Backyard Gardening 

First time homeowners can’t wait until they can get into backyard gardening. Unfortunately they usually have very limited knowledge of caring for the plants they spent good money for. First time backyard gardeners visit their local garden center, buy a few plants, take them home and plant them. The garden they created looks great and they are extremely proud of what they have accomplished. Unfortunately in a couple of weeks some of the plants don’t look quite so good.

You assume they need some water or need some fertilizer. It is quite possible that water is all the new plants need. It is highly unlikely that they need fertilizer. It is likely that the new back yard gardener has not done any watering at all since they were planted. However, watering may not be what they need either. In many of these situations the plants have either been planted too deep or watered too much or were planted in a wet area.

Just like people, plants need oxygen. Plants must be planted in soil that is not too heavy and is well drained. They must be able to get oxygen to their root system. If you plant them in soil that does not drain well they are likely to die because the moisture cannot escape and the plants suffocate due to a lack of oxygen. Unfortunately most new gardeners give the plant more water and the plant dies. In short they drowned the plants.  

Planting plants or trees too deep causes the same problem. If you are planting a balled or burlap plant you should plant it so that about 1-2" of the ball is above the ground level. Cover the top of the ball with about 1-1/2" to 2" of soil, creating a mound over the ball. This will allow the transfer of oxygen to the root system, and will shed excess water away from the plant.

The same applies to container gardening plants. Plant them so that the soil level in the container is slightly above the level of the ground. Make sure you place a layer of soil over the top of the soil from the container so the plant does not dry out too easily.   

The best way to insure your plants have the correct amount of moisture in the soil is to raise your planting beds at least 8" with good, rich, well drained topsoil. By planting your plants in a raised bed you can water with confidence knowing that excess water will drain away from your landscape plants. Make sure the soil you use to raise your bed does not have a clay base. Clay soil does not drain well at all.

The easiest way to check the soil for proper moisture content is to take a handful of soil from around the root system and squeeze the soil in your hand. If any water at all runs out the soil is too wet. The soil should be damp and cool to the touch, but not wet.

Backyard gardening can be a lot of work and fun but the plants must be properly planted and watered if they are going to survive.

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