Plant health depends on several factors and can be achieved with proper management techniques. Right Plant, Right Place:  Select plants for the correct site to minimize future stress. Soil Management: Regularly amend your soil with organic matter to improve drainage, tilth, compaction and nutrients. Efficient Irrigation: Avoid over watering your garden by using timers, placing plants with the same water requirements together, and watering as close to the roots as possible to create tolerant plants with fewer pests. Mulch: Apply mulch around the base of plants to hold in moisture and to keep weeds out.

When preparing to dig a trench, water the ground approximately two days before you dig to soften the soil. The climate in your area can determine how deep to dig the trench. Cold climates where hard freezes occur require a trench to be at least 18 inches. In extremely cold climates consult an irrigation contractor or supplier to determine how deep to dig below the frost line. Mild climates can be made at a depth of 8-12 inches. Check out some of our recommended shovels by clicking here.

Recognize the water requirements of the plants in your landscape and use only the water that they need. To achieve maximum water efficiency, it is beneficial to understand your soil's texture and moisture content, the current season, and your irrigation system's precipitation output. Need connectors for your watering system? Check out our products by clicking here.

Seeds and seedlings demand moisture close to the soil's surface, but more established plants need deep watering to develop roots that will find water in the subsoil when drought strikes. Just be careful not to overwater! You want soil that's damp but not soggy down to 5 to 6 inches below the surface. In waterlogged soil, roots are deprived of oxygen and may lose the ability to take up water. If your plants' foliage begins to brown at the edges and fall from the plant, you may be over watering. Check out some of our watering tools for your garden by clicking here.

Pruning is a cultural practice that has many benefits. Pruning provides structural training to young trees, removes dead or unwanted materials, prolongs blooming, increases fruit production, and creates shape and order to our gardens. During the pruning season, sharpen your tools frequently and clean after every use. This is especially important when pruning trees and other woody plants to prevent the spread of disease. Know the right time of year to prune.  Dead head herbaceous plants all season long to prolong blooms. Prune flowering shrubs, trees and fruit trees right after blooming time. Prune non flowering trees in late winter before the buds swell. If you have a sap bleeding tree it is best to prune in summer. Examples of…

The content in this section should be moved to the “When to dig Hard and Heavy Soil” section. Then Change the title to: The Science of Planting Trees Tree root systems are shallow and wide spreading. Based on nursery standards a transplanted tree has less than five to twenty percent of the fine absorbing roots that trees need for water uptake. This creates stress when the tree is planted in the landscape. The following steps will help promote rapid root growth to reduce the stress imposed by the limited root system. Step 1: Determine the depth of the planting hole. The top of the root ball should come to the soil surface with no backfill on top. Step 2: Dig…