A visitor need help to answer a question about garden DIY. Basically I covered the soil and roots with compost from the store and pressed it down with my hands (not overly tight though, Im beginning to wonder if I should check them again to make sure they dont fall over when they start flowering.
Any advice on what to do to prolong their life and what to use or do? I work in a DIY store but know little about gardening, lol.
Hi ALSISON M, Here my answer base on my experience…
dont pack the soil tight against the roots because this wont let enough water or sunlight get to them plus they need room to grow.
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You don’t want to compact the soil too much–just enough to hold the plant in place. If you pressed down firmly with your hands, you should be fine. The roots need space, so if they are packed in too much, they can’t spread as easily.
no sounds right..sometimes you can overdo it with planting things by following directions to the t…not me..i do it my way..lol…get a good general fertilizer such as miracle grow you can add it thru a watering device on your water hose….if you cant see any of the roots it should be fine…tamp it down around each flower thats it..and put some mulch down..it will help hold the plants down and also keep the water on them after you water them….
Always “Water in Well”.
If you give the plants a good drenching to water them in, the soil will find its’ own way into the air pockets. This sort of ‘seats’ the plants into place.
Left in, air pockets will allow roots to dry out and keep the plants from taking root into the soil of their new home.
Double-check to be sure that every plant is planted to the same soil level as it was in the pot.
Water them in, then go get a mulch, like bark mulch, or cocoa hulls, if you like the smell of chocolate. This will protect the delicate roots from sun-damage and help keep the soil from drying out, which can happen quickly on hot days.
Keep the soil moist, watering daily, so the roots can establish themselves.
For flowers, don’t forget that ‘dead-heading’, the practice of pinching off the old, dead flowers, will keep your flowers blooming much longer.
A little more work and you’ll get a much larger reward.