Watering is the most important element of your initial maintenance program. Newly installed plants need routine watering to survive and remain healthy. We recommend that watering continue for at least the first six months following installation, and ideally throughout the first year.  Occasional watering during dry periods in subsequent years is beneficial to your plants and will keep them thriving and vigorous.

A typical ‘balled and burlapped’ (or ‘B&B’ for short) plant has lost approximately 90% of its roots when transplanted from the field to the landscape.  Nearly all trees are transplanted in the B&B form, as are some shrubs.  These plants need thorough watering to keep them alive.  A good soak One or Two Times Per Week is essential to replace the roots lost during transplanting.

Container grown materials, which include most shrubs and perennials, do not lose their roots during planting.  They slip out of the pot with their roots mostly intact; however, the media that they are grown in is designed for drainage, and therefore they also require thorough watering from the time they are planted.  One or two times per week is also recommended for container grown material.

It is advantageous to water heavily a fewer number of times than to water lightly a greater number of times.  Plants need some time between watering to absorb the water and let the roots ‘breathe’. Overwatering can be a problem even more serious and difficult to correct than underwatering.  Check the soil around your plants; it should be moist, but not soaking wet.  If it is too wet, then skip watering for a day or so until the soil has dried.

Winter watering is extremely important and should take place every three weeks or when there are spells of warm, dry weather. This is particularly important for evergreens, but all plants will benefit from a good soaking at this time of year.