is it okay to keep them in the containers they come in for long periods
of time?. i bought one (6') last week and have yet to decide where to
plant it...i know to keep it watered.
thanks, cj

In article , cj
wrote:

is it okay to keep them in the containers they come in for long periods
of time?. i bought one (6') last week and have yet to decide where to
plant it...i know to keep it watered.
thanks, cj

http://www.google.com/search?client=...g+in+plants&ie
=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

--
Bill S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden
What use one more wake up call?

http://www.thesunmagazine.org/ many stars

On Sun, 09 May 2010 14:01:30 -0400, cj wrote:

is it okay to keep them in the containers they come in for long periods
of time?. i bought one (6') last week and have yet to decide where to
plant it...i know to keep it watered.
thanks, cj

They should keep for many weeks or longer, best in cool conditions.
Sure, they will become established faster the sooner you plant them.
Soak them good immediately after planting, soak them again the
following day, then as needed (maybe weekly). For now, don't
fertilize them.

Phisherman wrote:
On Sun, 09 May 2010 14:01:30 -0400, cj wrote:

is it okay to keep them in the containers they come in for long periods
of time?. i bought one (6') last week and have yet to decide where to
plant it...i know to keep it watered.
thanks, cj

They should keep for many weeks or longer, best in cool conditions.
Sure, they will become established faster the sooner you plant them.
Soak them good immediately after planting, soak them again the
following day, then as needed (maybe weekly). For now, don't
fertilize them.

what type and how much fertilizer would you recommend? and speaking of
fertilizing can a lilac bush be fertilized?
thanks, cj

On Mon, 10 May 2010 08:36:48 -0400, cj wrote:

Phisherman wrote:
On Sun, 09 May 2010 14:01:30 -0400, cj wrote:

is it okay to keep them in the containers they come in for long periods
of time?. i bought one (6') last week and have yet to decide where to
plant it...i know to keep it watered.
thanks, cj

They should keep for many weeks or longer, best in cool conditions.
Sure, they will become established faster the sooner you plant them.
Soak them good immediately after planting, soak them again the
following day, then as needed (maybe weekly). For now, don't
fertilize them.

what type and how much fertilizer would you recommend? and speaking of
fertilizing can a lilac bush be fertilized?

A lilac bush requires no fertilizer... it's outdoors, Mother Nature
will tend to it.

Folks are becoming way too obsessed about fertilizer... perennials
planted in reasonably friable soil of a proper range pH need no
fertilizer, and in fact applying fertilizer does more harm than
good... applying fertilizer discourages plants from developing a
healthy root system... applying fertilizer discourages plants from
growing a deep, widespread, and strong root system. Nobody fertilizes
the native plants in forests and meadows, they receive more than
sufficient nutrients from wildlife excrement and decaying plant
matter. Potted plants need fertilizer but plants in the ground
absolutely do not... by applying fertilizer to perennials outdoors you
are forcing them to become potted plants. When planting conifers
especially do NOT fertilize, or they will not send out feeder roots.

Arborvitae is no weakling, it's a survivor, that's why it's so popular
at plant nurseries.... case in point, I have two American arborvitae
that I rescued from a vacant house in the village that was vacant and
for sale for a number of years, a realtor friend said take them...
there they were in their original five gallon nursery pots sitting on
concrete on either side of the paved walk leading to the front entry,
still had the nursery tags, I know they were sitting there for three
years because I passed at least once a week on my way to my PO Box...
they received no care whatsoever other than water when it rained, and
yet they looked perfectly healthy but weren't growing, they remained
about 3' tall for all that time... they survived frigid winter
temperatures in those pots of less than -20ºF (yes, that's a minus
sign). They are now planted in the ground behind a fence near my
house (without the fence here they'd be deer fodder), only difference
is that they've more than tripled in size. I never fertilized them
when I planted them or since.... just dug a hole, plopped them in, and
watered just that once. I know that they are regularly fertilized
because nearly every time I look there's a bird perched atop and there
is always bird poop on the plants... in fact the one planted in my
front bed with the other foundation shrubs has a bird nest way deep
inside its branches... the other is planted on the other side of my
house to block my AC unit from view. I've never fertilized any
perennial planted outdoors, I don't fertilze flowering annuals either
and they do fine... however I do fertilize my veggie garden, those
annuals do require additional nutrients during their short fruiting
season in order to increase yield, but still I fertilize very
minimally, some years all I do is add a top dressing of my compost.

