Preparing to Plant
All the excitement comes after finally purchasing all of your favourite plants. The time has come to prepare for your delivery...so how exactly do you do that? Firstly its important to know your plants, the species, size and original growing conditions can make all the difference to the transplanting process.
Species
Its extremely important to do your research on the species you are purchasing prior to even placing your order. Each different variety of plant will have its very own set of growing conditions that support optimum health and ensure its survival. This can include the amount of sunlight it should receive, watering schedule, required soil types and so on. This is also an important step in determining whether the plant is suitable for your requirements e.g. The overall growth size of the plant, whether it is dangerous or poisonous, foliage shedding etc. Once you have determined all of these factors, you are ready to get into the fun part.
Positioning
Determining where your plants are going to be positioned is a key step in your preparations. Looking back on your original research in step 1 will help you with this process. Furthermore your environment and surroundings also largely factor into this process. Is there a specific location you had in mind for planting? Do you have a specific purpose in mind for your plants? e.g. hedging and screening?
How close are other structures to your desired planting location?
Some plants will require more room and have larger root systems than others so it is important to take all of these things into account when choosing an ideal planting location.
How close are other structures to your desired planting location?
Some plants will require more room and have larger root systems than others so it is important to take all of these things into account when choosing an ideal planting location.
Digging Holes
Once again your knowledge of the species you are planting comes largely into play when prepping your planting holes. Each species will have a preferred soil type, drainage requirements etc. Thus it is important to research your species! For most of our plants preparing your holes is quite straightforward and shouldn't take up too much time. The first step is really just ensuring you dig your holes to the correct size. You should dig your holes slightly larger than the pot or bag sizes that they are coming in. This allows the plants a little bit of room to establish into their ew home. This brings us to our next step...
Bag and Pot Sizes
300mm: 310Ø x 270mm
400mm: 400Ø x 320mm
45 litre: 380mmØ x 400mm
75 litre: 470mmØ x 440mm
100 litre: 530mmØ x 460mm
150 litre: 600mmØ x 530mm
200 litre: 690mmØ x 550mm
Soil Prep
Once your holes are completely ready it is time to prepare your soil. For some plants there is nothing you will need to do in this step but for others there may be some important things to take into account. For example prepping your soil with fertiliser is a commonly recommended practice. For other plants, ensuring a certain soil moisture may be as equally important. It all comes down to your specific species and size of plant you have ordered. Even the time of year you are planting in may have an affect on your pre-planting process.
Planting Time!
Once you have completed all your preparations and your plants have arrived, its time to plant! More information on the planting process can be found in our article All About Planting.