Then when I needed soil I would simply rototill one corner and get an awesome mix that I’d shovel on to the bench by hand.ġ0. I built the pile like a “Dagwood Sandwich”, you might have to Google that. I’d use a two by twelve as a ramp to get the wheelbarrow up on top of the pile. Instead when I added fresh material, bark mulch, commercial compost or pea gravel to my pile, I simply put it on top. I’m too lazy to turn compost! Or as I like to think of it, I value my time more than that.ĩ. But back then I never turned the entire pile. I usually kept about 10 yards on hand and always replenished my pile before it ran out using the old to mix with the new.Ĩ. But at this place,, I used a shovel, a wheelbarrow and a rototiller. Yes, I now have a front end loader that makes this easy. And there is a part of my potting soil pile that is far too aged and compacted so on my to do list is to blend these two piles together before spring.ħ. Right now I have a large pile of pine bark that’s been sitting here since ? early summer I think. I think it’s important for me to stay ahead of the wave by adding more pine bark before I am out of soil. But what I really do is buy a load (90 yards) of pine bark then I start working that into the potting mix that we are current using. So right now my ideal mix is very heavy in pine bark and to that I add either commercial compost or well rotted hardwood bark mulch.Ħ. Growers actually use pine bark fresh because even as it ages it really doesn’t change a lot.ĥ. That’s when I started mixing in large amounts of pine bark.Ĥ. It only failed me when I tried to really stock up (50 yards worth) then it rotted too much and didn’t drain well. Rotted hardwood bark mulch is still a good option, I used it for years with great success. In small quantities pine bark is often sold by the bag and called soil conditioner in the box stores.ģ. I used to add pea gravel to my well rotted hardwood bark mulch but I’ve learned that adding pine bark is really a better option.
A lot of it has to do with what is available to you in your area.Ģ. First of all, it is confusing because there are so many options that make for a good mix.
If nothing else gives you an idea of what a good mix should be.ġ. Just in! This mix is actually pretty good. My most recent video on potting soil, this one is about pine fines or pine bark mulch Okay, let me see if I can make the important points. You need a slow release fertilizer but that potting mix won’t work.
Also in the movie I go over all of this pruning in more detail.
Make sure you watch the movie because in the movie I show you exactly how to pot up or plant a rooted cutting.
So there you have it! That’s how and when to start pruning your rooted cuttings. We’ll take cuttings from them this summer, that will be all the pruning they’ll need. When we pot these Summer Snowflake Viburnums we won’t have to worry about pruning them at all. As soon as members see them, they are looking for some to buy to add to their inventory.
My guess is that they took cuttings from the cuttings that just rooted.īut in any case, you can see how the early pruning turned this plant into a beautiful little specimen plant that is full at the bottom, not a single stick that has to be pruned back really hard just to correct a problem.īy the way, Summer Snowflake Viburnum is in Demand in the Members Area. This plant was pruned just weeks after it started rooting. Trimming near the end of the growing season is the least desirable because pruning tells the plant to start growing like crazy and you don’t want to force lots of new growth at the end of the growing season because that when plants slow down so they can harden off to protect themselves for the coming winter.īut look at the difference. If they need trimming, trim them right now.ĭoesn’t matter to me if it’s mid-spring, middle of winter or middle of summer, they get trimmed. Don’t wait, don’t wait until they bloom or do this or do that. The ideal time to trim your plants is as soon as you notice that they need pruning.
When it the Best Time to Do this Kind of Pruning? However, if I don’t sell this plant in one season it will go into a larger pot and at that time it will be pruned again. In this photo I am trimming the plant one more time to make it nice and balanced, to make it fill out even more, and from this point, I’ll let it fill out nicely. Mike McGroarty trimming a Hakuro Nishiki Willow shrub.