Happy plants that were installed in small holes, a little high, with no compost.
Installing plants is fundamental to what we do. But it would be a mistake to think that it’s basic.
How Should A Plant Be Planted?
This seems like a such a simple question that clients often assume they know my answer to it. There is conventional wisdom: dig a big hole, massage the roots of the plant as you remove it from the pot, place it gently into the hole, and then backfill with compost creating a bowl that collects water around the plant. This all absolutely true and good- sometimes, with some plants, and in some locations.
Here is how planting actually works when you install thousands of plants in the PNW each year:
Planting actually starts with plant selection. When you pick a plant that fits the soil, sun, and water availability of a site it is much less critical to “correctly” install the plant. If you have clay soil, and select plants that enjoy clay soil, there is no reason to try to change the clayness (not a word) of the soil.
By default, we design using tough and drought tolerant plants that are well adapted to the Portland area. 95% of the plants I am likely to suggest for your project are low care. We design gardens that work, using a selection of plants that we have lots of experience with. Plants I love and trust. Plants that most likely don’t need anything other than a spot in the ground and water during the first few summers.
Large holes can kill your plants if they don’t drain well. Our rainy winters eventually lead to soil that is completely saturated. If you dig a large hole and then fill it wit material (like compost) that holds onto water, you can drown your plants. Most plants prefer to completely dry out between wet periods. For most plants, in the Pacific Northwest, it is better to dig a reasonable hole and then plant a bit high. This is the opposite of “big hole, ring of soil to hold water in”.
Your soil is fine. Most likely, there is nothing wrong with your soil- it just has characteristics that should be taken into account when choosing what plants to install. “But I have clay!” Then we will pick plants that like, or at least tolerate, clay. And even if we were determined to change the soil, we would probably fail. The internet would tell you to till in compost- which would most likely just destroy the structure of your soil. There is evidence that gravel is actually more effective, but I have yet to find anyone brave enough to try it in their yard! Need another voice on this? Here you go.
Leave the roots of the plant alone. There are lots of ways to kill a plant, and most of them involve trying too hard. If a plant is root bound then we will massage or cut them loose, especially if we are planting a tree or large shrub. This is not the norm though, especially since growers are pushing plants out as quickly as they can grow them right now! If you make a practice of loosening the roots of everything you plant you are more likely to damage the collar- where the trunk and roots of a tree meet. This is also why we don’t remove burlap from field dug trees. The burlap will decompose and removing it means moving that heavy root ball around when you don’t have to.
Compost is not magic. We use compost a lot, but it is good to be realistic about what it does. It primarily does three things. First, it holds onto water. If you have plants that will struggle through a bone dry summer then it is helpful to have some compost mixed in with the native soil around the newly planted root ball. (Keep in mind that some plants hate “rich” soil and don’t need or want compost.) Second, it is a decent slow release fertilizer. Third, it can help with the growth of good bacteria and other living things in the soil.
Some of your new plants will shock or die and there is nothing you or I can do about it. We lose 2%-3% of the plants we install, no matter when or where we plant them. In most cases, is not worth worrying about or trying to figure out. That is what warranties are for! And some plants, no matter what we do, will shock and look bad for a few months. These plants don’t need to be replaced, they just need some water and time to recover.
Water matters. We water the plants as we install them. This ensures they have what they need to deal with the trauma of planting. It also, quite importantly, helps fill in all the nooks and crannies in our planting hole with soil. Air pockets around a root ball are bad- especially for transplanted mature material. It is then important that plants get the appropriate amount of water the first couple of summers as they establish.
Watering is mostly common sense. Plants can’t talk, but most of them can cry for help before it is too late. If a plant is wilting or has leaves that are curling up it probably needs some water. But what if the plant is looking week, maybe a bit pale, and it has been getting tons of water? Then try backing off the water some. Let it dry out between irrigating- it may be drowning!
Our Plant Warranty:
Plants with an professionally install irrigation system and controller carry a 90 day warranty. This is usually long enough for any issues related to the plant, or its installation, to manifest. Problems beyond this time frame are generally related to care (or lack thereof).
Plants with no irrigation and transplanted plants generally carry no warranty.
If a plant is covered by the warranty and it dies, we replace it with something comparable in size to the original plant, assuming it is available.
If a plant is covered by the warranty and it shocks (but does not die), we will replace it at our discretion. Many plants recover from shock quickly and within a season or two look as if nothing had happened to them. Other plants, conifers primarily, take years to recover. We won’t stick you with a plant that will take years to recover!
If your plants are under warranty, please pay attention to them and let us know if they start struggling so we can help you save them.
Our experience (and research) has shown that there is no one “right” way to plant. Science has not in any way settled the question of how best to install a plant. Planting wisdom is regional, not universal. And some humility is healthy: no one can tell you exactly how to ensure that a specific individual plant thrives in specific spot. No one can tell you for sure why one of your manzanitas is healthy and another is struggling. We can guess and we can try local best practices- that’s really it.
Here at Ross NW Watergardens we install plants by selecting varieties that are more likely to thrive, digging a hole a bit bigger than the root ball, mixing in a bit of compost if we think it helpful, leave the root ball a bit high, watering the plant well as we plant, and then giving you information about care. And if that is not enough? As long as you have an irrigation system your plants also have a warranty and we are happy to replace the few that die.
Have questions about planting? Disagree with my opinions? Comments are open below!