Autumn planting of trees and shrubs
When gardens get their autumn colours, it is the right time to plant trees. As the soil is always moist, the plants grow a good root system. Help them by using Green Flocks or Green Cubes that additionally ensure moisture and airiness to the soil, which helps the roots grow even better. Green Flocks and Green Cubes loosen even the most compacted soil.
Which trees to choose
When deciding on autumn planting, you have to buy the right plants. In the autumn, nurseries usually sell plants that are appropriate for autumn planting. However, as autumn is a very broad term as regards planting, it is good to know the rules of planting yourself. The following are appropriate to be planted in the autumn:
- trees sold in containers (before the first frost),
- trees with naked roots that shed their leaves (from the second half of autumn until the first half of spring),
- frost-resistant trees with naked roots that are either evergreen or deciduous (mid autumn),
- trees with a root ball (in the first half of autumn),
- deciduous trees (with a mild climate also in winter).
Many are of course also appropriate for spring planting, however due to water supply, autumn planting is still preferred. Plants that grow firm roots by the spring also transition through the spring or summer draught more easily.
Preparing the soil
Even though planting one sapling might seem like a small feat compared to a whole flowerbed, there is a lot of work involved in planting a tree. As you have to dig a deep and big enough hole, gardening recreation is ensured. Your work will be especially tiresome if you are digging in clay soil. High-clay soil can be recognised by its stickiness, which can be best spotted by the dirt clods stuck to your shoes that you bring into your home from the garden. When dealing with such soil, dig a planting pit that is twice as big as the tree's root ball. Reduce the size of the planting pit as required by filling it with a mixture of compost, sand and Green Flocks. Use at least 50% of the latter. This will improve the flow of water and prevent the accumulated water from smothering the roots. If your soil is deep and soft for digging and not too sandy, you can leave out the compost. In any case, make sure that the soil completely covers Green Flocks.
When dealing with light sandy soil, underneath bigger trees and everywhere else where the young tree could be affected by draught, add compost to the bottom of the planting pit and if required also a small amount of the appropriate mineral fertiliser. Mix Green Cubes with the soil that you will use to fill the planting pit in a 1:1 ratio. Green Cubes will ensure better moisture retention and help you take better care of your plants during draught periods with less effort. When you evenly distribute the soil, make sure that all Green Cubes are covered by the soil.
Shrubs
Shrubs can be planted in the garden or in containers around the house. Compared to the former, the latter are more at risk of drying up, even in the winter, as they are not in contact with the surrounding soil like the ones in the garden, and maintaining proper moisture in the soil is thus more difficult. They are also often deprived of precipitations, as they are positioned under canopies. When planting them, add Green Flocks to the substrate (if you have a more clayey substrate) or Green Cubes, which provide moisture for longer periods of time. It is nevertheless prudent to regularly check the moisture of the substrate and to move the shrubs to a wind-protected area near the house in the winter, where differences in temperature are lower.
When planting shrubs in the garden, we recommend using Green Flocks, which, in addition to moisture retention and loosening of the soil, also contribute to better growing of roots in the autumn, and the plant will thus be better equipped for the spring or summer draught. Green Flocks also remain in the soil for several years and will provide the plant with sufficient moisture and the roots with airiness for good growth throughout the entire year.