Having a beautiful garden in your home has many advantages. While it makes your property pleasing to look at, it also has mental and physical benefits. Studies show that it helps you become more active, lowers your stress levels, and can improve your overall mood.
But cultivating your garden can be challenging, especially if you don’t know where to start. To give you some insight, read on to learn more about some things you can do to make your garden look better.
Install Some Garden Boundaries
A simple garden fence helps keep unwanted people and animals from entering your property, protecting your garden. It also ensures security for you and your family.
In case of high winds, fences also work as a barrier against it to protect your plants. For more delicate plants, fences can benefit them as they reduce the amount of sunlight they can receive.
Apply the Right Fertilizer for Your Plants
For your garden to grow, you must know what fertilizer your plants should be getting. All plants need nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium to develop properly. These are known as macronutrients. Without these, your plants end up with weak stems, smaller leaves, and other deformities.
You may be tempted to get just any other fertilizer from a gardening supply store near you, but there’s more to it than that. When looking for fertilizer, it’s important to double-check its N-P-K ratio.
N-P-K stands for the chemical symbols of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, respectively. Some plants may require more macronutrients than others.
To ensure your plant is getting the right amount of macronutrients, research the right N-P-K ratio that is best for your specific plant.
You should also consider the soil in your garden. The soil quality can tell you much about what kinds of macronutrients your plants are getting. You should have your soil tested to know the right fertilizer to get.
There are soil test kits readily available to purchase to determine the pH levels of your ground as well as the macronutrients available.
Water Your Plants Properly
There’s more to watering your plants than just sprinkling them with water. Too much can cause fungal growth and damage to the roots, while underwatering can make your greenery wilt faster. The longer they’re not getting enough water, the harder for you to revive them.
When watering your tomato plants, focus on the roots. Keep it going until the ground is thoroughly soaked. Do it slowly, so the water doesn’t pool up on top of the soil. The best time for you to water your plants is in the morning when it’s still cool.
This allows the water to get into the roots without evaporating. You can also cover the soil with a thin layer of compost to conserve moisture.
Although plants need water, not all of them should be watered frequently. Cacti, indoor plants, shrubs, herbs, and a few others do not need a lot of water. Be familiar with what with the kind of plants you have.
Revive Tired Plants, if You Can
Sometimes, you’ll end up having tired or dying plants. This may be because of fluctuating weather, plant diseases, or improper watering. If your plants are getting too much water, keep them out of direct sunlight and repot them in fresh soil.
Hold off on adding more fertilizer until the plant has healed. If the plant lacks water, simply give it some water and place it in a humid area.
Most of the time, pruning your plants helps revive them when it comes to planting diseases. This also prevents them from slouching and rotting. It can make your plants look more attractive and healthier as well.
However, some plant diseases do not have chemical controls available. The only solution is to remove and destroy the infected plant.
Check for Insects and Pests
You can also inspect your plants to see if there are pests. There are many of them that can cause significant damage to your greenery. There are aphids, scales, spider mites, and more. Aphids are tiny pests that can leave behind a sticky residue that can attract other pests. They can be found on the underside of leaves.
Scales can appear like a brown crust on the stem of your plants. Although immobile, they can suck out nectar and wither your plant faster. Meanwhile, spider mites are harder to spot, but they are recognizable by the webs they produce.
If left alone, they can cause a severe infestation that can damage your plants.
Be sure to keep your garden clean. Remove fallen leaves, weeds, and other decaying plant matter because these can become breeding grounds for pests.
You can also get some insect traps to catch garden bugs. Pesticides and insect control sprays are readily available at your local gardening supply store.
Improving your garden doesn’t have to be complicated. With enough time and effort, you can have the garden of your dreams too.