How to Adjust Soil Depth for Perennials
Having a beautiful garden is a wonderful way to add color and warmth to a yard. Planting perennials will help to maintain that look, as they come back each year and bloom all over again. It is very important that the plants have the right soil depth when planting them to avoid exposure or suffocation. Knowing how to adjust the soil depth for the different plants will help assure that the garden will grow.
Items needed:
- perennials
- ruler
- garden spade
- shovel
- gypsum
- Choose perennials at a nursery or home center. Consider the environment where they will be placed. Does the area have a lot of sun, or does it also have shade? Make sure that the plants are healthy and free of insects or disease. Before planting them, set the plants on the ground to see where they look the best. It is important to know the size that each one will reach at maturity. The smaller plants will need to placed in front of the ones that grow taller, otherwise, the taller plants will over shadow the shorter ones.
- Read the plant tags. See what the soil depth should be for each plant.
- Use the spade, and dig a hole for each plant, one at a time. For larger plants, use a shovel for digging. Take the plant out of the store container and set it in the hole. If the soil has a high clay content, add gypsum to the hole to allow for better drainage. Check the depth with the ruler to see if the top of the plant is where it should be. If too low, add more soil underneath the plant. If too high, remove more soil from the hole. When it is just right, fill in around the plant with the soil that was removed from the hole. Recheck the depth after planting to make sure that dirt is properly covering the roots. If the hole is too deep, the roots will suffocate and the plant will die. If it is too shallow, the roots will suffer from exposure to the elements and sun.
- Water the plants after they are in the ground. Check again to make sure that they are at the proper depth. The water may cause them to sink or become overexposed. Make adjustments as needed.
- Enjoy the fruits of your labor!