Huge Garden Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making
Whether you are planting some shrubs, bulbs, spring flowers or perennials, there is always something new to learn in the world of gardening. If you are a newbie or if you don’t think you’ve got a green thumb then you need to try and avoid making these critical mistakes.
Too Much Mulch
Huge amounts of mulch around the base of a tree or shrub is a common sight, even with gardens that have been professionally maintained. The main thing you need to know about mulch is that it holds moisture against the stem of the plant. This can contribute to decay, which will invite insects and disease. Roots may also begin to circle around the mulch bed, as they would if you put your plant in a plastic container. If you want to work around this then you need to use mulch that is two or three inches deep and then pull it away from the tree, so it is much more like a doughnut rather than a mound.
Another important factor to consider when maintaining your garden is how often to water roses. Proper watering practices can help keep your roses healthy and vibrant while overwatering can contribute to decay and disease.
Not Planting Flowers
Plants have to be pollinated because if they aren’t then they won’t be able to produce fruit or seeds. Some plants are able to self-pollinate, but if you want to grow apples, squash, blueberries and watermelon then you will need bees and butterflies so the pollen can be carried from plant to plant. If you want to make it easier for them to do their job then it is wise for you to plant a huge range of pollinator-friendly plants within your landscape, such as bee balm, herbs, lavender and even fennel. Dill and oregano are also fantastic options here, and they can be used quite a lot in various recipes.
Putting Plants in the Wrong Place
If you have a Hosta that loves shade then sure, it may look fantastic by your front door, but it won’t last long if it is getting too much light. The same applies to plants that love the sun, if you put them in the shade then they will not bloom or thrive. If you want to do something about this then you need to put the right plant in the right place. Read the label for the plant of choice and check the description of it as well. Making sure that you have an appropriate spot in mind before you plant, is so imperative. If you have a plant that needs full sun, then make sure that it is getting six hours or more of sunlight. Part sun should be 3 hours and shade means no direct sun at all. If you can follow this guidance then you will soon find that it is easier to get the result you want out of your potting experience.
Not Checking Hardness
If your plant isn’t hardy then it probably won’t last year after year. This can result in you having to garden way more, as you will have to continually populate your garden with new plants. The fix here would be for you to check the plant tag and the description. Make sure that the plant is able to survive the hardiness zone before you buy. It’s very easy to find your zone online. There isn’t much point in you buying a plant that is not going to make it through the first winter, because of the current climate.
Putting Plants too Close Together
Do you like the feeling of being stuck in a crowded elevator? Probably not. It’s important to remember that plants don’t like it either. Whether you are dealing with tomatoes or shrubs, you have to remember that they need to have air circulating them and they also need to have room to spread their branches and roots. Squeezing everything too close together will invite disease and it will also drastically reduce your harvest. This applies if you are planting in the ground or if you are using containers. It can be difficult to know how much room a plant needs, but if you are buying your plants from a local garden shop then the tag will usually tell you how far apart they need to be. You can also find a lot of helpful resources online.
Putting Plants in Rows
Sure, you might want to have a nice row of tidy plants, and this is great, but if you do this then you will be planting a monoculture. This is a very bad idea. The main reason for this is because if your garden was to become a target for pests then you will lose your entire crop. If you have a plant disease infiltrate your plants then this will spread very quickly and this is the last thing you need. If you want to get around this then you need to try and plant shrubs in clusters, or in staggered rows. You need to do this with different types of plants if possible as this will add way more interest to the landscape and it will also offer a much better habitat to birds. On top of this, you will be able to attract animals and insects which is great, to say the least. The only thing you should be planting in rows would be hedges, but these can be hard to maintain if you don’t have any experience. If you want to do something about that then make sure that you hire MasterScapes Lawn Care and Landscaping service.
Planting Too Early
By the time spring rolls around, a lot of gardeners become eager to return to the garden. There is nothing wrong with this but you do need to make sure that the weather is right. A plant may say on the tag, what month you should be planting it in. This is a fantastic reference but at the end of the day, you have to remember that sometimes it takes longer for the good weather to truly hit. Just because a plant says April, doesn’t mean that it will 100% thrive in April. It may be that you need to wait until May, for the weather to get warmer before you plant it. A lot of this will come down to your intuition at the end of the day, but with time you will soon find that it is easier for you to get the result you are looking for. If you are planting crops such as tomatoes, melons, black pepper and cucumber then you should know that these can be fragile, so put them under a milk jug or something similar for protection.
More Fertilizer isn’t Always Good
Plants are like people, they need balanced nutrition. As a human, it is possible to overload on supplements and vitamins, and it’s important to know that plants are very much the same. It’s possible for plants to become ill or even die if they have too many vitamins. Plants can become ill if they take on particular nutrients as well. If you want to make sure that this doesn’t happen with your plants then one thing you can do is make sure that you are not applying too much fertilizer to your garden.
Neglecting Harvesting
Most flowers and bean vegetables happen to produce more when you cut them. A lot of plants are programmed to produce and spread more seeds this way. If you cut or harvest too much however then this can lead to negative consequences and this is the last thing you need. Make sure that you harvest properly, and that you always follow the instructions on the plants you have.
