10 Ways to Keep Your Garden Healthy
If you love spending time in your garden, taking care of your plants, any problem that you notice lies heavy on your mind. It would be so wonderful to have a healthy and thriving garden without any effort, but it just doesn’t happen. When you care for your garden properly, your plants will thrive, as will anything else you’ve planted there like fruits and veggies. Here are ten easy ways to keep your garden healthy:
Water properly
When you water too much, there will be leaf spots and fungi on your plants, and it will take a long time for them to recover from these issues. It’s important to water only as necessary when it’s growing season for those specific plants and make sure the soil is dry before you do it again. You don’t want to overwater and oversaturate the soil. Remember that well-watered doesn’t necessarily mean soaked, and keep the leaves from getting wet too.
Weed your garden regularly
Weeds are commonly referred to as garden killers because they’ll often suffocate the roots of healthy plants near them or harbor pests that might cause harm. Weeds will take up valuable space and ‘steal’ resources that your growing plants need, which is why regular weeding is a must.
Stake the plants
Stake your plants properly by fixing long sticks into the ground right next to the plant and tying the garden crops or flower stems to them with some thread of a piece of cloth. This is especially important if you have veggies (growing cucumbers and tomatoes without staking them is nearly impossible). This is because staking reinforces their stems and keeps them uprights so they won’t bend or break.
Take care of your gardening tools
All of your gardening tools are supposed to be cleaned in order to prevent transferring dangerous elements or bacteria onto your plants. This means your garden hose, hedge shears, pruners, sickles, garden trowels and forks should be properly cleaned and stored in your shed. This way, you will help keep your plants healthy longer and you won’t have to buy new tools every few months.
Increase soil nutrients
The simplest and safest way to increase soil nutrients is by using organic soil treatments. Other than this method, you should be able to turn the soil at least once a month. This way, it’s going to stay light and loose and the plants will grow there easily. If, however, you have clay soil, try turning it at least twice a month because that way you will prevent crumbling and hardening.
Plant companion plants
Intercropping or companion planting is the method of planting where you plant several different crops together. While it sounds ridiculous, if done right, it will significantly increase growth productivity. Not only that, but it will also provide pollinators and ward off boring pests. Intercropping is also a great way to control the habitat and attract beneficial insects which will allow their successful growth.
Space out your plants
If you’re in doubt and aren’t sure about the proper spacing, you can hardly go wrong with a large pot and proper air circulation for container gardens. On the other hand, groundcovers and low growing plants have to be grouped tightly together in beds to will save water and weed easily.
Keep potted plants cool
If you have potted plants in your garden or on your porch, try to keep the pots cool, especially during warmer months. Terracotta pots can keep the heat for a long time and plants planted in those are very vulnerable to overheating. When applying mulch, keep it light, and try to keep them away from direct sunlight. If you have standing potted plants that you’re keeping in water-filled saucers, change the water often because these plants can be prone to root rot.
Protect freshly planted plants
Freshly planted plants, especially vegetable and flower seedlings, need special care and sun protection. This doesn’t mean that you should plant them in shade, but rather that you need to use a shadecloth to cover them. Sheltering them for a couple of weeks will help them grow roots without harm.
Add fertilizer to water
If you are unable to water your plants every day, water them deeply and add soluble fertilizer to the water to correct any mineral deficiencies. Try to add potassium for controlling anthracnose disease, since it helps improve resistance to foliar fungi.
Keeping your garden healthy is not an easy feat, but it will pay off. Spending all that time in the sun and rain just tending to your plants will help them thrive and be lush and beautiful. Even when it seems like too much to wake up early and weed between your herbs meticulously, your heart will be filled with pride in the end. Take good care of your garden and your plants will thrive.
