Q.How Do I Prevent Small Plants From Wind Or Rain Damage?
I have a question about nandinas. I just put five small lemon lime nandinas from 1 gallon containers in the ground and the pots they came in were the opposite of root bound. The soil and mulch in the pots fell away and the plants were put in the ground with all the roots exposed. How can I make sure the plants are stable and will not be blown over by the wind and rain? So far, I have tried compacting the soil and plan to cover the plants with 5-gallon buckets during rain, wind, or snow. Any advice would be appreciated.
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
Covering them till they get established is a good idea. Another idea is to insert a stake such as a bamboo stick next to each of their stems. Let the stick go deep into the soil. Then loosely attach the stick to the plant. That should keep them from blowing over. Once they are established in about 6 weeks, they should be fine.
