<b>Trees, Ornamental & Bedding Plant:</b> 5 tips for landscape color

As you plan your clients’ projects this year and beyond, the following guidelines are a great first-step to a successful planting season.

1. Buy fresh. Rootbound and overgrown plants are the top reasons annuals don’t perform. Contractors who work closely with their growers to receive plants at first-bud stage rather than in-flower install fresh material that establishes quicker in the landscape. If you do receive plants that have been “held” too long, pop out the plant and gently uncoil the roots with your fingers. This helps speed up the plant’s ability to root and take up nutrition. Avoid cutting or crushing the roots, as this could introduce disease and slow establishment.
2. Get the height right. Transplanting plants too high means they could dry out. Plant too low and they’ll form secondary stem roots, making them unstable and more likely to droop in the wind. Set plants in the ground at the same height they were growing in their container.
3. Water smart. Water your planting flats and beds before planting to avoid the “plant float” often seen with the first watering in heavily amended beds. Set irrigation to water fresh beds early in the morning. That way plant leaves will dry as the weather warms during the day, and this will lower disease incidence. The best tool for monitoring water? Your thumb! Soil for bedding plants should be moist at 3 inches deep.
4. Prepare a proper bed. Most bedding plants prefer slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.5 to 6.8, so understanding soil alkalinity is important. A hand-held pH meter for crew leaders can save you money from “overcorrecting” soil problems. Check for too much salt, as well. Beds exposed to winter salting applications should be leached thoroughly before planting. As for prep for next year, don’t rototill last year’s mulch into landscape beds. Uncomposted mulch binds the soil nutrition, and could result in yellowing. “Green up” beds with high nitrogen feed at planting to help plants establish quicker. A single shot of liquid fertilizer at planting will help overcome “transplant shock” as roots establish. You can also incorporate a slow-release granular fertilizer for season-long plant health.
5. Work with your grower. Keep the lines of communication open with your color supplier to ensure you get the kinds and quality of plants you want.

Thinking ahead – up to 12 months before installation – can help control planning, timing, selection, ordering and delivery. By working with your grower (and ordering fall plants in the spring and spring plants in the fall) you can request certain varieties and colors.

Jeff Gibson is the landscape business manager for Ball Horticultural Co.