Growing up in Southern California where the weather is mild most of the year, we never gave much thought about when we could or couldn’t plant. It was never too cold or hot or too wet or dry. When it came to shrubs and trees, you could plant them any time you wanted to. Even in Northern California where I lived and worked as a Landscape Contractor we could plant year round, provided we could work the soil. Despite temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, we did most of our planting in the summertime. But for some goofy reason, there seems to be this misconception that it’s not okay to plant this time of year if you live in the Northwest. Go figure.

I can’t tell you how many times a week someone will call or come in and ask if it’s okay to plant now. I have even had customers buy plants this time of year and tell me that they are going to wait until the fall to plant them. I can assure you that keeping a plant alive in a pot is a lot more challenging than if it is in the ground.

Planting this time of year is really no different than planting in the Spring or the Fall. One needs to pay attention to good planting procedures. Nice rich soil, adequate moisture, good drainage and the proper location all add up to success. Regardless of the time of year, the key to successful transplanting lies in how you manage the water. I have talked about this subject before and it is worth revisiting now that we are in high summer. Here’s what you need to do this time of year if you are planting shrubs and trees.

Assuming you have the right plant for the right place, then the first thing to do is to dig the hole. The mantra is “Twice as wide as the pot and just deep enough to accommodate the root ball”. Once the hole is dug it is absolutely critical that you fill it up with water. This accomplishes two things. First it tells you if there are any drainage problems. With the hard glacial-till soils that are so prevalent around here you may discover that even after several hours, some of the water simply won’t go away. Your only option at this point is to plant the shrub or tree “high.” In other words, don’t plunge the root ball into the soup at the bottom of the hole unless you want the plant to die a slow painful death. Fill the hole with dirt until you are above the water line and then plant your shrub.

The other benefit of filling the hole with water is that this time of year the surrounding soils are so dry that they will draw water out of the root ball faster then you can put it in. By “presoaking” the sides and bottom of the hole, you prevent this from happening. Depending on the type of soil, you may need to fill the hole a couple of times before adequate moisture levels are achieved.

Once you have the root ball in the hole, replace about half of the soil and again flood the hole. Then replace the rest of the soil, make a generous watering basin or mote, and fill it up a couple of times with another two or three inches of water. As you can see, the recurring theme here is lots of water and if you are faithful about watering deeply then you should have no trouble in establishing plants this time of year. In fact, if you get enough water in the hole at planting time, then you may not need to water again for several days or even a full week. Just remember, it takes two or three inches of water to penetrate twelve inches into the soil where the bottom of the root ball is.

Just today I had a customer tell me that he had always heard that you should apply 5 gallons of water each day for 5 days and then you should be in good shape. I think I like that concept. And keeping a watering basin in place helps retain that five gallons of water around the root system. Remember, deep and infrequent applications are the best. Incase you have forgotten, that is exactly the opposite of “wine glass watering”.

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville. You can reach him at 425-334-2002 or email at info@sunnysidenursery.net.