NewGen Freedom Boxwood Shrubs for Sale Online

After back filling and lightly compacting the 50/50 mix of existing soil and compost give the NewGen Freedom Boxwood a good deep watering. This is not to be rushed. Most of the water you put on the plant at first will run away from the plant until the soil is soaked. A general rule of thumb is to count to 5 for every one gallon of pot size. For example a one gallon pot would be watered until you count to 5 a three gallon pot would be 15 and so on. Check the plant daily for the first week or so and then every other day there after. Water using the counting method for the first few weeks. Gator bag Jr. can be used to help aid in this process and also provide plants with a good soaking due to the slow release of the water into the root-zone of the plant. Soaker Hoses can also be used to water when planting a long hedge.

Plants such as NewGen Freedom Boxwood grow best if they are fertilized once in the spring and again in early summer. Winter Gem Boxwood favors nutrient rich soil and ample fertilization. NewGen Freedom Boxwood benefits from an fertilizer which can help raise the acid level of the soil such as Holly-Tone by Espoma. When selecting a fertilizer for your NewGen Freedom Boxwood, if soil Ph is not an issue a simple balanced fertilizer can be used such as Tree-tone. Espoma products are easy to use, just sprinkle around the base of the plant and water it in. Be careful with products such as miracle-grow as these products can burn newly planted plants when not used at the recommended rates. Slow-release fertilizer can help prevent rapid sucker growth that is vulnerable to diseases and insects.

We highly recommend that you mulch your NewGen Freedom Boxwood with either a ground hardwood mulch or a ground cypress mulch depending on your local availability. Any type of mulch will do but cypress or hardwood mulch will be of a higher quality and provide better nutrition overall as they breakdown. Mulching helps to keep weeds away which will compete with your new investment for water and nutrients. A 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch is sufficient but remember to take care not to cover any part of the stem of the plant with mulch. Its better to leave a one inch gap of space between the mulch and the stem or trunk of the plant.

To maintain NewGen Freedom Boxwood in its most natural shape, thinning is the most appropriate way to prune for an informal look. To thin, prune selected branches throughout the shrub to the main trunk, to a lateral branch or to a lateral bud. The older and diseased branches can be pruned to the ground. This method of pruning allows the center of the boxwood to receive light and air, improving the health of the shrub. Boxwood's have a tendency to become very dense, especially if it has been sheared over a long period of time. This not only can cause fungal diseases, but also causes the leaves to grow just on the edges of the shrub. The inside of the boxwood then turns brown where leaves have died due to a lack of light. Thinning allows the leaves to grow along the entire branch, not just the tips, resulting in a fuller look. Thinning can be done any time of the year except about six weeks before the first frost. The best time to thin would be mid- to late February before new growth starts. This takes advantage of the first flush of growth, which is the best growth of the year. If a formal look is desired, prune with shearing or hedge clippers in a pyramidal shape with the narrowest part of the bush at the top, tapering to a wider base. This shape will allow adequate light to reach the lower part of the shrub so the foliage will remain full all the way to the ground. To maintain desired size and shape, this time prune after boxwoods have completed their main spring growth. Boxwood Winter Gem as a hedge, begin pruning when the shrub is young rather than waiting several years until it has achieved a lot of growth. Pruning early causes the shrub to become thicker at the bottom rather than being thin or open at the base. Once it is dense enough at the base, pruning can be eased, so to not cause death of the center leaves. When shearing trim in one direction and then go back and trim the opposite way so that it’s top line is smooth and has no dips. When using boxwood Winter Gem Boxwood as topiary or bonsai, pruning may be done several times a year as needed, although late summer or fall would stimulate new growth that would be susceptible to winter injury. Do not hard prune any area where you want to achieve leaf growth, as they may not respond for a few years. Just leave stubs or stripped branches until buds have formed where you want them and have made several sets of leaves. Buds that are unwanted can be rubbed off. Watering well and misting the wood frequently can help boxwood bud more quickly. Rejuvenation of older Winter Gem Boxwood: At times, very old and misshapen boxwoods are going to need rejuvenation. Renewal or rejuvenation pruning of shrubs usually involves severe pruning. However, boxwood's often do not respond well to this. It may take several years for them to recover if they survive at all. If renewal pruning is to be tried, it should be done in late winter or early spring, over a period of several years. Some experts say you should remove a third of the large branches each year over three years. Another method is to prune over a two-year period. Branches would be cut on one side of the plant the first year, followed by the other half the second year. Follow any hard pruning and shaping of boxwoods with a dose of fertilizer and a light layer of mulch.