These were taken Sept. 2008:
http://i39.tinypic.com/4l3ba.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/j5xe7t.jpg

On May 10, 10:49*am, brooklyn1 wrote:
On Mon, 10 May 2010 08:36:48 -0400, cj wrote:
Phisherman wrote:
On Sun, 09 May 2010 14:01:30 -0400, cj wrote:

is it okay to keep them in the containers they come in for long periods
of time?. i bought one (6') last week and have yet to decide where to
plant it...i know to keep it watered.
thanks, cj

They should keep for many weeks or longer, best in cool conditions.
Sure, they will become established faster the sooner you plant them.
Soak them good immediately after planting, soak them again the
following day, then as needed (maybe weekly). * For now, don't
fertilize them. *

what type and how much fertilizer would you recommend? and speaking of
fertilizing can a lilac bush be fertilized?

A lilac bush requires no fertilizer... it's outdoors, Mother Nature
will tend to it.

Folks are becoming way too obsessed about fertilizer... perennials
planted in reasonably friable soil of a proper range pH need no
fertilizer, and in fact applying fertilizer does more harm than
good... applying fertilizer discourages plants from developing a
healthy root system... applying fertilizer discourages plants from
growing a deep, widespread, and strong root system. *Nobody fertilizes
the native plants in forests and meadows, they receive more than
sufficient nutrients from wildlife excrement and decaying plant
matter. *Potted plants need fertilizer but plants in the ground
absolutely do not... by applying fertilizer to perennials outdoors you
are forcing them to become potted plants. *When planting conifers
especially do NOT fertilize, or they will not send out feeder roots. *

Arborvitae is no weakling, it's a survivor, that's why it's so popular
at plant nurseries.... case in point, I have two American arborvitae
that I rescued from a vacant house in the village that was vacant and
for sale for a number of years, a realtor friend said take them...
there they were in their original five gallon nursery pots sitting on
concrete on either side of the paved walk leading to the front entry,
still had the nursery tags, I know they were sitting there for three
years because I passed at least once a week on my way to my PO Box...
they received no care whatsoever other than water when it rained, and
yet they looked perfectly healthy but weren't growing, they remained
about 3' tall for all that time... they survived frigid winter
temperatures in those pots of less than -20ºF (yes, that's a minus
sign). *They are now planted in the ground behind a fence near my
house (without the fence here they'd be deer fodder), only difference
is that they've more than tripled in size. *I never fertilized them
when I planted them or since.... just dug a hole, plopped them in, and
watered just that once. *I know that they are regularly fertilized
because nearly every time I look there's a bird perched atop and there
is always bird poop on the plants... in fact the one planted in my
front bed with the other foundation shrubs has a bird nest way deep
inside its branches... the other is planted on the other side of my
house to block my AC unit from view. *I've never fertilized any
perennial planted outdoors, I don't fertilze flowering annuals either
and they do fine... however I do fertilize my veggie garden, those
annuals do require additional nutrients during their short fruiting
season in order to increase yield, but still I fertilize very
minimally, some years all I do is add a top dressing of my compost.

These were taken Sept. 2008:http://i39.tinypic.com/4l3ba.jpghttp...com/j5xe7t.jpg

I have a couple of arborvitae that died back on one side because the
were butted up against a big shrub. I've trimmed back that shrub and
now the dead sides of the arb. are visible and look terrible. I
thought they'd come back quicker if I fertilize them. Should I not
bother? Thanks.

starrysmile wrote:
brooklyn1 wrote:
cj wrote:
Phisherman wrote:
cj wrote:

is it okay to keep them in the containers they come in for long periods
of time?. i bought one (6') last week and have yet to decide where to
plant it...i know to keep it watered.
thanks, cj

They should keep for many weeks or longer, best in cool conditions.
Sure, they will become established faster the sooner you plant them.
Soak them good immediately after planting, soak them again the
following day, then as needed (maybe weekly). * For now, don't
fertilize them. *

what type and how much fertilizer would you recommend? and speaking of
fertilizing can a lilac bush be fertilized?

