By Hannah Hunt
Congratulations on your new Bernheim plants!
Your plants were grown with love in the Bernheim Nursery. Follow these steps to ensure the success of your plants in their new home.
Where to Plant
Where your plants are planted matters. Plants requiring full sun need 6+ hours of sunlight. Plants requiring full shade need only 3-4 hours of direct sunlight, ideally in the morning. Some plants thrive in wet areas while other plants can become susceptible to root rot. Trees come in many different shapes and sizes. Avoid planting a tall oak tree under power lines or a tree with aggressive roots next to your foundation. If you are planting something that’s a big investment– like multiple trees– we always recommend a soil test to make sure your plants will love where they live.
Bullitt and Nelson County Extension offices offer soil tests for free to residents of those counties. Jefferson County Extension office normally charges $8 but is offering two free soil tests for free through a grant. Utilize your local Extension Offices! They are a wealth of information and happy to help with soil, pest, and plant diagnostics.
Prepare the Site
Kentucky is well known for it’s clay soil—and that’s not bad! Clay is nutrient-dense, holds on to water, and provides a strong foundation for anchoring roots. Amending a site by spreading compost or mulch is a popular method to add organic matter to a site, but be careful not to only amend the hole where you are planting.
Your hole should be just deep enough for the plant to be level with the surrounding ground when placed in the hole, but not too deep. Clay has a tendency to sink after watering, so trees should be planted a little high to account for the weight of the root ball. The hole should be 2-3x as wide as the root ball so that the newly planted roots will have uncompacted soil to expand into. Score the outsides of the hole to provide a nice transition from loose soil to compacted clay.
Resist the urge to add organic material, gravel, soil, etc. to the hole. Providing soft-loamy soil inside a clay hole causes a clay pot affect—you have essentially just planted your tree in a container that it’s roots will not be able to escape from.
Prepare the Plant
For trees and shrubs, remove any burlap or cage that might be resent. Give the plant a good soak and allow the soil in the nursery pot to become moist. Carefully remove the plant from the pot and tease the roots. Remove as much of the nursery soil as possible to prepare it for your soil. Ensure that the root flare is exposed. Prune any girdling roots that may cause issues in the future.
For perennials and herbs, give the plant a good soak. Tease the roots and remove as much of the nursery soil as possible to prepare it for your soil. Check the roots and ensure that they are succent and white in appearance.
Planting your Plant
Place your plant into the hole and ensure that it is at, or slightly above, the level of the soil surrounding it. Break up any clumps in the soil and fill it in evenly around the roots, taking care to avoid air bubbles– air trapped in the ground against the roots can cause root death. Gently tamp down the soil to ensure no air is trapped but avoid compacting. Water deeply. Until your plant’s roots are well integrated into the soil, you will be responsible for providing the water. Watering every few days should be sufficient, but it is possible to over-water. You can check the moisture level by sticking your finger down into the soil or purchasing a moisture meter for easy monitoring.
We recommend planting trees in the fall instead of the spring because you will need to water far less. The tree will be going dormant and focusing on root growth instead of leaf or bloom growth. Perennials can also be planted in the fall and experience the same benefits. Dormant plants are not dead plants! Bernheim hosts a small spring plant sale and a large fall plant sale every year!
Caring for your Plants
All plants benefit from mulch! A 3-inch layer of mulch around the tree helps reduce weeds and retain moisture while still allowing for gas exchange and soil protection. Special care should be taken to ensure that no mulch is touching the base of the plant. For trees, pull the mulch away from the trunk so that the mulch resembles a flat donut shape. The bark on trees was not meant to be kept moist and over time disease and pest issues can occur, as well as unsightly advantageous roots reaching the surface. For perennials, make sure there is still air movement under and around the plant to avoid disease and pest issues.
You are deciding now what your tree will look like when it grows up! Trim any crossing branches, girdling roots, or co-dominant leaders. This will give your tree the best chance at being happy and healthy into maturity.
Courtesy of University of Maryland Extension
