Albuquerque Fall Perennial Planting Tips – Part Three

Cooler Albuquerque fall temperatures in 2020 are a nice change from the blazing record heat this summer. Couple with cooler humid mornings, changing grass and friendly rain clouds, fall is the best time to plant additional perennials in your Albuquerque flowerbeds and gardens. If your planting is being added to a set of perennials already planted or you are planting a new garden, the Albuquerque fall temperatures of the air and soil are at their optimum best for root growth. Additionally, planting now will free up time in the spring time to work on other spring planting projects and set the stage for a series of flower blooms that will really make your garden look amazing after a cold winter. If it happens to be that you are not a fall planting veteran, here are set of strategic tips to follow as you map out your fall perennial planting.

Albuquerque Fall Perennial Planting Watering

Prior to planting perennials in the fall give the roots plenty of water and allow them to soak it up as much possible. After the roots are planted keep watering them once weekly until the ground freezes. Doing this will give them the needed water to become established and grow a root system before they go dormant when the ground becomes frozen.

Albuquerque Fall Perennial Plant Mulching

Mulching is not needed right away after you have completed planting perennials in your Albuquerque garden. Newly planted perennial root bulbs will derive growth enhancements from sun warmed soil throughout the fall. Mulch the transplanted perennial bulbs when the outside temperature at night stays at freezing or lower on an ongoing basis or when the ground is completely frozen like concrete. Generic fall and garden store bought mulch will work great as ground cover for your newly planted perennial bulbs. You can use mulch from your own mulch bins as well. Rake away mulch when springtime arrives after the ground is no longer frozen.  

Stopping Perennial Bulb Frost Heave

Perennial bulbs planted in the ground are subject to the phenomena knowns as “frost heave”—which is where the ground a bulb is planted freezes and thaws multiple times can cause the bulb to come up out of the soil because its root system has not developed enough to keep it down in the soil. This occurrence can potentially kill the plant due to the accompanying cold. One way to combat this from happening to the perennial bulbs you have planted is to add a layer of straw to ground soil above the plants. This will prevent the ground where the bulbs are planted from freezing. Mulching your bulb planting gives you free reign with no more tasks until springtime. Once spring has sprung remove the mulch off your bulbs. This will give your garden soil plants the sunshine they need to begin growing and eventually bloom.  

Albuquerque Fall Perennial Planting Summed Up

Planting perennials in your Albuquerque garden is hard work, but the hard work you put in will produce unparalleled beauty for years to come. Take the time to map out your garden perennial planting so blooms occur during the springtime and into the summer. The springtime parade colors in your Albuquerque garden from all the perennials you planted will bring enjoyment to you and your family, plus bring added value that makes your hard work you put during each planting payoff for years to come.