In the Garden, 'Everybody' Can Be Wrong

Common sense works best when watering plants: Water them when they're dry, don't when they're not. (Craig Herndon For The Washington Post)

"Everybody knows . . . everybody

says . . ."

These are some of the most deceptive words in gardening. Just because something is conventional doesn't mean it's wisdom. A lot of views "everybody" subscribes to in gardening are simply myths, and some ideas that have been accepted by "experts" have, with more time and research, proved to be completely wrong. There are lots of garden myths out there, so while you're enjoying the warm, cozy indoors, let's take on a few of them.

• Myth 1: Newly planted trees need to be staked and guy-wired.

This is generally incorrect. Balled and burlapped and large container trees are bottom-heavy enough to stand on their own. Wiring kills far more trees than it helps because in most cases, the wires are never removed. As the tree grows, it grows around the wire, and the wire cuts off the vital flow of moisture under the bark.

The only living part of a tree trunk is the layer of living tissue, called cambium, just under the bark. When the tree grows enough to embed the wire, the pathway of life-giving nutrients is cut off. Eventually the tree will grow past the depth of the living wood and will die.

It's not the staking and wiring that kills the tree, it's the lack of stewardship. This happens especially to street trees, which are stuck into holes in the ground and then never visited again. They die unless the stakes are removed within one year of planting. They die if they aren't watered. The same can happen in your back yard if you aren't paying attention.

Plant the tree in the ground properly and leave it to bend in the wind. It will grow stronger in the process. If it's a little crooked, you can easily straighten it the following season.

If you are planting a bare-root tree or a small specimen in a container, you might need to stake it. Drive the stakes outside the root ball and use loose ties to hold the tree to it. Old nylon stockings, tied loosely, make good tree ties, but even they need to be monitored to make sure they are not cutting into the tree. The best thing you can do for a new tree is to plant it at the right depth in properly prepared ground, which brings me to the next myth.

• Myth 2: When planting a new tree or woody shrub, dig the hole twice as wide and twice as deep as the root ball.