EARTHSCAPE'S PLANT CARE GUIDE AND WARRANTY

Earthscapes strongly believes in the educating of our clients about the care of their new and existing landscapes.  We believe in this because we feel that playing an active role in the care of your landscape will result in a greater appreciation and understanding of the landscape as a working system. We are always here to answer your questions and help you with your landscape issues, but you are ultimately the steward of your land.

Plant Hardiness

  1. Fairfield County, Connecticut is in growing zone 6. This hardiness rating means that plants need to be able to withstand temperatures down to -10F.  Any plant, which has a hardiness rating above zone 6, will not survive in this climate.

Watering New Plantings

  1. New plantings need special attention for at least the first 3 months or until the root system has a chance to grow into the surrounding soil.
  2. New plantings should be watered every other day for the first month, depending on weather.
  3. Deep thorough watering is important to plant survival when new.
  4. To check moisture of plant, push mulch back and put finger into root ball. If dry, water thoroughly.
  5. When watering, water at the base of the plant so that the root ball will be thoroughly saturated.  Watering the foliage can result in fungus, premature browning of flowers, and scorching among other things.
  6. Plants can handle some degree of stress. So in most cases plants will survive under-watering better than they can survive over-watering.
  7. Large trees and shrubs should have soil saucers at base and be thoroughly puddled so the whole root ball gets saturated.  When new, this should happen every other day depending on weather.

Plant Care

  1. Amending soil for new plantings is not recommended unless soil conditions are extremely poor.  It is better for the plant to get established in the existing conditions so that it is not fooled in to thinking that it is growing in something that it is not (e.g. Amended soils, fertilizer, etc.).
  2. A good soil conditioning mulch is suggested to help fertilize, add organic nutrients, and keep weeds down after plantings are installed.
  1. Use mulch sparingly.  Too much mulch, especially piled up and in contact with the stem or trunk of a plant can lead to health issues and even death.
  2. Planting beds may need to be biannually cleaned out of excess mulch before new mulch is put down to ensure health of plants.

Perennials/Grasses

  1. Perennial blooms or flower stalks can be pruned back to the foliage once flowering has passed. In some plants removing spent blooms can also promote more flowering and vegetative growth. Leave spent blooms if seed heads are ornamental or you are interested in attracting wildlife.
  2. In the late fall perennials should be pruned back to the ground so that hey are ready for new spring growth.
  3. Perennials should be divided every 2-3 years to rejuvenate and create more plants.  Each perennial grows through a different means, so check a good plant reference or with Earthscapes to learn how to divide specific plants.
  4. Divide spring blooming plants immediately after they flower and summer and fall flowering plants early in spring.
  5. Grasses should be cut back in early spring to about 4”, for new growth to develop.  Grasses add color and texture to the winter landscape
  6. When cutting grasses back you may notice a hollow spot in the middle of the clump.  This is a sign that the grasses will need to be divided and re-planted. This usually occurs every 3 years.

Pruning of Trees and Shrubs

  1. Pruning is done to promote healthy branching structure, plant rejuvenation, control size and better flowering of trees and shrubs.
  2. New plantings should only be pruned if there are broken or wayward branches.
  3. Pruning time can affect the following seasons flowering so research the plant or contact Earthscapes to find out if it is the right time to prune that particular variety. Note: Prune flowering shrubs when they are not budding out. Prune summer flower shrubs in winter and early spring. Prune spring flowering shrubs immediately after flowering.
  4. Shearing is not always the best way to control plant size and promote healthy growth. In most cases shearing does not control size of plant. Contact Earthscapes to find out proper pruning techniques for your pruning project.

Lawns

Sod

  1. Newly planted lawns need to be watered one or two times a day, for the first week and every other day after that.  If watering in sections 20 to 40 minutes per area should be adequate.
  2. Look for areas of sitting moisture.  Poorly drained areas could lead to disease or drowning of roots.
  3. Never water in the evening or at night.  Grass should go to bed dry so fungus does not set in and destroy your newly planted lawn.
  4. Watering schedules should be adjusted to make up for natural rain.
  5. Remember, soil absorbs water more readily when there is moisture already present. Letting sod or soil dry out can affect the absorption rate and can lead to the decline of the sod due to lack of water.
  6. If you think pests or diseases are affecting the health of your lawn call Earthscapes to evaluate the problem before to much damage is done.
  7. Sod can be mowed approximately 14 to 21 days after installation. Make sure lawn has had 24 hours to dry prior to this so mowers do not damage it.  Waiting to long to mow can cause grass to mat down which can lead to certain cultural conditions such as disease.

Seed

  1. The best time to seed is April through May and mid- August through October.
  2. To promote strong growth the seed bed should not be allowed to dry out nor should it be over saturated. For best results watering should occur early in the morning and mid-afternoon for about 30 minutes. This is crucial during hot weather.
  3. Warm temperatures and humidity is key to germination.
  4. Once grass has been established grass should start being watered every other day.  If weather is warm, increase watering time and not the number of days.
  5. First mowing should occur approximately 30 days after seeding. Make sure lawn has had 24 hours to dry prior to this so mowers do not damage it.  Waiting to long will cause the grass to mat down which can lead to certain cultural conditions such as disease.

EARTHSCAPE’S PLANT WARRANTY

  1. Earthscapes Landscape Management and Development Inc. is not responsible for plants which are killed by forces of nature.
  2. Earthscapes Landscape Management and Development Inc. is not responsible for the death of plants due to lack of watering or over watering.
  3. Plants, which die during the first year because of cultural reasons, (disease, nursery growing conditions, poor handling, etc.) will be replace a no cost to the customer.
  4. Earthscapes will inspect plants in question and make a decision based on our experience and educate the client on our decision.

Plant Identification Resources

http://plants.usda.gov

www.gardenweb.com - Go to Hortiplex Database

www.landplanfran.com

http://hcs.osu.edu/plantfacts/plants