Show Date: 19 Jun 09

Plant shopping is like shoe shopping to me:

Plant sale icon.

The thing is, it’s only a deal if the plant grows. So, check the leaves for yellowing or brown spots. If there are more brown/yellow spots than healthy leaves, then put it down. If you can, pull the plant GENTLY out of it’s pot and take a look at the roots. If they’re mushy or yellowed, then set it back down and walk away. The plant may have root rot.

Make your plant sale run the last stop of the day so your purchases aren’t sitting in the trunk of a car getting overheated. Plant as soon as you can or store them in a cool, shaded area. Be sure to add some organic matter to your planting hole and water them well.

Check back every day for the first week, then every few days for the next 3 weeks. For the first 3 years, you need to supplement any shrubs or trees with water unless you’re getting an inch of rain a week!

Show Date: 08 Jun 09

Not quite this dry, yet?

All your new plantings need, on average, an inch of water a week.

Trees and shrubs that have been established are tougher with deeper roots able to stretch down and get a drink from further below. Plants less than 3-years old need our help.

With these cool temps and not much rain, our peppers won’t set fruit either. It’s going to be a slower year for crops. Drip irrigation is by far the best bet to our plants and the environment. The water gets right to where it needs to go, no loss to the atmosphere and fungal diseases aren’t spread by splashing of water on leaves.