Maintaining a green blooming garden all year round can be tricky for some of us, but experts say otherwise. Of course you can beautify your garden with lively fire pits, unique furniture and garden lighting, but the heart and soul of your garden will remain the plants. Whether you decide to go all organic or desire a hybrid of eatable and floral garden, that’s up to you. You just need to pay attention to the basics. No professional gardener or fancy high-tech stuff is required, because, for the most part, mother nature will take care of this. Here are our top 3 tips to a healthy greener garden all year-round.
Fertilize
Garden soil is not rich in nutrients; therefore, you need to use a variety – both organic and synthetic – of fertilizers to provide a nutrient dense base to your plants in all seasons. There are sure signs indicating that you need one; paler leaves and slow growth being the top reasons. A pro tip to follow is apply half at plantation time and half during the season. But be mindful that recommendations for applying fertilizers vary according to plants, so pay attention to label.
Watering
It may sound too simple but that can’t be farther from the truth. You need to avoid sprinkling water on plants, it makes them prone to disease; the only exception to this rule is hot and dry weather when plants will need to cool down. Always water the roots and do that in the morning. The best approach is to install drip irrigation or soaker hose in your garden to greatly minimize the water loss. You can always add organic mulch on soil to increase its moisture absorbing ability, though specialized synthetic ones can also be sued with similar ease.
Be mindful of plant placement, don’t overcrowd; too much competition among plants for resources will stutter their growth and drop the yield. It also increases the risk of pathogens, since humidity grows in the crowded shaded base of plants.
Timely Trimming
Not only does the grass in your back yard/garden needs timely trimming to avoid pest and weeds, your plants will need it too. You can go with any of the recommended reel mowers for trimming grass, but to remove weeds you’ll have to get your hands dirty.
The best approach is to avoid weed by using mulches for regulating moisture and temperature. Once appeared, you need to hand pull them from the root when they seem younger, otherwise they will suck up all the nutrients from neighboring plants.
Also, cutting out and cleaning the dropped out diseased leaves is crucial. Not all debris from plants can be used as fertilizers, as disease can spread to healthier parts.
Additionally, you can always take the easy route and employ services of a part time gardener or go for a relatively easy to maintain garden with artificial grass and easy maintenance plants. However, your options will be severely limited and going organic will go out the window. But the good part is that it will serve the purpose of a beautiful outdoor.
