Keeping your garden healthy can be a daunting task, especially if you are a beginner. To protect your plants from destructive diseases, basic garden maintenance is imperative. Of course, choosing the right plant matters a lot. Some plants can get infected easily, which is why examining them carefully before buying is very crucial. Before rushing into what to grow in your garden, you need to know whether it matches the planting conditions you have. Ideally, you should go for disease-resistant plant varieties. The plant that you buy should also align with your purpose. For example, if you are looking for a hedging plant, you can buy lilac hedges as they grow fast.
Apart from selecting the right plant for your garden, there are some other productive ways to keep your garden healthy. Follow these care and maintenance tips to have a healthy garden all across the seasons.
Use the Appropriate Fertilizer
If you want to ramp up the growth of your plants, you need to apply fertilizers in an effective way. Ensure that you select the right fertilizer for your plants and apply it in the right amount. Using too much of any fertilizer can be damaging as it can burn roots, which in turn can reduce the plant’s ability to absorb water. As a consequence, your plants become more susceptible to stress from cold, heat, and drought. Thus, it means that excess amounts of nutrients can be harmful to plants.
You can conduct a soil test to know which nutrients your plants need and in which amount. It will prevent you from providing too much of one nutrient and less of another. The soil test will give you accurate information about the nutrient levels in your soil. Moreover, there are some symptoms that can help you determine if it is necessary to fertilize them. Some of these symptoms include light green or yellow leaves, leaves with dead spots, wilting of foliage, short & annual twig growth, dying back of branches at the tips, and fewer leaves or flowers than normal.
Do Pruning at the Right Time
Pruning damaged limbs of shrubs and trees at the right time is of utmost importance. Though the job of pruning beautiful plants is not that easy for gardeners, regular pruning keeps most plants healthy. Wounded or damaged limbs can become infected, especially in the winter, causing diseases to establish when the plant is dormant. However, pruning in the later winter prevents diseases from growing and spreading. The best time to prune your plants is the last stretch of winter.
Moreover, you should use sharp tools for clean cuts that heal quickly. You need to be more careful while pruning hedges. If you are not familiar with the procedure, it is better to ask the vendor for caring tips and pruning guidelines. For example, if you buy lilac hedges, ask for the specifics needed for pruning. Ask if the hedges need continual trimming to remain healthy. You can even call a professional to avoid possible damage to your plants.
Water Regularly & Properly
Watering your plants is necessary for their survival. However, different plants have different watering needs. Also, overwatering your plants can cause waterlogging, which can be damaging for your plants. Waterlogged plants or soil promotes the root-rotting fungi and can also suffocate roots. Too much moisture creates a suitable environment for the growth of certain diseases. You probably don’t know, but plant pathogens depend on water to reproduce. Thus, how you water your plants matters a lot. The most appropriate way is to water plants slowly and let the water reach deep into the soil.
Also, to prevent the growth of certain diseases or pathogens, use effective watering methods that limit moisture on a plant’s foliage. For example, soaker hoses and drip irrigation can help you to accomplish your plant watering goals. A professional timer that counts the hours of irrigation can be helpful to automate and streamline the process of watering your plants. You can easily get a battery-powered irrigation system that is designed for drip systems for hedges and herb gardens. Always remember that plants need different dosages of water at different stages of development. Young plants need water more frequently to encourage their growth and maintain healthy roots. Meanwhile, developed plants should be watered once every 2-3 days based on the weather conditions.
Conclusion
So, these are the most crucial tips for a healthy garden. Apart from them, there are some key points that you need to keep in your mind. First of all, ensure to pick the right spot for your plants. The planting position plays a key role in the growth of your plants. Choose the appropriate sire as some grow well in shaded areas. Also, proper planting space is necessary for proper air circulation. So, maintain distance between plants to maintain their health. You should also let your compost degrade fully so that it produces high temperatures to kill pathogens. Hopefully, these crucial tips will help you enjoy a healthy garden for a lifetime
