Growing and planting instructions for all zones. Plants shipped from Epic Grower LLC were grown in Cleveland, Ga Zone 7a. The tropical plants and some of the exotics are grown in a greenhouse to produce heat and humidity. Others are grow outside and/in a shade house. Knowing your growing environment is important.
If you are from Georgia then you are in zones 8 to 7. Zone 8a-8b is basically from Macon south. Zone 7b starts just above Macon and goes up to NC/Tennessee borders. The Georgia mountains areas are zone 7a with one tiny spot zone 6b.
Growing and Planting Instructions
In ground growing and planting: Dig a hole in the ground at least 50% larger than the root ball. If you are planting a larger plant (3 gallon or large plant) make the hole at least twice the size of the root system. Back fill 25% of the hole with the proper type of compost. Do not use topsoil. Topsoil does not have nutrients plants need.
Roots need to breath (except water tolerant plants) to grow. If roots are sitting in water then they will die along with the hole plant. Put a layer of hardwood mulch or pine needle mulch. Stay away from the colorized mulches.
Container growing and planting: Pick a pot at least twice the size of the plant’s root system. Clay pots and pots with holes are better to control moisture, root breathing and heat. The roots need air to grow well and survive. It’s better that you do not OVERSIZE the pot for the plant. Soil nutrients get depleted so add time released fertilizer.
Fill the bottom and sides of the pot with the soil you plan to use. Then plant the tree using a good airy potting soil of the proper type. Coir based mixes are great! It’s always better to get pots with drain holes to prevent root death. When watering the the water should flow through the soil. If it does not then it may retain too much water.
More growing and planting information
- If ground growing and planting then water the planting holes one day before planting the small plants.
- Plant in the late afternoon to avoid the hot sun the first day.
- Do not plant the root ball more than 1/2″ below the soil. The roots need to breath. Look at the plants’ trunk color to see the coloration difference near the soil one. Keep the area that was exposed to the air above the soil!
- If growing in a pot (especially a bonsai pot) then spread out the roots. Try not to damage the roots. We use chop-sticks to separate the root ball to gently spread the roots out.
- Add a root hormone ,such as, Dyna-Gro K-L-N to the water the first 21 days. Read the vendors instructions for dilution, precautions and how often to use.
- If the plant tends to fall over then add support. When you insert the support stick try not to damage any roots under the soil! If using a bonsai pot, wire down the plant to support it.
- Pack soil around the base of eh plant lightly.
- Water lightly for the first few days.
- After 30 days add a good fertilizer to your growing and planting mix . We use a 8-9 month time released fertilizer (yes, epicgrower.com carries the fertilizer for clients).
- Research your growing environment to make sure you are planting the type of plants properly.
- Remember these are good general planting instructions. Not all plants grow the same. If you are not sure check the internet for more information on soil types and light requirements.
VERY IMPORTANT: There are hundreds of growing environments. These instructions contain GENERAL information. You need to do YOUR own research on how to grow the plant in your growing environment. Adjust how you grow the plant based on your area.
Direct sunlight: Direct sunlight means the plant sees the Sun. It does not mean near a window that gets light. When growing and planting it’s important understand to grow your plant correctly. Full sun means direct access/line of sight to the sun. In very strong sunny areas you may need to provide some partial shade. Too much some can cause browning leaves on young plants.
Plant Stress: Moving plants from one environment to another (such as shipping plants to you) causes plant stress. Re-potting plants cause plant stress. Fertilizing wrong will cause stress. Cutting roots and branches causes stress. Do one thing at a time to prevent plant stress and death. When you prune make sure you do it at the right time of year for your plant
How to Make soil Airy: Add perlite to mixes. Add small NON porous rocks. Use clay pots to allow air flow. Make sure there are holes in the bottom of the pots. When ground planting put some big rocks at the bottom of the hole to make sure water drains well. Most roots do not like to sit in water! Remember there are exceptions to all rules so know your plant and what it likes.
When growing and planting in containers: Use coir based mixes not Moss if possible Moss mixes tend to create crusts on top of the soil which causes water and air flow problems. There are some moss/pine bark mixes that work great but be careful of crusts forming on the top of the soil. Crusts will not allow air or water flow and roots need air to survive!
Advice: The number one thing we hear from people is “My Gardener said xxxxx” Be careful, most gardeners are not plant experts. They may know about some local plants/grass/trees but not all. There are many different growing environments and micro-environments in all areas. Do your research and understand plants are living things. When growing and planting remember sometimes not mater what you do some plants will die. It may be the water, the nutrients, the sun light, heat, soil, cold, bugs or something else causing problems. Enjoy growing your plants.