Seasonal Tips for April and May - Trees
The best time to plant bare root trees is when they are dormant, so if you have bought a tree or two and haven’t yet planted them, it’s important that you do so before they start to grow.
April and May are a natural time to plant. Every keen gardener would agree that there is always room for a few more plants.
A visit to the garden centre now will reveal a wide choice of fabulous spring flowering trees and shrubs. These will have been grown in containers and although they can be planted almost all year round, it is much better to plant them in spring or autumn. Make sure you plant when the soil is not frozen or waterlogged.
Dig out a hole twice the size of the root ball and loosen the soil in the bottom of the hole. Mix into this loose soil some Rose, Tree & Shrub Compost with added John Innes, this will help the plant roots grow easily into the surrounding soil and provide essential drainage and nutrients to the roots. Position the root ball into the hole and add some Bone Meal Root Builder to the soil and compost mix. Fill in around the roots with a mix of the surrounding soil and Rose, Tree & Shrub Compost with added John Innes, and firm gently around the roots. Water thoroughly even if it has rained as this will settle the soil and compost around the roots and help the tree establish more quickly. After a week or so, top up the compost around the roots where it has settled and mulch the area with an appropriate mulch. Use Decorative Mini Bark for small areas and Bed and Border Chipped Bark or Golden Pine Bark for large areas.- Trees and shrubs will benefit from an early spring feed to support strong and healthy growth. Use Growmore Garden Fertiliser for a general balanced feed, it’s granular so can be sprinkled around the base of your plants. Organic gardeners can opt for Fish, Blood & Bone All Purpose Plant Food or Bone Meal Root Builder; both are ideal for use all around the garden for established and new plants. Follow the instructions on the pack.
- Check any tree ties that are supporting your plants, as the sap rises stems, branches and trunks will thicken and if the ties are too tight it will restrict the growth of your plants. Loosen any that are too tight.
- Check your trees for any wind damage and carefully prune out any affected stems and branches taking care to prune back, close to the supporting branch or trunk so that the wound heals quickly. Use a sharp saw or sharp secateurs to make a clean cut; otherwise you may leave wounds where disease can take hold.
- Apply mulch around the base of trees after heavy rainfall to suppress weed growth, improve the soil moisture retention and insulate the roots from extremes of temperature. For the best results and great appearance, opt for a large, chunky mulch such and Bed and Border Chipped Bark or Golden Pine Bark for large borders and areas, and a finer mulch such as Decorative Mini Bark for small borders, containerised trees and around specimen trees in the lawn. Make sure the soil is thoroughly saturated before adding a mulch. If it is not, then water it thoroughly first. Applying a mulch over dry soil actually prevents rainfall from filtering through the mulch to the soil beneath.
Other useful tips for April and May:
