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How long for shrubs and trees to be established?

15 years ago

Approximately how long can shrubs and trees be established? Thanks

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chueh
Original Author

15 years ago

I see. Thanks dibbit

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Comments (6)

Iris GW
15 years ago
If you are asking because of watering considerations (people frequently say "water regularly until established"), it is generally considered to be a year ... but of course that can vary based on the plant itself (especially the age).

So, really, it depends, but the rule of thumb is one year.

Also keep in mind, a general observation is that newly planted plants take some time to start growing well in their new home. Often you will hear people say "the first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, and the third year it leaps". So if your definition of "established" is that they are putting out lots of new growth, it could take more than a year.

Hope that helps.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
further..

established is when it can fend for itself.. without your intervention .... i call it free range ....

esh is about right .... with shrubs.. you are responsible for water the first year.. in drought the second.. and they should be free range by the 3 .... but keep an eye on them.. in case they need an extra drink ...

never fert a shrub ...

ken
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I think it's great that you have identified the kind of gardener you are. I found the sentence "I am a plantsman, not a gardener" in a magazine about ten years ago and it was my gateway to the same understanding. No drifts for me either! I have a quantity of plants that no other person would try to cram onto a property the size of mine, and individual plants that by themselves would occupy the whole space if I did not (a) control them by pruning or dividing or staking or tying, and (b) cull the occasional individual that tries to grow to its full size. My conclusion about shrubs in particular is that you have to have a plan for the airspace that they can occupy and keep them to it, otherwise they will just take all they can get. But trees too... you decide which major branches will be allowed to grow, and which will go. You do need to take light direction into account, as a certain amount of leaning for the light will occur among deciduous shrubs. So my answer to your question would be to plant as you wish at this moment. Ten or twenty years from now, you or a future home owner may make different decisions, but you can only make decisions for today; you can't control what people do down the line anyway, so why try to plant for the needs of twenty years hence? To leave a reasonable amount of space is only rational, but to strive for leaving the perfect amount of space is to sacrifice your current needs for future needs that you cannot even guarantee will play out. The next owner may clearcut the whole lot, or cull a specimen they dislike anyhow. In addition, you will be able to move these specimens around for a few years anyway. By the way, the aerial view is not the only one you should consider. You have no doubt done so, but think about view corridors and window blockages and such too. KarinL
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You should consider that moisture meters are notoriously inaccurate. Something very important to consider is the issue with your amended soil and the clay. It is very easy, especially when planting in a clay soil, to create something of a hole-o-muck when we amend the backfill. The moisture has a difficult time leaving that 'improved' soil, so the roots are left in kind of a soupy bathtub. That's one of the reasons why amending the backfill of a planting hole has not been recommended for many years. If you are preparing a whole planting bed, use all of the amendments you like, but not when planting hole-by-hole. I was introduced to HARD, red clay when I moved to Northern Alabama. I've learned that plants do fine...no, better than fine...GREAT in clay soil, as long as that soil drains reasonably well. Clay soils require less watering and fertilizing. Are your landscaped areas mulched? I ask, because not only does mulch cool the soil, preserve the moisture, etc., but helps your water to percolate rather than run off the soil's surface. Another question. Were the hollies container grown or B&B?
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personally i wouldnt rely on the radio for opinions on anything.. the discussion may be a starting point.. but you are then left to do your own research .... which you did by coming here ... go figure .... i am trying to expand my own knowledge here.. so i am going to speculate on this.. please correct anything that you might think is wrong ... there are 3 things in my world.. that trigger the thought of transplant... in no particular order.. all 3 leap to mind.. in an effort to reduce plant stress ... first.. declination of the sun ... as winter comes.. the sun gets lower.. putting less stress on the plant... so we transplant up here in spring or fall .... so the plant can grow some roots before the heat of next summer ... the next issue for reducing stress is when the days shorten and the daytime temps abate ... if you are going to cut off 80% of the roots.. you simply dont want the plant to deal with any temps over 75 degrees or so ... if you are trying to save the leaves ... so we either want the leaves dormant [perhaps after the frost] or falling off ... and thirdly ... night temps... if the temps at night.. are in the 50's... the plant has time to pump some water.. to aid the plant above ground.. and grow some roots ... and how cool it is at night can offset how warm it is during the day .... all that said .... its all about reducing or eliminating the stress of cutting off a majority of the roots ... after all those considerations.. there are all the issues of proper aftercare including PROPER PLANTING ... PROPER MULCHING AND PROPER WATERING FOR UP to 2 years afterward .... so IMHO.. no matter what zone you are in ... you have to address all 3 issues ... it should be apparent.. how stressful it would be to be doing this in august .. in z8 ... so contemplate the other end of the spectrum and you should be well on your way to success ... ken
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I start off the season with organic intentions. I'll scratch in rose-tone once a month, and toss around some alfalfa pellets and manure throughout the beds. I don't mulch until around Memorial Day since I'm usually planting seedlings around that time. Then as summer heats up, we get busy, all sort of creepy insects start hanging out in the beds, and things really fill in, it isn't as easy to meandre around scratching in rose-tone. At that point, I usually realize I'm way off schedule, so I start using MG. Since my roses are mixed into beds with other shrubs and plants, I think this August I may experiment with MG Bloom Booster on my spring flowering shrubs since they'll be developing flower buds at that time. I do like a mix of organic and chemicals. Though I really do prefer the organics, they seem to work better in the spring and early summer when we have a lot of rain. Things get dryer in the summer, and since I'm watering anyway, I figure I might as well just go for the MG at that time. One caveat though: We get hit extremely hard by Japanese Beetles around the 4th of July. The little monsters can hang around until October some years. So that is another reason that it doesn't really matter to go around with the organics. The JBs are just going to eat everything anyway. *sigh*
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chueh
Original Author
15 years ago
Actually, I did not even know how to ask the question, but you answered my question perfectly well. Yes, I do need to know the establishment in terms of both watering condition and root settlement. I lost some bushes perhaps because i did not water them well enough before they could even be established. Thank you both.
Dibbit
15 years ago
You do have to keep an eye on the soil, and not just rely on top growth - because of fertilization in the nursery setting, some potted plants can put out quite a bit of top-growth in their first year, even though the roots haven't really grown out enough to truly support it - thus they will need extra watering.

I have always assumed that the saying Esh Ga quotes refers to the growth of roots to support a lush top growth, so about 2 years is about right, but the third year can still require attention to watering, depending on whether conditions in the preceeding 2 years were optimum for root growth.

A friend who moved here from Montana said a month or so ago that she had no trouble growing very good hay crops there as soon as she was able to get her mind around the concept that she was really growing grass roots, and the hay was a welcome by-product!
spiritangel
15 years ago
Here in farm country, the saying with all plants goes:

The 1st year they sleep
The 2nd year they creep and
the 3rd year they leap.

Spiritangel

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