how to plant annuals

when I take my annuals out of the 6-packs am I supposed to break up the bottom so the roots can grow out, or should I just stick them in the ground the way they are? I've heard you're supposed to break up roots so they won't stay bound up from the container. I broke up the bottoms of some of my annuals and I've noticed some of them have died.

Also, any professional tips or tricks for planting annuals?

I live in zone 7.

I do both and have not noticed a difference when it come's to annual plant's.

N.L.R. ....the last I checked was considered zone 7B but If I were you I would re-check because some of that part of Arkansas has been included to zone 8 now;-) I am familiar with the Fort Smith area.

What additional tip's are you looking for annual's in your part? Some plant's may say it's an annual only but can re-seed and come back for the following year's growth without your help.


Rachel

on annuals i dont really break them up. on ones that come back i do as they will strangle and form to pot after planted.

some annuals i do but take the risk of killing them. actually i just plant them the way they are and most time they are happy and so am i

I'm the same way, I don't usually worry too much about the roots with the things that come in 6 packs--I figure there's not much roots there so it's too easy to damage them in the process of trying to loosen them up. So I usually just pop them out and plop them in the ground. If it's something larger in a gallon pot or bigger, especially if it's something permanent like a tree or shrub then I'll usually loosen up the roots as much as I can, but for annuals in 6 packs I wouldn't worry too much.

Unless they are really root bound, I wouldn't break up the root ball to much, if at all. If root bound and really tight I just tease the roots apart gently. They will only grow for this season so no reason to put them through the shock of hard handling. If your soil is not full of clay the roots will find their own way out of the tangled mass.
Press the soil around the plant firmly and give them a nice watering to settle them in. If the sun is strong, hot and they will be in it for a while providing some shade for a day or 2 can help. I have used the flats proped up with sticks to shade the new plants.

Hope this helps.

I learn so much on this site. I always break up the roots...even in the little six packs. Not any more though!

that makes sense not to bother breaking them up since they're only here for one year. i thought i was being clever by breaking them up, but it looks like i just wasted time and money for myself. I read somewhere before I planted my encore azaleas that i should cut vertical cuts in the bound-up looking areas of the root ball before i planted them. hopefully i didn't screw that up. they look like they're doing well though. the 'autumn royalty' ones are growing fast.


RachelLF, i want ya'll (yeah, i'm from the south ya'll) to tell me some magical tricks to make my yard look like it belongs on a magazine cover. :)

For the azaleas and other shrubs/trees I would definitely make efforts to somehow untangle the roots--the plants are larger and the roots are more robust, plus since it's going to be around for years you want to do what you can to make sure the roots grow in the right direction. Annuals it just doesn't matter as much and it's much easier to do irreparable damage to the small little roots so it's not worth it.

"RachelLF, i want ya'll (yeah, i'm from the south ya'll) to tell me some magical tricks to make my yard look like it belongs on a magazine cover"...

I'll be checking this thread every five minutes!

Hi "ya'll";-) I will be very old and one foot in the grave before I ever get my landscape anywhere near magazine cover ready.

Ya'll have a good day.

Rachel