Evening star., 1942-03-08

trenching be impractical store in
cool place where they may be COW
cred with wet sacks, damp peat
moss, or at least sprinkled fire.
quently. II the new shrubs are dried
out upon arrival 1t is best to soak
them in water for a few hours
before planting.
Remove Broken Branches.
1t is good garden practice to re-
move broken branches, to trim OIL
smoothly the ends of broken roots,
and to cut back the tops OF not
already done) to compensate for loss
Of roots. Most shrubs are received
with more top than should be left
on. Many losses occur because the
tops are too big load for the roots.
If pruned severly 1t will make an
early and vigorous growth. while
too many branches will demand
more water than the roots can
supply and the bush will do very
poorly.
This applies equally we'll to ever
greens and to deciduous shrubs. The
evergreens are seldom pruned back
when transplanted but they would
greatly benefit by judicious appli-
cation of the pruning shears. Many
gardeners dislike to cut back the
slower-growing shrubs. This is par
ticularly true of holly, magnolia
and the yew. Nevertheless, they
should not be made the exceptions
to the rule unless they come directly
from a nearby nursery and have
been properly grown In that nurs-
cry.
Nursery-grown stock usually has
a fine, compact root system, and
can Withstand transplanting much
better than stock which has not
been regularly "root-pruned." With
out root-pruning most shrubs de-
velop long straggly roots which usu-
ally are severely injured in moving.
This explains why the nurseryman
seldom needs to prune severely
while the collector OF widings must
cut of major portion of a plants
top.
Before placing the new shrub or
tree in the hole note the earth mark
on the trunk which tells how deeply
it grew in the nursery. Try to
place it so that after settling it
will be no deeper in the soil than
it grew before. Some gardeners say
it may be safely planted an inch
deeper.
After the new shrub or tree has
been placed in the hole the normal
tendency is to shovel the top soil
in and tramp 1t down. In many
cases this works out fairly we'll, but
the careful gardener goes to con-
siderable pains to see that the
soil is we'll mixed with humus (de-
cayed vegetable natter. The mix
ture might we'll be made of equal
quantities of compost and soil. This
carefully prepared soil should be
worked in between the roots rather
than piled on top of them, which
would force all roots into a single
layer restricting their field of mois-
ture and food gathering. A few
minutes time spent in working the
soil carefully around the roots will
serve to eliminate air pockets. When
the roots have been thoroughly
and carefully covered it is time to
begin to tramp the soil firmly about
them. AS soon as the hole Is well
filled 1t is good practice to use
several bucketfulls of water to
fhnrnl1nb1u cooL f,,~
aid to settling.
Keep Well Watered.
After the new shrub or tree has
been planted it needs to be kept we'll
watered until it has had time to de-
velop good root system If planted
early and carefully it should have
a strong enough root system to take
it safely through the summer with
out heavy watering. Newly planted
evergreens benefit by a temporary
shade to protect them from the sun
and wind until they are well estab-
lished. A lath or burlap shade for
such shrubs as lockwood, yew, the
evergreen magnolias, ETC., is par
ticularly desirable
Tall shrubs and trees need Stak-
ing to prevent swaying in the wind
until their roots are strong enough
to held them. In stalking a tree or
shrub it is we'll to use pieces of old
rubber hose to protect the bark
from wire cuts. The guy wires used
in stalking need to be fastened
strong enough to protect the tree
during severe wind storm.
Summer mulches are a benefit to
all newly planted trees and shrubs,
since they reduce evaporation and
keep the roots cool. This is espe-
cially beneficial to those kinds which
are shallow rooted, to the eyergreens
that are used to COOL moist root runs,
there is tendency for the sun to
bake the soil following watering. A
or inch layer of compost or leaf
mold will do much to insure the
success of your planting.
Much of the above is in terms of
newly purchased plant material.
Additional suggestions for the gar
dener who is going to move some of
his shrubs or trees are:
/. In digging, use q spading fork
so as not to cut of any more roots
than necessary. Dig as much of the
root system as possible.
2. Do not expose the roots to wind
or sun any longer than is absolutely
necessary.
3. Cut back or remove a goodly
portion of the oldest wood to COM
pensate for loss of roots
4. While trees or shrubs are DOR
mant it is not absolutely necessary
to take a ball of soil. although it is
much safer since, in shaking of the
dirt, most Of the tiny feeding roots
are lost.
S. Prepare the new hole first.