CULT: pots vs ground & mulch
- Subject: CULT: pots vs ground & mulch
- From: L* M*
- Date: Tue, 09 Oct 2001 07:28:14 -0400
Last year, after some discussions we had here, I abandoned potting my
new aquisitions in the shade where I could keep them watered, and put
them directly in the ground. I covered each plant with a little 'house
of sticks' - small leafy tree branches about 8 to 12 inches long,
watered them well when I planted them and again when the soil appeared
to be really baked dry (I don't remember when - maybe several weeks
later). They did so well, that I have switched back to planting
rhizomes directly in the ground again. Again, thanks to discussions
here, I planted them while under the shade of a beach umbrella attached
to my little rolling box/seat. Other than watering them when I first
planted them, it has rained enough to keep them happy and growing like
mad. I had a huge amount of sugar maple branches from a tree that fell
in a storm in early July, so pretty well buried the early transplants
(May thru early August) under leafy twiglets. The twigs keep the leaves
from packing down and make a nice, airy, cool bit of shade for the
roots.
I liked using pots, and had much better success establishing new plants
here by first starting them in pots than I had previously had planting
them directly in the ground, but I like this method even better. Less
hassle getting plants in the ground late in the season.
This isn't exactly mulch and would look really messy in a display bed,
but maybe there is something that could be adapted from the leafy twig
approach that would look better yet serve the same purpose re: mulching
garden beds. I seem to be great at pragmatism, but never have been good
at class and style - ideas?
Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
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