A lilac bush requires no fertilizer... it's outdoors, Mother Nature
will tend to it.

Folks are becoming way too obsessed about fertilizer... perennials
planted in reasonably friable soil of a proper range pH need no
fertilizer, and in fact applying fertilizer does more harm than
good... applying fertilizer discourages plants from developing a
healthy root system... applying fertilizer discourages plants from
growing a deep, widespread, and strong root system. *Nobody fertilizes
the native plants in forests and meadows, they receive more than
sufficient nutrients from wildlife excrement and decaying plant
matter. *Potted plants need fertilizer but plants in the ground
absolutely do not... by applying fertilizer to perennials outdoors you
are forcing them to become potted plants. *When planting conifers
especially do NOT fertilize, or they will not send out feeder roots. *

Arborvitae is no weakling, it's a survivor, that's why it's so popular
at plant nurseries.... case in point, I have two American arborvitae
that I rescued from a vacant house in the village that was vacant and
for sale for a number of years, a realtor friend said take them...
there they were in their original five gallon nursery pots sitting on
concrete on either side of the paved walk leading to the front entry,
still had the nursery tags, I know they were sitting there for three
years because I passed at least once a week on my way to my PO Box...
they received no care whatsoever other than water when it rained, and
yet they looked perfectly healthy but weren't growing, they remained
about 3' tall for all that time... they survived frigid winter
temperatures in those pots of less than -20ºF (yes, that's a minus
sign). *They are now planted in the ground behind a fence near my
house (without the fence here they'd be deer fodder), only difference
is that they've more than tripled in size. *I never fertilized them
when I planted them or since.... just dug a hole, plopped them in, and
watered just that once. *I know that they are regularly fertilized
because nearly every time I look there's a bird perched atop and there
is always bird poop on the plants... in fact the one planted in my
front bed with the other foundation shrubs has a bird nest way deep
inside its branches... the other is planted on the other side of my
house to block my AC unit from view. *I've never fertilized any
perennial planted outdoors, I don't fertilze flowering annuals either
and they do fine... however I do fertilize my veggie garden, those
annuals do require additional nutrients during their short fruiting
season in order to increase yield, but still I fertilize very
minimally, some years all I do is add a top dressing of my compost.

These were taken Sept. 2008:
http://i39.tinypic.com/4l3ba.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/j5xe7t.jpg

I have a couple of arborvitae that died back on one side because the
were butted up against a big shrub. I've trimmed back that shrub and
now the dead sides of the arb. are visible and look terrible. I
thought they'd come back quicker if I fertilize them. Should I not
bother? Thanks

As long as the plant is healthy it will fill in the bare spots but
could take 3-4 years so be patient... fertilizing may cause the plant
to grow larger and taller but to neglect repairing its bare spots...
oftentimes with plants less is more... plants tend to take the path of
least resistance, by fertilizing you remove its need to create more
foliage at it's damaged areas. If you look at my arborvitae by my A/C
you'll notice how the base is narrow, that's because I made the
mistake of planting annuals there over three years. Now that I
stopped planting the annuals the base has filled in and broadened
nicely. And that arborvitae is a bit to close to my house, it only
receives afternoon sun and since my house has a large overhang it
doesn't really get sufficient benefit from rainfall. But now two
years later it has caught up with the one in front, and because the
one at the A/C is much less exposed to wind, the one in front is
planted at the very corner of the house so it gets blasted by wind
from all directions, so it's always losing some of the topmost tips of
its foliage to windburn. If your plant is growing well I wouldn't
fertilize... if it ain't broke don't fix it... more often than not
fertilizing destroys perfectly happy plants, same way folks overfeed
aquarium fish... and themselves.

On May 12, 1:03*pm, brooklyn1 wrote:
starrysmile wrote:
brooklyn1 wrote:
cj wrote:
Phisherman wrote:
cj wrote:

is it okay to keep them in the containers they come in for long periods
of time?. i bought one (6') last week and have yet to decide where to
plant it...i know to keep it watered.
thanks, cj

They should keep for many weeks or longer, best in cool conditions.
Sure, they will become established faster the sooner you plant them..
Soak them good immediately after planting, soak them again the
following day, then as needed (maybe weekly). * For now, don't
fertilize them. *

what type and how much fertilizer would you recommend? and speaking of
fertilizing can a lilac bush be fertilized?

