Gardening 101: From Potted to Planted
Whether you are relocating a plant in a nursery pot or one that has overgrown its container, we’ve got some tips for anyone who is looking to find a permanent spot for their plant.
STEP 1: Choose the perfect spot for your plant.
Does this spot get full sun, part sun, part shade, or full shade? Does this spot have well draining soil, is it marshy, or is it very dry? All of these are important factors in deciding where to put your plant. Some things can be adjusted, like the quality of the soil, upping or lowering acidity, adding nutrients, but other things are very important. For example, you wouldn’t want to put a shade plant in a full sun spot.
STEP 2: Dig the hole as deep and a little wider than the pot.
Dig your hole, being conscious of the pot depth and width. Your hole should be just as deep and a little wider than your pot. Use your shovel to measure the depth of your hole. If you are planting a tree, you can create a little pedestal of soil in the middle so the root ball can sit on it and the tree can be slightly elevated from the surrounding soil. If you are planting in clay soil, scratch up the edges of the hole to loosen up the soil and allow more surface area and aeration.
STEP 3: Add nutrients to the soil.
Increasing the nutrients in your soil can help your plant adapt and thrive more quickly. However, adding too many nutrients or the wrong ones can harm the plant and its roots by burning the roots, causing root shock, or creating lazy roots that don’t extend beyond the hole that was dug and not grow deep enough to anchor the plant or reach the water tables below. Plants use nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus to promote growth, strength, to produce blooms, and to aid against disease. Add nutrients if you know your soil is not nutrient rich or if the plant looks like it is lacking. Organic options for nutrients include banana peels, aged manure, compost, used coffee grounds (for plants that like acidic soils), wood ashes, and egg shells. Inorganic options like sand, perlite, lime and vermiculite can help to amend the soil so you can better customize it to the needs of your plant.
STEP 4: Carefully remove pot and loosen root ball edges.
Taking care not to harm the plant, slide the pot off of the root ball. You may need to squeeze the pot a little or knock it a few times to shake it loose. You may also need to straighten out any roots that have made their way out of the drainage holes. Once the pot has been removed, gently brush away the dirt on the bottom of the root ball and loosen the soil holding it together.
STEP 5: Place in hole, backfill with soil, and water thoroughly.
Once your root ball has been loosened, place the plant in the hole and backfill the remaining space with soil until the plant is snug in the ground. Water generously and check back in every day or so to make sure it’s doing ok. The plant may need more water, nutrients, a different spot, or just some love. Once the plant is established in its new home, it may not need as much care.
If your plant doesn’t look so good, take a look at the needs of the plant. Does it need fertilizer? Is it going dormant for the winter? Does it need more or less water? There’s no need to be frustrated if you kill your first plant or your first ten plants. We learn from each plant what makes it thrive and what makes it die. Keep trying and remember that behind every great gardener are a lot of dead plants.
“There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments.” – Janet Kilburn Phillips
