the roots and never have a problem.The key is to keep them watered The roots know what to do.
so should i pull them out and loosen the compact mass and replant or will it be ok that i planted it in that mass? thanks :)
with Maryanne...they should be fine. I would try and keep the soil around the base, nice and loose to make it easier for the roots to spread. I bought some jumbo annuals and the pots were almost entirely roots. I always feel like they must be so happy to get into the ground!
they will probably do fine. Teasing the roots just helps them get out of that thing they are now trained to do of growing round and round in a confined shape, helps them spread their little toesies out into the soil. By "teasing" they don't necessarily mean "untangle" (heavens, for some of them you'd be there all week!) but rather, just loosen them up and get them out of their round-and-round pattern. Sometimes you can use a small garden fork or prong thing to move them around. Sometimes, I just sort of whack it into the mass and pull a little bit to loosen them up. It is also just the sort of mild trauma that can help them get moving and feel the need to grow new roots -- this is what you want them ot do right away!