5 Gardening Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

Gardening is a very healthy hobby. But on top of that, it is an easy and fun way of providing yourself and family daily food.

At the same time, when things aren’t going as planned, gardening can be very frustrating. There are some gardening mistakes that you might be making unintentionally without knowing. When these mistakes are avoided, there is no reason for things to go wrong.

This is what this article is all about. We look at five gardening mistakes you don't know you're making. Read on!

Soil is the most basic component of gardening. Using the right soil means that the plants are getting the right nutrients and so growing as intended. The reverse is also true. Knowing what kind of nutrients your soil offers can be very tricky if you lack a soil tester. Without this information, there is no way that you will be able to tell what kind of nutrients the soil offers and which ones it lacks.

Soil testing should be done regularly. A good reason for this is that soil changes from one season to another. This makes it very important to develop a habit of ensuring that you test your soil regularly to obtain the best results.

Have you been watering your plants from an overhead position? If so, then you should know that you have been doing it the wrong way all along and it is time to stop.

Overhead watering technique isn’t the most effective, and we don’t recommend it at all costs. For starters, it wastes a lot of water as much of it is blown away by the wind. Plants end up getting inadequate water supply.

Secondly, this method exposes the leaves of plants to lots of dangers. Did you know that wet leaves act as a breeding ground for diseases and fungi? To avoid such situations, try looking for an alternative method such as the drip irrigation or even the soaker hose technique.

Drip irrigation saves you lots of water not to mention that the plants acquire the necessary moisture directly from the roots, where it is needed most.

Also, something else very important that not many people pay much attention to is the timing. Have a schedule for watering your plants. The best time is early in the morning when it isn’t too hot. Please note that too much moisture overnight is harmful to plants and encourages diseases.

Have you taken time to compost your soil? If not, then we encourage you to do so.

This means that you bring back to life the nutrients that your soil has lost. Your plants need these nutrients. Amending the soil includes adding compost, which is not a difficult job.

You have the option of making your own compost at home by following very simple steps. Alternatively, you can opt to purchase composts from farmers in the markets, local farmers or even garden centers. They are easily and highly available.

We aren’t sure to what limits should we go to emphasize on how important it is to control pests in your plants. Pest are one of the most common reasons for failure of growth in plants. They eat and chew on the leaves, stems and roots, completely destroying the plants.

Garden pests and aphids will quickly work on your plants destroying them in no time. For this reason, it is imperative that you look for an effective method of controlling your pest.

We understand that some gardeners are reluctant about pest control siting that they may end up adding poison to the plants and thus harming them more rather than helping the situation. This is true. With the wrong choice of method, the results might be catastrophic and more harmful. That is why you need to be extra cautious.

There is good news, however. You don’t need to use artificial and harmful inputs. There are natural solutions with zero negative effects to your plants. These pest control measures are safe for both your plants and family. Extensive research was undertaken to come up with these inputs.

We, however, encourage you to select the disease resistant plants, incorporate the use of non-toxic traps and sprays and ensure that there is proper spacing. When all these are followed, nothing could possibly go wrong.

We recommend visiting thepesthunter.com. Here you will find ways to get rid of all kinds of insects of your choice, which are explained very nicely with detail.

If you haven’t been using mulch in your plants, then it is high time that you start. Mulch is like an insurance policy to your plants; one that assures the protection of your plants and positive results of all your hard work. A lot of benefits are accrued to mulching.

For starters, mulch helps retain your soil moisture secondly, certain types of mulch come with the benefit of adding nutrients to your soil. Finally, and one of the most important, mulch accelerates the growth rate of your plants.

With all these benefits, if you haven’t been using mulch, then it is only wise to start doing so.

These mistakes mentioned above are only the tip of the ice berg when it comes to the mistakes we make when gardening. There are numerous other mistakes that we commit without our knowledge. The mentioned cases are, however are the most common ones.

Other avoidable mistakes include:

avoid to plant too early or too late,
don’t plant too deep or too shallow, and lastly
adding too much nitrogen.

The good news is that now you know, and it is never too late to change your ways.

Plants require maximum attention from us. With proper care and maintenance, they will be blooming in no time. One thing to remember, is that regular testing of the soil is important to determine the nutrients present in the soil.

Finally, gardening doesn’t have to be a difficult and tiring job. Enjoy every moment of it and why not get your garden shed in order at the same time too.