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When you create something yourself, you feel good about it. Creating your own garden without professional help would definitely make you feel proud and you can tell your friends and family that you yourself created it. Some of you must be fond of gardening, even with your busy work schedules, you take out time for those beautiful flowers and plants!
A study showed that 164 million homeowners in the U.S engaged in gardening activities. That shows how much people love nature! They take gardening seriously and enjoy their time spent working on it. Gardens require a lot of attention, which is why you must spend a great amount of time focusing on it. There are several tasks involved to maintain your garden.
Here are some tips to maintain a gorgeous garden without a lot of effort.
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Ensure Quality of Water
Water is vital for plants growth. It is one of the most important tasks you must follow — everyone is aware of this. But is water enough for them? You need to make sure that the quality of water is good enough — salty water damages plants instantly. A water well provides clean water which results in healthy plants!
Once, you have access to clean water, you must know the proper way to water them. Remember to keep water off the foliage, as wet foliage results in diseases and damaged roots. Hence, water needs to be applied directly to the surface without putting a lot of pressure – it can cause problems. When you water plants from the bottom it provides equal distribution of water to the whole plant which ensures stabile growth.
There are two ways to determine if a plant needs water or not. You can stick your finger inside the root — through this you can judge whether the core is wet or dry. The other way is to pick up the plant to determine the amount of moisture left on it. The amount of water matters as well. Over watering plants can damage them and cause diseases.
Choose Your Plants Carefully
Some plants are difficult to manage without expert supervision. How can you choose the best plants? First things first! Decide the space for your garden. This gives you an idea of how many plants can fit in your garden and how you want to set it up. Your garden can be indoor or outdoor, the choice is yours. The area of plantation is crucial because some plants do not require too much sun light. Plants such as Peace Lily, Cast Iron Plant, Bromeliads etc. are indoor plants — keep them indoors! There are some plants, such as Salvia, Verbena etc. which need a lot of sun exposure to grow properly, these are perfect for the outdoors!
Some people cover their gardens with a shade to protect the plants from excessive sun light, especially in the day time when the sun shines bright as ever! Excessive sun light may burn and damage the plants to an extreme. It is better to take precautions ahead of time to prevent this. The type of soil is important. You must determine which type of soil exists in your garden — helps in better plants selection and allows them to grow better. Choose plants for optimum results in the future.
Remove Weeds from Your Garden
Remember, every inch of your garden contains weed seeds, but only the ones on top receive enough light to trigger germination. You need to dig your garden so it brings out the hidden weed seeds to the surface, this helps the weed seeds erupt. Only dig when you need to and immediately cover up the dug space with plants or mulch. Minimize the soil disturbance, you can do this with a narrow blade. This helps in sliding through the roots of dandelions and other lawn weeds. It is important to know that weed seeds remain dormant for a very long period of time.
Even if little light passes through mulches, you may discover that mulch you used previously, got laced with weed seeds. Therefore, you also need to replenish the mulch as much as possible. At least keep it 2 inches deep, deeper can deprive soil of oxygen. When conditions are dry, the weed seeds are sliced off below the soil line and die. You need to have proper knowledge of gardening to avoid any problems in your garden.
Feed Your Soil
This is something you must have heard of, but the question is whether you have done this? When you begin gardening practices with great soil, you end up with great plants and watering becomes easier though lawn sprinkler systems. Healthy plants mean fewer diseases – lower chances for attracting insects and pests, which also require less water. This eliminates the need for routine fertilization. So how can you improve your soil?
Start with testing your existing soil, through results you may be able to determine whether it has all the essential nutrients needed for plants. If tests show your soil is lacking any minerals or nutrients, then you may need expert supervision. You can use green manures and cover crops – these enhance the quality of soil because they possess nutrients which are vital for plants and soil.
Use Appropriate Gardening Tools
Not everything can be done with your bare hands, you need some equipment to make your life easy. There are multiple tools necessary for gardening, you must have knowledge about all of these tools, only then you can use them effectively. A garden spade is used for multiple gardening tasks – serves best for digging, cutting, transporting small amounts of soil from one place to another. It has a rectangular flat head, which makes it feasible to perform all of these functions.
A shovel is used for moving and scooping soil – it is also used to move other matter around the garden. It is used for digging, though it is not recommended as it might damage or break its handles. These are durable and makes tasks easy for the gardener. These days everything is advanced, so whenever you deal with messy soil, spray some lubricant on your shovel so the soil does not stick on it. It contains silicone which recoats the shovel easily.
The next thing is a garden fork – it is essential for laborious work. You can use it to dig and break up soil, but it is usually used for dividing and lifting up plants. This fork comes in various sizes, you can select the one which is the most suitable for you.
Manage Root Bound Plants Efficiently
Root bound plants take up the space in the pot. The roots of a plant turn out to be the shape of a pot. This happens because they do not have enough space to grow. Many people invest in these types of plants. When the plant grows, the tightly-wound roots prevent the water reach to the bottom of the pot, which hinders nutrients from reaching to the leaves. So, what you can do is, before planting these plants, gently coax these outwards with your fingers.
Another way to plant them is to make three or four vertical cuts with a sharp knife, in case the roots are too tight. This may provide water to the overall plant for it to grow. You can pull the plant out of the pot and fix them to the ground. After doing this, you have to closely watch your plant and take extra care of it. It may seem different from all the others in your garden, but that is only because it is damaged. The roots can make or break a plant. The stronger the roots, the healthier the plant.
Organic Fertilizers
Supplements are necessary for some plants, for their growth and health. Organic fertilizers are mostly derived from animal matter. Some organic fertilizers are Manure, Bone Meal, Shellfish Fertilizer etc. They provide necessary nutrients for plants and enhance their growth. Organic fertilizers help add the deficient nutrients. Some people who have lack of knowledge invest in synthetic fertilizers – these may provide nutrients but destroy the organisms and organic matter of the soil as well as the plants. Refrain from making use of such fertilizers in any situation.
Both organic fertilization products are available at garden centers and plant nurseries. Make sure you use the right kind of fertilizers. Some people pursue gardening as their passion, you can show you children or grandchildren about how exciting gardening is, you can make them learn about planting, harvesting – good companionship can always be helpful. But what if you’re not aware of gardening practices yourself?
You eventually learn as you continue the tasks involved with your garden. Everyone knows that water is the main source for the growth and health of plants, but it is not the only thing. There are several techniques which can make your garden look impressive and full of freshness. Spending an evening in your garden refreshes your mind and makes you feel good!
