Enhancing the survival of new plants

It might be a little early in the season to write about planting trees and shrubs, but I am getting the fever [along with a lot of other gardeners]. Although I am getting the fever, I also am thinking about the stress plants have had to endure because of the weather over the last few years.

Last year we had drought. The year before, we had floods. A few years before that, we had ice damage. If you are planting new shrubs and trees during a year of stress, you need to do something that enhances the chances of survival of new plantings.

I always have told gardeners when planting trees and shrubs to follow a tried and true method. First, dig a whole 2 times the diameter of the root ball of the shrub or tree you are planting, but at the same depth as the root ball. Mix the excavated soil with peat moss or compost in the ration of 2/3 soil with 1/3 organic matter.

Remove the plant from the pot it is in and shoot a jet of water at the root system to loosen the roots. This keeps them from continuing to grow in a circle like they do in a pot.

Next, place the plant in the hole and backfill with the combination of organic matter and soil. Finally, water the plant with a solution of root stimulator fertilizer such as 4-10-3 with rooting hormone.

Under normal conditions, the instructions above are sufficient for survival of most new planted trees and shrubs. I would like to suggest one more step in the process that will increase the chances of plant survival even under extreme weather conditions.

After removing the plant from its pot and shooting a jet of water at the root system to loosen up the roots, apply a handful of mycorrhizae to the wet root system, then place the root ball in the hole, backfill and fertilize with water as listed above.

Mycorrhizae are a combination of beneficial fungi that live in a symbiotic relationship with plant roots. As the fungi grow, they seek moisture for their growth and transfer some to the host plant. As the tree or shrub grows, it feeds the fungi with nutrients so the fungi can in turn grow. In other words, the plant and the mycorrhizae both grow better together [symbiosis], than they do separately.

Mycorrhizae have been recognized for many years in undisturbed soil. The use of mycorrhizae during planting has historically been practiced by only a few landscapers and some gardeners because of the expense of the product. Only recently has a technique been developed to reproduce the fungi in large quantities so that it could be made economically available to be used in large quantities by a large number of gardeners.

If you are planting trees and shrubs this spring, summer or even next fall, add some mycorrhizae to the planting mix. You will get better transplant survival even under adverse weather conditions.

It is important to use mycorrhizae along with the peat moss, below, root stimulator, right, and shrub transplanter, above, to ensure plant survival.

Send your gardening and landscape questions to Paul Schnare at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702-0699 or by email to news@semissourian.com.