Garden Tips Newsletter
Get a Headstart with Transplants for Perennial
and Annual Flowers
March 23, 2009
Instead of waiting for seeds to sprout, set out transplants to give yourself an edge on the gardening season. Choose young transplants that have filled their container and preferably not blooming. Avoid those that look top heavy, as they’re probably rootbound and will be stunted.
Till your soil, working in plenty of organic matter, such as compost, sphagnum peat moss, or decomposed manure or sawdust. This is a good time to apply any lime and fertilizer recommended by the soil test results. Then level the soil with a garden rake, filling in depressions where water could collect.
Apply a 2 inch layer of mulch to help keep the soil moist and cool during the coming hot weather. You’ll find it easier to put down the mulch first and plant through it to set out your transplants. Uniform and adequate spacing gives the planting bed a tidy look and allows the plants to develop without crowding. When spaced too close, annuals and perennials become spindly. Too much spacing gives weeds room to grow. With proper spacing, the top growth of the plants will shade the soil keeping it cool and free of weeds.
Set plants at the same depth they were growing in the flat or container. Finally, water well to settle the soil around the roots. Also pinch out any flowers. I know how hard that is to do, but removing the flowers will encourage more growth by diverting energy into the new growth and ultimately more flowers.
Lelia Scott Kelly, Ph.D., writes Garden Tips weekly and is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.