By George Weigel
As you think of spring gardening, remember good gardeners aren’t born with green thumbs that give them mystical powers to make any plant thrive. Gardening is like any endeavor. The more you know, the more success you’re likely to have.
Every setback can serve as a learning experience. One way to speed the process is by taking advantage of the knowledge of those who have killed their petunias and juniper trees before you.
Don’t “volcano” mulch against tree trunks. It can rot the bark.
Here are five of the most important woes that our “foregardeners” would warn you about:
1. Not improving lousy soil. If you’re starting with soil that’s more of a clay pit, quarry-in-waiting or compacted subsoil left behind by home construction, plan on some remediation. One school of thought advises rototilling or deeply digging the ground to at least 10 or 12 inches deep, then working about 2 inches of compost, rotted leaves or similar organic matter into it. You only need to do this once before planting. From then on, just keep a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic matter over the surface and let the earthworms and microbes be your “soil improvers.”
2. Planting too closely. This common blunder includes planting plants too closely to one another as well as too close to the house. Crowding sets you up for a jungle look within a few years, sets the stage for unnecessary pruning and makes plants more prone to disease since crowded foliage doesn’t dry as well.
3. Planting too deeply. This one’s a major killer of trees. Planting deeply doesn’t make a tree less likely to blow over. It’s likely to suffocate the roots and rot the buried bark. Before planting a new tree, identify its “root flare” — the area at the base of the trunk where it begins to slightly widen. Plant so that this flare is just above grade.
4. Mulching miscues. You can overdo it or under do it with mulch. Too much can cause the same problems as planting too deeply. Too little won’t stop weeds or retain moisture well. Be especially careful not to pack mulch up against the stems and trunks of plants. That can rot the stems and bark and possibly kill the plants. Two to 3 inches of organic mulch is ideal around trees and shrubs. One to 2 inches is fine around flowers.
5. Picking problem-prone plants. Plants have their own particular site preferences (especially when it comes to light and soil moisture), and some are pickier about them than others.
Rototill soil to help stimulate root growth.
A big part of good gardening involves figuring out where each plant will be “happiest.” Just as important is knowing which are the most trouble-prone plants — a lineup that varies from area to area. Check with trusted local experts (extension educators and local garden centers are good starting points), as well as experienced local gardeners and published lists targeted as closely as possible to your area.
As for plants that you realize are struggling because you guessed wrong on the site, don’t be afraid to move them — the sooner the better. Most green-thumbed gardeners will tell you they moved every plant in their yard a minimum of three times before they got it right.
Now, as seed and gardening catalog’s begin to arrive, is the perfect time to begin the process.
George Weigel is a Pennsylvania-based horticulturist, garden consultant, author and newspaper garden columnist. His website is georgeweigel.net.