Q. I recently purchased some Green Cloud Texas Rangers
from a building supply store and was wondering if it is safe to plant them now
since our weather is turning colder.
from a building supply store and was wondering if it is safe to plant them now
since our weather is turning colder.
A, Since you emailed this question to me it froze in
parts of the valley this past week. But not to worry. This kind of weather can
be freakish this time of year. It normally does not freeze until the second
week of December. But the ground is still warm. After you plant you want the
roots to grow but you should not care about the top growing yet. The best
planting time for woody plants is from late September until mid-November. You
can still plant at other times but its just not as good because of root growth.
parts of the valley this past week. But not to worry. This kind of weather can
be freakish this time of year. It normally does not freeze until the second
week of December. But the ground is still warm. After you plant you want the
roots to grow but you should not care about the top growing yet. The best
planting time for woody plants is from late September until mid-November. You
can still plant at other times but its just not as good because of root growth.
The
ground is still warm enough to plant. The magic number for landscape plant root
growth is about 50F. Of course, roots of plants grow faster in warmer soils,
but they will still grow at 50F. The ground never froze or was even close to
freezing. The soil temperature rises up and down mimicking the air temperature,
but these temperature swings are much smaller compared to air temperatures. For
instance, in some areas vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and squash froze, but
the ground never did. The soil in the ground was much warmer than the air.
ground is still warm enough to plant. The magic number for landscape plant root
growth is about 50F. Of course, roots of plants grow faster in warmer soils,
but they will still grow at 50F. The ground never froze or was even close to
freezing. The soil temperature rises up and down mimicking the air temperature,
but these temperature swings are much smaller compared to air temperatures. For
instance, in some areas vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and squash froze, but
the ground never did. The soil in the ground was much warmer than the air.
If you
want the soil to warm up fast then keep it dark, fluffy, dry and in the sun.
Those kinds of soils have wide temperature swings from very warm to very cold
but still not as cold as the air. Landscape plant roots like to grow in those
warm temperatures during the day. Soils that are not fluffy, wet and instead
are covered by a surface mulch or in the shade stay cooler and don’t swing up
and down as much.
want the soil to warm up fast then keep it dark, fluffy, dry and in the sun.
Those kinds of soils have wide temperature swings from very warm to very cold
but still not as cold as the air. Landscape plant roots like to grow in those
warm temperatures during the day. Soils that are not fluffy, wet and instead
are covered by a surface mulch or in the shade stay cooler and don’t swing up
and down as much.
Surface
mulch keeps soils warmer in the Fall and cooler in the Spring.