It’s happened – your once-luscious garden has turned into a hotbed of weeds, and the plants that you do have are looking a little droopy. We know that even the best gardeners have a situation every now and then where they just can’t force nature, and you can avoid common gardening blunders with these tips from Whispering Springs Nursery.
- Drowning your plants. The trick to watering well is to water deeply but not infrequently. It’s a good idea to fill the soil with water for your plants to drink, but after that you should not water again for two or more days. You can check the moisture in the soil by sticking your finger down an inch or two. If it still feels wet, resist the urge to water for another day or so.
- Over- or under-fertilizing. The best way to increase your soil’s fertility is by regularly adding organic matter to it. A lot of organic matter comes with many plant nutrients, thereby negating the need for fertilizer at all. If your garden does require additional fertilizer, it’s a good idea to apply less than the packaging recommends. Start with half the recommended amount and see how your garden fairs. If you need more, you can always add the additional amount.
- Not using mulch. The benefits of mulch are vast – they smother weeds, contribute organic matter to the soil, prevent soil erosion, and preserve soil moisture, to name a few.
- Overkill on pest management. Use of pesticides can be expensive and are often more problematic in the long run, as they kill good organisms in addition to the bad ones. Bees are excellent pollinators (in addition to hummingbirds, butterflies, beetles and even wasps), and other insects like praying mantises and ladybugs are natural insect predators.
- Not rotating your crops. Crop rotations prevent pests and diseases from ruining your plants and helps to prevent garden losses. A simple example of this is to swap your warm-weather crops and your cool-weather crops each year.
If you have committed any of these garden crimes, don’t worry – you can undo your damage! Contact our Canton garden center so that we can help you get you and your garden back on the right track.
Photo via FreeDigitalPhotos.net
