A newly planted garden is like an infant. It requires love, care and skill.
The task is very rewarding and not too hard.
However, this is not a task you can undertake alone. While there’s a lot you can do, professional consultations by plant services are independensible in keeping your garden healthy and fresh.
You’ll learn along the way, till then rely on external support.
Here are 5 things you need to do right to take care of your newly planted garden. At various stages, you might require external help and sources but these are the five areas you need to tackle.
The right amount of watering
Right after you have planted your garden, you need to water it well.
All plants have different requirements, some need to be watered only once or twice every 10 days. However, during the first week of growth water all plants consistently.
A temporary irrigation system on timers can be useful, especially for larger commercial properties. Read up about different kinds of irrigation systems and their pros and cons before you invest in one.
If you decide it’s too costly, you can even make one for cheap.
After this, you can modify the watering schedule.
Plants aren’t as susceptible to drying out after the first few weeks. Depending on the climate, soil and the plant type form a new schedule.
Because of the wide variety of plant types in a garden, it is best to consult a professional agency.
Monitor your plants closely regardless of the irrigation system in place. Both overwatering and underwatering can kill your plants.
Signs you are overwatering your plants:
Mushy, yellowing or translucent leaves
Blackening leaves
Wilting leaves
Indentations on the top sides of the leaves
Signs your are underwatering your plants:
Shriveled leaves
Thinning leaves
Brown, dead leaves
Soft, flat leaves
The right time and way to prune
Pruning is the key to keeping your plants fresh and healthy.
Know what you have to remove. Any dead, dying or diseased branch must go.
Any crossing or rubbing branches must be eliminated.
Apart from this, any other plant part like branches, buds can be removed for landscape purposes.
Prune at the right time. How much you should prune depends on the plant type and your desired outcome.
Summer flowering shrubs like roses, fruit trees, figs and evergreens should be pruned between February and April. This ensures that they are pruned before buds break in spring.
Spring flowering shrubs should be pruned right after flowering. So, between May and June.
Dense trees that provide shade like willows should be pruned when they reach full growth. So, between June and July.
Do not prune in between August and December. It could lead to new growth which may not have enough time to mature. Hence, the new growth will be vulnerable to frost damage in the spring and winter.
In these months, stick to pruning dead or damaged branches.
You can prune branches up to 1” with a bypass and branches 1” to 6”, with a saw. Anything bigger than that, should be handled by professionals.
The right way to weed
Weeds tend to absorb water and nutrients from the soil, killing the plant.
Newly planted gardens are more susceptible to weed spikes because of gaps between immature plants and frequent irrigation. Planting in new solid can also unearth weed seeds.
Hence, weeding is crucial in a new garden.
We don’t recommend using herbicides as it can damage surrounding plants, kill necessary soil organisms and pollute water.
Hand weeding is a good alternative. Small weeds are easier to remove. Hence, weed your garden weekly.
You won’t get rid of all of them at once. Take it easy. Keep a bucket handy while working to make cleaning a breeze.
Don’t bend at the waist, kneel or squat beside your beds to spare your back. Use knee pads or a stool.
The right fertilizer for you
Fertilizing is tricky.
Too much fertilizer can burn the roots. Plants won’t be able to absorb water becoming vulnerable to drought, cold, and heat stress.
Less fertilizer means your plants are deficient in nutrients. They are smaller and more susceptible to leaf spots. They’ll be vulnerable to diseases and succumb.
Too much of a nutrient can also kill the plant.
The trick is to find balance, but how?
It's simple.
Get a soil test to understand the nutrient levels in your soil. This eliminates the guesswork.
After this feed your soil what it needs.
There is no such thing as one right fertilizer but only the right fertilizer for you. What may work for others might not work for you.
Here’s a guide to help you navigate your fertilizing needs. Learn about the essential nutrients that plants need and find the perfect fertilizer.
The right way to prevent bugs and debug
Pests and disease are a part of gardening. You can’t avoid them all together.
All you can do is learn how to prevent pests and when they do occur, how to debug.
Preventing garden pests is easy.
We don’t recommend any products. Pesticides, organic or homemade products can all be toxic to the soil.
Grow flowers that attract beneficial insects. Such insects prey on pests and can come into your garden to search for nectar, pollen, and shelter. Annuals like calendula, coriander, and sweet alyssum, tall flowers like sunflowers can attract these insects.
If you have vegetables in your garden plant some strong-scented herbs like calendula, coriander, and garlic. They will repel pests.
Practice crop rotation. This prevents pests from concentrating in a specific area.
If you already have pest damage, don’t worry. A little insect damage isn’t harmful. It can actually be good for the plans as it stimulates growth hormones.
If your garden is big, consult a professional for advice and how to debug and if possible avail professional services.
For smaller gardens, potted plants can be soaked in water to debug. You can also wash the plant with soapy water which has mild, liquid soap. Rinse the plant with a hose.
After this, spray the plant with neem oil.
