Conifers are relatively easy to care for and undemanding. But in order for them to thrive right from the start, you need to plant them at the right time.
There are divided opinions about conifers. Some like them, others just find them boring. Nevertheless, you can see them in many gardens as a hedge plant or as individual shrubs. The reason probably lies in the low maintenance effort and the robustness of the plants.
Conifers are considered evergreen plants, although they come in two varieties. They can be purchased as deciduous conifers and as evergreen plants. Here we explain the special features that are important when planting conifers.
Conifers - conifers without spines
Biologically speaking, the conifer is one of the conifers, but it has branches that do not have any stinging needles. For this reason, they are particularly preferred by families in garden design. Since the plants remain quite green during the winter months, they are ideal for hedges or an opaque porch. The classic conifers that we mainly plant are yew, juniper, larch and fir.
You can usually recognize a conifer by the following characteristics:
- Fruit formation is cone-shaped
- Fruits only form after a few years
- straight main stem without large branches
- Loss of needles occurs at intervals of several years (larch trees are an exception)
How to plant conifers correctly
In order for conifers to take off well in the ground, you have to wait for the right time. Planting young conifers is not recommended before summer or during the hot summer months. It makes more sense that you wait until the summer heat has subsided. The mild but not cold temperatures and the increased rain in the autumn months help the plant to develop roots so that it survives the first winter well. The best periods are between August and the end of September, alternatively you can switch to spring as the planting time.
» Tip: If you don't have the opportunity to plant the conifers in spring orPlanting in the fall can be done in the summer. However, make sure you water it regularly. If your young conifer already has a solid root ball, it can even be planted in winter, provided the ground is frost-free.
Basically, conifers have no great demands on soil quality or location. Ultimately, you can use the plant almost anywhere. The trees will thrive with these tips:
- prefer a sunny location - better growth
- Dig up soil before planting
- Remove roots of weeds before planting
- Upgrade soil with fresh and fertilized soil
Put conifers at a distance
Most conifers are not used as individual plants, but set in the form of hedges or opaque porches. If you choose very young specimens for planting, you will quickly be tempted to plant the plants too close together. Always keep in mind that conifers can grow several meters high and the diameter of the individual conifers can sometimes be two meters. Especially with conifer species, which are known to be very large, you should ensure a planting distance of half a meter to two meters.
To ensure that the hedge looks good when young, you should pay attention to the following:
- Plant conifers at regular intervals of 0.5 to 2.0 meters
- Planting hole should be significantly larger than the root ball
- Young conifers form roots faster than older specimens
- Make sure you water regularly after planting
Planting a garden with conifers is easy. You do not have to pay attention to a special soil quality and can even use the plants in shady locations. However, it is advisable to choose at least a place that is in the sun for half a day. Conifers simply thrive better and grow faster in good light conditions. It is also important that the soil is moist but not soaked. The roots can die in the waterlogging.