Planting & Watering in the Middle of Summer

And a lot of people are hesitant to plant when it’s this hot. You just have to be more careful and diligent with your watering.

And the truth is, if you put it in the ground a month ago, you have to water just as much as you have to water today. And when people come in, like our large bald and burlap trees, we do not recommend moving in this heat. However, the container material, its root system is above ground. So if it’s 95 today, those roots are 95 degrees.

They really don’t like that. I mean, they prefer to be in the ground where their ground temperature is going to keep them in that 55, 60 degree range. So they’ll always do better planted than not planted. And even if you plant it in March or April or May, you’re still going to have to water.

It’s the first year, so the plant does not have roots deep in the soil. And when you water, you want to water very thoroughly. It’s better to water less frequently, but in greater duration because you want that water to go deeply into the soil so that the roots chase that water deep into the soil.

If you water a gallon every day, all the moisture is up at the surface and the roots grow to the surface. All you did is create a plant that’s very susceptible to the top couple of inches of the soil drying out. If you water deeply, that water is deeper in the soil and the roots will chase that moisture down deep. And you create a much more stable plant by watering less often, but longer duration when you water. A couple of times a week on all new planted stuff is generally sufficient.

Now, that being said, some things are planted in mulch. Some things are planted in gravel. Gravel has become a big trend where people are switching their landscape beds over. And in doing so, it definitely requires more water. And you’re going to add at least a third day in that week where you’re going to have to deeply water those plants.

The root system has a tendency to dry out much quicker, because of the reflective heat of that rock. It’s 140 degrees, 150 degrees in the sun where mulch never gets that temperature. And mulch acts like a triple pane window kind of trapping that moisture in the soil, where rock does not do that. And I will say with annuals and perennials, a little bit smaller stuff, sometimes you may have to water a little bit more often.

The bigger stuff that you’ve planted, that’s a little bit every other day. But still, again, like the substantial, very heavy watering less often. Usually maybe every other day or so, but you still check it. Annuals and perennials, you check them every day.

Questions? Email us at [email protected] or call one of our two locations: Portage (330-499-0101) or Everhard (330-492-1243).