A lilac bush requires no fertilizer... it's outdoors, Mother Nature
will tend to it.

Folks are becoming way too obsessed about fertilizer... perennials
planted in reasonably friable soil of a proper range pH need no
fertilizer, and in fact applying fertilizer does more harm than
good... applying fertilizer discourages plants from developing a
healthy root system... applying fertilizer discourages plants from
growing a deep, widespread, and strong root system. *Nobody fertilizes
the native plants in forests and meadows, they receive more than
sufficient nutrients from wildlife excrement and decaying plant
matter. *Potted plants need fertilizer but plants in the ground
absolutely do not... by applying fertilizer to perennials outdoors you
are forcing them to become potted plants. *When planting conifers
especially do NOT fertilize, or they will not send out feeder roots. *

Arborvitae is no weakling, it's a survivor, that's why it's so popular
at plant nurseries.... case in point, I have two American arborvitae
that I rescued from a vacant house in the village that was vacant and
for sale for a number of years, a realtor friend said take them...
there they were in their original five gallon nursery pots sitting on
concrete on either side of the paved walk leading to the front entry,
still had the nursery tags, I know they were sitting there for three
years because I passed at least once a week on my way to my PO Box...
they received no care whatsoever other than water when it rained, and
yet they looked perfectly healthy but weren't growing, they remained
about 3' tall for all that time... they survived frigid winter
temperatures in those pots of less than -20ºF (yes, that's a minus
sign). *They are now planted in the ground behind a fence near my
house (without the fence here they'd be deer fodder), only difference
is that they've more than tripled in size. *I never fertilized them
when I planted them or since.... just dug a hole, plopped them in, and
watered just that once. *I know that they are regularly fertilized
because nearly every time I look there's a bird perched atop and there
is always bird poop on the plants... in fact the one planted in my
front bed with the other foundation shrubs has a bird nest way deep
inside its branches... the other is planted on the other side of my
house to block my AC unit from view. *I've never fertilized any
perennial planted outdoors, I don't fertilze flowering annuals either
and they do fine... however I do fertilize my veggie garden, those
annuals do require additional nutrients during their short fruiting
season in order to increase yield, but still I fertilize very
minimally, some years all I do is add a top dressing of my compost.

These were taken Sept. 2008:

http://i39.tinypic.com/4l3ba.jpghttp...com/j5xe7t.jpg



I have a couple of arborvitae that died back on one side because the
were butted up against a big shrub. *I've trimmed back that shrub and
now the dead sides of the arb. are visible and look terrible. *I
thought they'd come back quicker if I fertilize them. *Should I not
bother? *Thanks

As long as the plant is healthy it will fill in the bare spots but
could take 3-4 years so be patient... fertilizing may cause the plant
to grow larger and taller but to neglect repairing its bare spots...
oftentimes with plants less is more... plants tend to take the path of
least resistance, by fertilizing you remove its need to create more
foliage at it's damaged areas. *If you look at my arborvitae by my A/C
you'll notice how the base is narrow, that's because I made the
mistake of planting annuals there over three years. *Now that I
stopped planting the annuals the base has filled in and broadened
nicely. *And that arborvitae is a bit to close to my house, it only
receives afternoon sun and since my house has a large overhang it
doesn't really get sufficient benefit from rainfall. *But now two
years later it has caught up with the one in front, and because the
one at the A/C is much less exposed to wind, the one in front is
planted at the very corner of the house so it gets blasted by wind
from all directions, so it's always losing some of the topmost tips of
its foliage to windburn. *If your plant is growing well I wouldn't
fertilize... if it ain't broke don't fix it... more often than not
fertilizing destroys perfectly happy plants, same way folks overfeed
aquarium fish... and themselves.

Thanks for the great info, brooklyn. I must change my ways. I'm
guilty of being heavy handed with fert. It just feels so good to do
it!

On Wed, 12 May 2010 10:41:03 -0700 (PDT), starrysmile
wrote:

On May 12, 1:03*pm, brooklyn1 wrote:
starrysmile wrote:
brooklyn1 wrote:
cj wrote:
Phisherman wrote:
cj wrote:

is it okay to keep them in the containers they come in for long periods
of time?. i bought one (6') last week and have yet to decide where to
plant it...i know to keep it watered.
thanks, cj

They should keep for many weeks or longer, best in cool conditions.
Sure, they will become established faster the sooner you plant them.
Soak them good immediately after planting, soak them again the
following day, then as needed (maybe weekly). * For now, don't
fertilize them. *

what type and how much fertilizer would you recommend? and speaking of
fertilizing can a lilac bush be fertilized?

