As we discussed in the last blog, you’ll need to know some tricks of the trade to master your gardening efforts. Below are the rest tips and tricks:
5. Bring Dead Plants Back to Life
It can be devastating when your plants that you’ve been working hard to keep alive start to wither away. Unfortunately, you can’t resurrect plants once they’re completely dead but you can bring them back to life if they’re still holding on.
Try some simple steps including trimming the dead stems and leaves and reducing sun exposure by half. You should also water it lightly and monitor it.
6. Protect Your Garden
One of your duties as an expert gardener is to keep your plants safe. Fighting pests and diseases from your garden can be a losing battle if you don’t take care of it the right way. It’s important to note that you can use both natural and chemical methods for pest control. However, any treatment will take at least two weeks to be effective.
Here are ideas of how to protect your garden:
Good sanitation
Practicing cleanliness is the best way to keep your garden free from pests and diseases. Pests won’t have anywhere to hide when there isn’t excess debris around.
Invite good insects
If you realize there are harmful insects, the best way to deter them is by adding insects that are beneficial for the plants. Consider inviting bugs such as hoverfly, honeybee, lacewings, praying mantis, etc.
Eliminate the sickly plants
With time, you may start noticing some sickly plants as a result of being ravaged by disease and insects. The plants aren’t healthy and they don’t have strong roots.
Remove them quickly but don’t compost them. This will ensure the bugs and disease don’t spread. In the process, handpick the big bugs that you can spot easily such as squash bugs, cabbage worms, beetles or slugs.
Natural sprays
If you’ve been using insecticides or pesticides with no success or you want to grow your plants organically, try natural options. You can try using things like mineral oil, garlic spray or salt spray.
7. Track Your Progress
Tracking makes everything measurable. It allows you to know whether your plan is working or not. After planting your seedlings, journal what you expect from your garden at every step.
For example, after how long will you move your seedlings from the nursery? This will allow you to know what to expect at every stage. You can also seek guidance and correct any errors before it’s too late.
Start on the Road to Becoming an Expert Gardener Today
Some people were born with a natural green thumb but even if you weren’t there’s no need to worry. You can still become an expert gardener by following some of these tips diligently. The most important part is to start small, be consistent and trust the process.
Gardening is truly an art and takes time and practice. For more tips and tricks, check out our blog.