Plantingoutguide permaculture balkan ecology project

Planting out Guide ● When you receive your plants place the roots in a bucket of water and soak for 12-24 hrs before planting. ● If you are not going to plant them into their permanent positions immediately keep the roots moist at all times, (for storing over winter see below) ● The best time to plant is when the soil is moist after a rain. If the soil is very wet, treading can cause compaction so avoid working on very wet soils particularly if your soil is clay. ● In choosing the position for your plant, bear in mind the light, fertility, water, temperature, space and community needs of the organism. ● Consider the maximum size the plant will grow to and how it will relate to the surroundings in the future. ● For plants that require ​cross pollination ​ or are ​dioecious​ you will need to consider the pollination needs and make sure you have a pollinator in the vicinity. ● If you are establishing bare rooted plants ensure that the roots are not exposed to direct sunlight and that they do not dry out. When soaking your plant roots before planting cover the roots so that sunlight cannot harm the roots through water.

Planting instructions ● Dig your hole sufficiently wide to allow some space around the root ball or roots i.e, do not cram the plant into a small hole. Twice the diameter of your pot or root system is adequate. ● When digging, separate the topsoil and subsoil layers. This is best achieved by placing two boards or tarps next to your hole. Dig the topsoil out and pile it on one board/tarp, now dig the subsoil out and pile it on the second board/tarp. ● Make sure the bottom and sides of your hole are not compacted from digging.

If there are any smeared surfaces, scrape them loose with a fork. This ensures easier access into the soil for the establishing roots as well as providing good drainage and air spaces. ● Water the empty hole well and allow time for the water to drain away. If your plant is in a container then rough up the sides of the root ball. The purpose of this is to ensure the fine roots make good contact with the soil when you fill in the planting hole. ● Due to the fast draining sandy loam we normally work with we plant a little lower than ground level to provide a dish for water to collect in. If you have poor draining soil (heavy clay) in an area of high rainfall and/or a high water table then you should consider planting higher than ground level.

â—? If your planting site has a history of intensive application of fungicides or other pesticides you should re-establish the mycorrhizal community.

Mycorrhizas are symbiotic relationships between fungi and plant roots. They are very common on crop plants as well as in wild plant communities, and in several cases they have been shown to be important or even essential for plant health. The fungus obtains at least some of its sugars from the plant, while the plant benefits from the efficient uptake of mineral nutrients (and water) by the fungal hyphae. You can re-establish the mycorrhizal community by simply adding half a spade full of soil from a healthy soil ecosystem nearby.

This should contain many of the beneficial fungal organisms. Mix the healthy soil with your pile of topsoil.

Picture shows how the plant can draw upon a much larger pool of soil resources with the assistance of mycorrhizal fungi

● Backfill the hole with the subsoil first, pack the soil in firmly around the roots or root ball and then add the topsoil, again tampering the soil firmly to ensure good contact is made between soil and roots. The idea behind keeping the soil layers in order is to create minimal disturbance to the existing soil ecology. It may just look like plain earth but there are a myriad of organisms at work in there. ● You can remove surrounding vegetation to approx 50 cm radius of the plant stem so you end up with a circle of bare earth approx 1 m diameter with your plant in the centre. If your plant is small then you can make the cleared area smaller. ● Imagine which way the water would flow across the land surrounding your plant, and pile up the organic matter you have scraped away from the surface along with any left over soil to create a barrier that will block the water from moving away from the plant. You want to keep the water around the plant where it can drain into the soil slowly and soak through to the roots below ground. It may be that on flat ground you need a barrier surrounding the plant creating a dish in which the water fills. N.B If you have a low water table, lots of rain in your area and poor draining clay soil then this is not advisable.

● Water the plant again applying more water than you think you will need and watch to see how well the water stays around the plant root zone. If you see the water escaping make some amendments to your barrier.

● Once the plant is watered, apply mature compost approx 2-3 cm deep covering the bare earth and place wet cardboard sheets or old clothing or cloth over the compost. If more than one piece of cardboard is needed overlap the cardboard so there are no gaps. This layer provides a barrier to prevent weed seeds in the soil from germinating and will decompose to add extra fertility to the soil.

You can also use proprietary organic mulch mats - We've heard they last a few seasons. ● Cover the cardboard/cloth/mulch with a further 3 cm of well matured compost and then cover this with a 10 cm layer of straw mulch (or other seedless mulch). ● If trees are planted too deeply or too much mulch is placed around the base of the tree, the constant moisture against the bark will create a condition called collar rot. Once the protective bark has rotted away, insects, microorganisms and fungi can easily enter the tree and begin to damage the plant. Make sure that the soil and mulch layers are not in direct contact with the bark around the base of the stem (the collar). Be sure to clear away the mulch and compost from that area so that you end up with a visible gap of at least 5 cm between stem and soil. You should check this every so often as the mulch usually makes its way back around the collar.

Collar Rot in a Apple Tree

● If planted in Autumn it is likely that your new plants will not need watering until the mid spring. Keep an eye on your plant and water if you see/feel the soil below the mulch is dry. It's important to keep the plant from drying out in the first few years and regular checks can prevent this. Most of the problems with newly-planted trees are down to a lack of water.

● If planting a tree whip, according to some reports and contrary to popular belief, staking is not necessary. It is claimed to be counter productive and discourages a young tree from forming strong and secure anchor roots. Large container trees will, however, need staking. ● Check your plant from time to time and make sure the mulch has not made its way back around the stem collar. Keep the area weed free for a few years by topping up the cardboard and if you have planted a tree with high nutrient demands apply extra compost the following autumn. ● Finally, enjoy your plant.!

Storing your plants for planting in the Spring - Heeling in You should plant out the trees as soon as possible. It may be planting conditions are not suitable and you need to delay planting . In this case you can ”heel them in” and plant them when the conditions are better or even wait until the spring.

To heel in you need to ● Soak the roots of the plant in water for 4-7 hours. ● Dig a trench that is deep and wide enough to accommodate the roots of the plant. ● If possible, dig the trench near a building foundation protected from the wind.

This will add an extra layer of protection to the plant as the building will let off radiant heat and block cold winds. ● After you dig the trench, lay the plant in the trench with the plant at an angle so that the collar is just above the trench and the roots are well buried in the soil. ● Placing the stems close to the ground allows the plant to get further protection from wind and cold. ● Fill the trench back in and mulch the plants with straw or leaves. ● Dig them up as soon as possible in spring and plant out in their permanent position.

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