Getting started on gardening is not easy. Even expert gardeners would tell you that. But do you know what’s much harder than getting started on creating a beautiful garden? Maintaining it.
There are all sorts of pesky insects and unforeseen circumstances that can wreak havoc in the garden you worked hard to preserve, or you could have just let your busy schedule make you forget to water your plants. Maintaining a garden is like raising a child. It takes a lot of patience, diligence, and hard work, but it’s not impossible. Here are some tips on keeping your garden clean and green:
Examine new plants
Before buying new plants for your garden, you have to give it a close inspection from top to root. Make sure the plant is healthy. Otherwise, you’ll be introducing a diseased plant into your garden which will affect your entire garden.
It might be hard to tell which plants are healthy and which aren’t. It would be helpful to have a book or magazine as a guide when buying new plants. For starters, you should avoid those that have dead spots, insects, or rotted stems.
Don’t crowd your plants
As established, it’s hard to tell if a plant is healthy or not. There may be instances that you unknowingly introduce a diseased plant to your garden. This is unavoidable, but you can still prevent it from affecting your other plants.
Don’t crowd your garden. That way, when one plant acquires a disease, it won’t affect others surrounding it immediately.
Clean regularly
Overtime, nasty weeds will start growing in your garden. If you leave them to be, they’ll choke your plants. Make sure you set a weeding schedule periodically to get rid of weeds. Also, keep an eye out for branches and leaves that fall in your yard. Although they look harmless, they have a tendency to hasten the growth and healthy development of your plants.
Make sure yard waste is fully composted
Different materials have different rates of decomposition. Some decompose faster than others. When introducing yard waste to your garden, make sure that all of them are fully composted. Otherwise, you’ll run the risk of introducing harmful components to your soil.
Water your plants responsibly
You probably already know that you have to water your plants frequently, but make sure you’re not overdoing it. Watering your plants more than you’re supposed to will drown them and prevent them from growing.
Different plants need different levels of water to survive. Make sure you know your plants and are aware of how much water they need. Check on your reticulation system every now and then in case of the need for reticulation repairs.
Easy on the fertilizer
You might be making the same mistake other gardeners make — that is, over-fertilizing their plants. Sure, fertilizers are essential to keeping plants healthy. In fact, they boost the development and growth of the plant. But, as they say, all good things must be taken in moderation.
An overabundance of nutrients is not necessarily good. Too much fertilizer will cause stress to your plant. Your soil alone already has nutrients capable of growing your plants. Make sure you know your soil’s nutrient content to avoid going overboard with the fertilizers.
Gardening takes a lot of work and discipline. You can’t just expect to have a beautiful garden if you don’t put in the work. These tips will make the task easier for you so you can have the garden you desire.
