WATER

The function of watering new plants is to saturate the soil around the plant.

 

Water twice a week if temperatures are above 75°, once if below 75°. During periods of drought and stress, plants will greatly benefit from a 3rd watering during that week.

 

Hold an open-end hose, with moderate water pressure, over the center of the plant. Watering for larger shrubs, aim the water to hit the center of the shrub 1-2 feet above the mulch. And for trees lay the end of the hose near the base of the tree trunk.                  

            PLANT                                                      AMOUNT PER EACH WATERING

Perennials…………………………………………………………5-10 seconds

                                    

Ornamental grasses………………………………………………5-10 seconds

 

Shrubs

up to 24” height ..…..…………………………………….…10 seconds

24”-48” height……...…………………………….…….….15-20 seconds

 

Trees: multi-trunk and evergreens

(Crape myrtle, Arborvitae, Pines, Cedar, Cryptomeria, Leyland Cypress, etc.)

 

6’-8’ height…………………………………………………2 minutes

8’-10’ height ……….…….………………………………...4 minutes

10-14’ plus height……………………..……………….….5+ minutes

 

Trees: single trunk

(Flowering and Shade trees)

 

.1.75” and 2” caliper……………………….……………….2 minutes

2.5” and 3” caliper………………………………………....4 minutes

3.5” and 4” caliper……………………………………..…5+ minutes

 

FERTILIZER

All plant material that is installed by Distinct Landscapes has been fertilized the day of installation. Plant material installed in the fall season will not need additional fertilizer until the following year. When applying fertilizer, use a well-balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 and follow the instructions on the fertilizer package.

 

As a general rule of thumb, perennials, evergreen shrubs, and evergreen trees should be fertilized during the months of April and May. Ornamental grasses, deciduous shrubs, and deciduous trees should be fertilized during the months of September thru November.

 

PRUNING

Perennials and ornamental grasses will need to be cut back before new growth emerges from the base of the plant in the spring. Prune the plant/spent foliage to a height of 4”-8” in late fall or in early spring. Prune broken shrub or tree branches at any time of the year. Pruning to give a shrub a desired shape should be done in the Spring and Summer seasons. This allows new tender growth to harden-off before the cold winter months. As a general rule of thumb, prune flowering shrubs after they have flowered.

 

MULCH

Re-mulch your landscape beds and trees as necessary to keep a 2”-3” layer. A good time to do this is in the spring after any pruning has been done. Also before mulching, apply any necessary fertilizer and re-edge the beds. Besides mulch’s aesthetic value, it inhibits weeds, retains soil moisture, regulates soil temperature, and improves clay soils. We recommend using bag mulch because it contains minimal weed seeds.

 

WEEDING

Maintaining new landscaped plant beds will greatly reduce weeds. We recommend spending a few minutes every other week removing any weeds that emerge from the mulch. Allowing weeds to grow and form seeds will just increase the amount of future weeds, creating an unsightly landscape.