Are you ready to finally expand your gardening skills? Remember, everyone must start somewhere, but it is never too late to refine your green thumb! Check out our tips and tricks below and get yourself started with a new or developing hobby:
Choose the right plants for your soil. Before you buy any plants, check the soil type you have on hand. Is it light and sandy, or heavy and clay? Many plants thrive better in one type than the other. If you’re not sure, look at what plants are growing in your neighbor’s garden.
Give the plants enough space. Don’t be tempted by the displays at the gardening center. It is possible to buy too many plants for the size of your garden bed or available pots. If you place young plants too close together, not all will survive, and if they do, they will need more frequent watering and fertilizer.
Be gentle with new plants. If you remove new plants from their pots by pulling their stems, you’re likely to break or bruise them. Instead, gently squeeze the pot sides and turn it upside-down, using your other hand to catch the plant as it slides out.
Soak your roots. Thoroughly soak the roots of a new plant before you put it in the soil. Also, make sure the hole is bigger than the root ball before you attempt to put it in. A plant’s roots need to be able to spread to obtain moisture and absorb the soil’s nutrients.
Water your plants mindfully. Plants are designed to live outside, drawing natural moisture from the earth without the need for daily artificial irrigation. As a rough guide, poke your fingers about two inches into the soil around the plant. If it’s very dry, add some water. If it isn’t, step away from the plant!
Be brutal with weeds. It’s important to learn early on that weeds are a gardener’s worst enemy. Weed regularly and make sure you remove all their roots. If seeds are clinging to the weeds, don’t put them in the compost heap, as you’ll end up re-seeding your weeds when you spread the compost.
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