- Dig a hole twice as wide and half again (1 1/2 times) as deep as the plant container.
- Mix the soil from the hole with Nicholson-Hardie compost; mix together in half and half proportion.
- Refill the hole one third of the way with the mixture. Carefully remove the plant from the container and place the plant in the hole. More soil mixture may be needed underneath the plant if it is sifting too low in the ground. The top of the soil from the plant should be level with your topsoil level. Fill in the sides with the rest of the soil mix. Leave a big well around the plant for watering by hand. When removing the plant from the container, take care not to break or damage the root ball. Some plants with weaker smaller root systems (e.g. camellias) should be laid on their side and the container pulled away from the root ball. Gently pick up the plant by the soil and roots and set in the hole.
- Saturate the root ball immediately after planting with Fertilome Root Stimulator mix. Use 1/2 gallon of dilution for 1 gallon plants, 1 gallon of dilution for 5-gallon plants and 3 gallons of dilution for 10 gallon or larger plants. Make Fertilome Root Stimulator dilution as instructed on label. Water thoroughly to send dilution on through to the root ball. You may need to repeat these steps monthly until plant has rooted out.
- May through October, water by hand every day thoroughly for the first 2 to 3 weeks while maintaining your same automatic sprinkler system settings. Taper to twice weekly thereafter or once a week in the winter until plant has rooted out. For November through April, hand watering twice a week initially may be enough. Remember plant and soil requirements vary, so water needs and application may need adjusting. In general, plants planted in shade do not need nor can they tolerate as much water as plants planted in the sun. Much more watering by hand is needed for new plants in the warm and hot months compared to the cool months.
