I would like to first talk about not actually caring about plants too much. This might sound crazy and the opposite to everything anyone might have ever told you but these a real reason behind this.

Plants are naturally adapted to their habitat and have properties to build their immune systems. If you put too much protection around a plant then it gets affected by the element like wind, flood, or harsh climates causing it not able to protect itself this is why right plant right place is very important. I am focusing on this issue as it’s an important thing when looking after new plants especially within first two years which is vital and time to let the plant established in its natural habitat.

First of all, it’s very important to plant the plant in the right location for any plant to succeed and established well (I will be repeating this quite a lot as it’ll make you remember).

 Incorrect staking of new trees and shrubs will hinder the plant from establishing deep tap roots to anchor the plant into the ground from Strong winds this can also result in too much pressure around the bark that has a possible chance of killing it but cutting into the cambium which is the main transport system of sap like we have blood running through our veins. The industry recommends three stakes with tie at three different levels to provide stabilisation from only the strongest of winds. It is also especially important to use an organic material such as hessian that can breakdown over time and has flexible aspects, plastic on the other hand can just cause problems in the future as it doesn’t breakdown the same as with the flexibility as organic material.

Irrigation is a requirement in most developed landscapes as they have been stripped of all original plants and microenvironments that protect the water holding capabilities of Soils. These environments protect by forming a dense canopy of different layers within the natural native bush to protect against the sun and climate changes. As these conditions do not exist anymore, we have to adapt or form these environments ourselves. This will be a hard process as humans we have scrapped away and destroyed the native soils and plant environments so additional irrigation before the plants have established is important. As this is a reason for reintroduction of mass regeneration planting. 

Some Important information 

New Zealand has relatively new soils so most of their roots are not as deep but native plants are adapted to withstand this. Imagine the depth of soils around the world old continents have very deep soils so have lots of plants with the deepest of tap roots. Being one of the newest countries New Zealand’s Topsoil is remarkably thin. This is why to create a ‘Native Environment’ or garden the planting must be dense and compact so they help each other from the elements. Planting only one plant or too Farsley apart will have a detrimental effect on the plants eventual growth and this could result in the plant not able to withstand extreme changes especially with climate change. We can get into plant spacing in another blog which is another especially important topic. 

Correctly placed irrigation is important for example all plants receive most of their water requirements from their roots through osmosis and capillary action. These roots will go in search far and wide for water. When planting plan the irrigation for the eventual size not the size you’ll get it from the plant nursery as this position won’t help the plant as the roots will stay close which can cause instability in adulthood. The eventual furthest point of the plant’s growth is where the irrigation should be. Never put irrigation near the stem as this can cause crown rot and can die. 

Another aspect of plant care within the horticultural industry is the use of rain crystals which is a polymer-based gel-like substance that expands when wet (It holds water in its structure). This is a touchy subject as some believe it betters the establishment, but some believe this is a bad practise that should be avoided as it doesn’t allow the roots to grow out and find its own water this can cause a comfort zone with a potential of root circling and eventual effect on its immunity. These a massive but, in soils with low retention of water it can be beneficial as it’s a quick solution. The right horticultural practice would be to add well rotten organic material to the soil as this will improve the quality to be able to hold water.

I know this can be a lot of information stuffed into a short blog but it’s something that you can re-read. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this. In conclusion ‘Right plant, right place’.

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Bonus Link

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/organic-fertilizer