Purchased A New Butterfly Bush As A Root? 2 Tips To Get It Started And To Keep It Healthy

Posted on: 22 April 2019

If you just purchased a butterfly bush as a root, it will take time for it to grow and start flowering. It will only grow well, however, if you plant it correctly and take care of it. To help your butterfly bush start blooming those beautiful flowers, below are some tips to get the root started, as well as keeping the bush healthy throughout its growing stages.

1. Start Out Small

Because this is only a root, you do not want to immediately plant it into the ground. Instead, purchase a flower pot to start the root in. Make sure the pot has drainage holes in the bottom of it. First, fill the pot with potting soil. You can purchase this at any gardening center or nursery store. Along with the potting soil, natural plant fertilizer solution. Fertilizing the root is important as this will give the root the best start in creating a strong foundation that you will later move to the ground. Sprinkle the fertilizer onto the soil and mix it in.

Make a hole in the soil a little larger than the root. Place the root in the hole and then fill the hole full of soil. Gently pat down the soil around the root. When you are finished, water the root until water starts draining out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.

Because the root is in a small pot the soil will dry out faster so check the soil for dryness every few days. To do this stick your finger into the soil. If the soil is moist up to an inch of your finger than it is okay.

2. Move to Ground

When the root starts to grow much larger and starts producing leaves, it is time to move it to the ground. Choose an area that has plenty of room because butterfly bushes can get quite large. Depending on the species you purchase it could get up to 10 to 12 feet. Make sure you check this before you purchase the bush so you will know where to plant it. The butterfly bush also needs to have full sun in order to grow well.

Once you choose a spot for the butterfly bush, dig a hole that is double the diameter of the flower pot. Remove the bush from the pot and place it into the hole. Fill the hole in with soil and press the soil around the bush. Water thoroughly when you are finished.

Adding a fertilizer in the beginning when you plant the bush will help it grow well. Adding fertilizer again later in the season if the bush is struggling. You can purchase an all-purpose fertilizer for this purpose. There are also natural plant fertilizers available. These fertilizers use organic products, such as animal waste from bat and birds, bone meal, feather meal, blood meal, and kelp and fish fertilizers.

Keep an eye on your butterfly bush throughout the garden center. You should have flowers the first year. If you do not, you will have flowers appear during the second year of growth.

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