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Untangling roots helps transplants become established in the ground.
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You've brought a lot of beautiful annuals home from the garden center, and you've watered them well. Now it's time to put them in the ground. Or is it? If the plants are sun-lovers and you bought them from an open-air market or garden center where they've received full sun, you can plant them as soon as you bring them home. Before you plant greenhouse-grown annuals in full sun, however, they need to adjust to the increased light and to their new environment. This acclimation process is called "hardening off" and takes about a week. Master gardener Chris Dawson explains the process: To harden off annuals: - Put the plants--still in their pots or cell packs--outdoors in a spot sheltered from strong winds and direct sun. Water as needed.
- Move the sun-loving plants to a more exposed location every day or two. (Keep shade-loving plants such as impatiens and bugleweed in the shade.)
- Continue to water as needed, and bring them inside if frost is forecast.
Planting instructions: - Water plants well.
- If you want to plant the annuals in an already established bed, loosen the soil at each planting spot. If you're creating a new bed, till the soil.
- To prevent stressing the transplants, plant in the late afternoon when the sun is less intense or on an overcast day.
- Gently slip the plants out of their pots; avoid pulling on the stems as this can damage the plants.
- Carefully untangle any circling roots.
- Plant the annuals at the same depth they were growing in the pot.
- Stagger them, positioning them in diamond or triangle shapes; avoid planting in rows.
- Don't space them too close together; it may look good at first but as the plants mature, they'll be overcrowded.
- When backfilling a planting hole, do it carefully and evenly to avoid excessively large air pockets that can damage roots.
- Water transplants generously with a water-soluble plant food. To make your own, mix two tablespoons of complete-analysis granular fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10, per gallon of water until dissolved.
- Mulch well, and make sure your annuals receive one inch of water each week.
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