Following the initial installation of a new garden, water approximately three times per week for the first two weeks. If your garden was installed in the heat of the summer, water everyday if it doesn't rain at least a half-inch for the first week. For the next two weeks water three times per week, or everyday if it is hot and dry. When establishing a new garden it is imperative that you watch for any signs of watering problems. Click here to print this Austin Plant & Tree Care pdf

For the first year it is important that your plants stay moist. There after, the plants should be rooted in well enough to sustain on their own and handle a little stress. However, Low maintenance does not mean no maintenance. Water your plants when they look dry. Look at the soil to see if it is dry and learn to recognize drought symptoms. Your plants will tell you when they are thirsty. Check them daily and water as needed. Look for any of the following symptoms:

• Wilting
  Wilting merely indicates root damage. Always feel the soil to make sure it's not already too wet. If the plant is wilted and the soil is dry, water. If it is still wet, let it dry out before watering again.
• Folding or Cupping
  Many plants merely fold up their leaves when they are dry. Lawn grasses are excellent examples. Their leaves either fold like a book or roll like a newspaper.
• Color Changes
  Some plants never wilt, fold or curl when dry. Their leaves simply lose their rich green coloration. Hollies are excellent examples. Their foliage, when dry, turns a dull metallic green color.

Things to Remember

Deep watering encourages deep rooting. Shallow watering encourages shallow, week roots. Soak the soil thoroughly when you water, then allow it to dry slightly before watering again. Your plants' root system will grow downward in search of the moist soil. Good watering equipment is one of your most important investments. Remember the requirements; whichever equipment you use must distribute water uniformly and efficiently, minimizing runoff and evaporation.

Winter Care

By wintertime, most perennials have completed their bloom cycle and stopped producing foliage. This time of year is equally as important as the growing season because this dormant time is when most plants, trees, shrubs, and grasses are establishing their roots. This is why this is the best time of year to plant, transplant, and do major pruning.

It is very important to water in all of your vegetation before a freeze. Dry plants are more likely to be damaged by freezes. If there has been a frost, some perennials might be showing signs of frost damage. Plants will let you know when they cannot sustain their foliage by browning up and wilting. Any dead looking portions on herbaceous or woody perennials should be removed with sharp, sterile pruning sheers. Woody perennials, depending on the species, should only be cut back about half way. Dormant plants do not need supplemental fertilizing until spring.

Evergreen shrubs and trees can be pruned to shape during the dormant season. They will still need supplemental watering, approximately once a week, if there hasn't been any rainfall. During establishment, it is crucial that both perennials and evergreens don't dry up because they do not have deep roots that can absorb moisture from within the soil. Thereafter, evergreens in the winter months should sustain with little care on their own.

All tree stakes should be removed after a maximum of 2 years from the time they were installed. If stakes are left on trees for a longer than 2 years girdling can take place, which can cut off the flow of nutrients & water from the roots to the rest of the tree.

Approximate Watering guidelines:

1. With the first signs of spring, deep water all vegetation approximately once each week--this would be about 30-40 minutes of sprinkler time.
2. In the first year, give each tree a thorough soaking about two or three times each week (unless it rains) to get them through the hot summer months.
3. Toward the end of summer and into fall, taper down the deep watering to once a week, depending on need.
4. During the winter months, the amount of water the trees will receive from periodic rainfall and your irrigation system should be sufficient.
5. The following summer, each tree should be deeply watered once every two weeks, depending on how much rain we've gotten.
6. Each year there after, the trees should be self-sustainable, unless there are long periods of drought.

Fertilizing & Weed Control Recommendations:

1. Apply BioForm Dry, an organic granular feed, once each spring and again at the beginning of fall to fertilize all trees, perennials, and ground cover.
2. Apply Austin Blend 6-1-1 (Ag. Extension agencies recommendation for best fertilizer for Austin area) to fertilize turf once in the early spring and once again in the fall.
3. Weed control for turf is best achieved with a pre-emergent fertilizer. The best organic product is Corn Gluten, 9-1-1 ratios.