A lilac bush requires no fertilizer... it's outdoors, Mother Nature
will tend to it.

Folks are becoming way too obsessed about fertilizer... perennials
planted in reasonably friable soil of a proper range pH need no
fertilizer, and in fact applying fertilizer does more harm than
good... applying fertilizer discourages plants from developing a
healthy root system... applying fertilizer discourages plants from
growing a deep, widespread, and strong root system. *Nobody fertilizes
the native plants in forests and meadows, they receive more than
sufficient nutrients from wildlife excrement and decaying plant
matter. *Potted plants need fertilizer but plants in the ground
absolutely do not... by applying fertilizer to perennials outdoors you
are forcing them to become potted plants. *When planting conifers
especially do NOT fertilize, or they will not send out feeder roots. *

Arborvitae is no weakling, it's a survivor, that's why it's so popular
at plant nurseries.... case in point, I have two American arborvitae
that I rescued from a vacant house in the village that was vacant and
for sale for a number of years, a realtor friend said take them...
there they were in their original five gallon nursery pots sitting on
concrete on either side of the paved walk leading to the front entry,
still had the nursery tags, I know they were sitting there for three
years because I passed at least once a week on my way to my PO Box...
they received no care whatsoever other than water when it rained, and
yet they looked perfectly healthy but weren't growing, they remained
about 3' tall for all that time... they survived frigid winter
temperatures in those pots of less than -20ºF (yes, that's a minus
sign). *They are now planted in the ground behind a fence near my
house (without the fence here they'd be deer fodder), only difference
is that they've more than tripled in size. *I never fertilized them
when I planted them or since.... just dug a hole, plopped them in, and
watered just that once. *I know that they are regularly fertilized
because nearly every time I look there's a bird perched atop and there
is always bird poop on the plants... in fact the one planted in my
front bed with the other foundation shrubs has a bird nest way deep
inside its branches... the other is planted on the other side of my
house to block my AC unit from view. *I've never fertilized any
perennial planted outdoors, I don't fertilze flowering annuals either
and they do fine... however I do fertilize my veggie garden, those
annuals do require additional nutrients during their short fruiting
season in order to increase yield, but still I fertilize very
minimally, some years all I do is add a top dressing of my compost.

These were taken Sept. 2008:

http://i39.tinypic.com/4l3ba.jpghttp...com/j5xe7t.jpg



I have a couple of arborvitae that died back on one side because the
were butted up against a big shrub. *I've trimmed back that shrub and
now the dead sides of the arb. are visible and look terrible. *I
thought they'd come back quicker if I fertilize them. *Should I not
bother? *Thanks

As long as the plant is healthy it will fill in the bare spots but
could take 3-4 years so be patient... fertilizing may cause the plant
to grow larger and taller but to neglect repairing its bare spots...
oftentimes with plants less is more... plants tend to take the path of
least resistance, by fertilizing you remove its need to create more
foliage at it's damaged areas. *If you look at my arborvitae by my A/C
you'll notice how the base is narrow, that's because I made the
mistake of planting annuals there over three years. *Now that I
stopped planting the annuals the base has filled in and broadened
nicely. *And that arborvitae is a bit to close to my house, it only
receives afternoon sun and since my house has a large overhang it
doesn't really get sufficient benefit from rainfall. *But now two
years later it has caught up with the one in front, and because the
one at the A/C is much less exposed to wind, the one in front is
planted at the very corner of the house so it gets blasted by wind
from all directions, so it's always losing some of the topmost tips of
its foliage to windburn. *If your plant is growing well I wouldn't
fertilize... if it ain't broke don't fix it... more often than not
fertilizing destroys perfectly happy plants, same way folks overfeed
aquarium fish... and themselves.

Thanks for the great info, brooklyn. I must change my ways. I'm
guilty of being heavy handed with fert. It just feels so good to do
it!

Ah, me too! Are we talking about the same thing?