Larry Smith and the Riverside Gardens team talk all things pots, plants and pruning in their weekly gardening column.
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Winter has certainly let us know it is here, right on cue, cold and wet right from the get-go.
For gardeners, June means a whole new range of things that can be done outside in the garden when the weather allows.
Like raking up the last of the autumn leaves, checking drainage of the lawns and gardens, and getting ready to start pruning deciduous trees and roses later in the month or early next month.
If you are not sure about how to do this, call into the Garden Centre and we can run through pruning principles and techniques for the different plants you are pruning.
We can also advise you on the tools you will require, their correct use and their care and maintenance.
The same goes for pest and disease management, as a lot of the problems that pop up later in the year require treatment now to help prevent or control them.
Winter also means the start of the bare rooted season, the time of the year when deciduous trees shrubs and roses are dug up out of the ground once they have gone dormant and sold through garden centres.
Bare rooted plants are a cost-effective way to establish trees and shrubs in your garden.
Because they are lifted and sold while dormant, they are easy to handle, simple to plant and quick to establish when planted correctly.
You must spare a thought for the teams that are lifting these plants out of the ground though.
As these plants are usually grown close together in rows in heavier soils, so the lifting, sorting, bundling and washing can be quite laborious.
Add to that the wet winter weather and it can all become a sticky, dirty chore very quickly.
A far cry from how they are presented in the Garden Centre.
With the first of the bare rooted roses arriving last week and the rest in the coming weeks, including the deciduous ornamental trees and fruit trees in the week beginning June 15, I thought it would be worthwhile to run through what to look for when purchasing a bare rooted plant and how to care for them and plant them.
When purchasing a bare rooted plant, be sure the roots have been covered and kept moist.
Check the timber of the branches — they should be firm and showing no signs of stress or drying out.
Check the structure of the plant, the shape and the graft union strength.
Look for splits or broken branches and stems, and finally check the quality of the root system.
Remember though, these plants have been dug out of the ground so there may be a few damaged roots that will need cleaning up.
Once you have purchased your bare rooted plant, care needs to be taken to not let the roots dry out, and plant them as soon as possible.
If you cannot plant them straight away, be sure to temporarily cover the roots with soil and wet them down, even if it is only for a short while.
Before you plant the tree, we recommend that you trim and prune out any broken roots, as clean cuts heal faster than ragged tears and breaks.
When planting, over dig the hole in both width and depth, breaking up the soil as it comes out.
Loosen the soil at the bottom of the hole then back fill it with a 50/50 mix of the soil that came out of the hole and a good planting mix, not potting mix.
The hole should be large enough to spread the roots out evenly and deep enough so that the bud union or graft is about 5cm above ground level.
You can usually see the old ground level mark on the stem from before it was initially lifted out of the ground
Make a small mound in the centre of your hole and splay the roots over it.
Back fill the hole using the 50/50 mix, making sure the soil fills in between the roots. Fill to top of the hole, firming the soil in as you go.
The finished planting level over the hole should be marginally higher than the surrounding soil level.
This allows for soil compaction as everything settles back down.
Do not put fertiliser in the bottom of the hole or in the soil as you back fill, as it can burn the newly forming roots.
Fertilising can be done once the plant is planted or in early spring before the new growth takes off.
Once planted, form a saucer shape from leftover soil around the plant and fill it with water, preferable including ‘Plant Starter’, a root stimulant.
This watering not only supplies moisture for your newly planted plant but also settles the soil in around the roots.
Next you will need to prune your plant back, making sure you cut to outwards facing buds.
This is the first step to creating a well-shaped tree.
Pruning the tree helps restore the balance between the top of the tree and the trimmed root system from when it was lifted.
Finally, stake the plant as required; larger plants are best staked with two or three stakes.
This is not to stop the branches from moving, but rather to transfer the pivot point of the plant from the root ball up to the upper part of the stem.
This allows the new roots to move out into the soil without being torn away every time the plant moves.
Now step back and admire your handiwork, especially as it comes into leaf in spring.