In gardening, as in any form of art, learning comes through practice and sometimes through mistakes. However, certain common mistakes can be avoided to ensure the health and beauty of your garden. The purpose of this article prepared for you is to inform you about the most frequent errors that gardeners, whether they are amateurs or experienced, can make. Whether you are just starting out or already have experience in landscaping, the information presented here will be useful in creating and maintaining a thriving garden.
Not knowing your soil type
Soil is an essential but often overlooked element for the success of any garden. Many detailed tips on soil amendment with bone meal or poultry manure can be helpful for experienced gardeners, but simply knowing the type of soil you have can significantly influence the prosperity of your garden. Choose a spot where you want to plant and, using a standard-sized shovel, dig and lift a shovelful of soil.
Take the soil in your hand and squeeze it. If the soil is reddish-brown and remains compacted, you probably have clay soil, which is dense and retains too much water. If it immediately falls apart after squeezing, you likely have sandy soil, often light-colored or gray, which drains too easily. If the clump crumbles after a few seconds and has a dark color, you may have silty or loamy soil, indicating that it is quite healthy. An effective way to improve clay, sandy, or other soil types is to incorporate organic compost by adding a bag of compost to every few square meters of soil. Compost contains a variety of particle sizes and nutrient-rich organic matter, which helps plants thrive.
Overwatering Plants
Did you know that overwatering plants can be more harmful than underwatering? While most plants prefer moist soil, they do not tolerate waterlogged and poorly drained soil. Soggy soil prevents roots from functioning properly, which can lead to yellowing, leaf drop, or even rotting of the plant. Additionally, overwatered plants may wilt on a sunny day, paradoxically due to excess water rather than lack of it. To reduce the risk of overwatering, it’s essential to monitor how often you water your plants, avoiding watering the same plant multiple times a day.
Also, it’s helpful to separate plants that require a lot of water from those that need little. Before watering, insert a finger approximately a few centimeters into the soil, near the base of the plant, to check if the soil is moist or dry. This simple method can help you adjust the amount of water needed, ensuring the health and vigor of your garden.
Planting Too Deeply
Planting too deeply can lead to suffocation of the roots and ultimately the slow death of the plant. Roots need air to breathe, and this becomes difficult when buried too deeply. When planting a tree or shrub, make sure the top of the root ball is positioned slightly above the surrounding soil. This will facilitate the roots’ access to air.
To prevent the root ball from drying out, cover the top with a layer of mulch about one centimeter thick. This practice will maintain the necessary moisture and allow the roots to breathe properly, thereby increasing the chances of survival and healthy plant development. It’s essential to pay attention to the depth at which you plant to ensure an optimal growing environment for your new companions.
Using Too Much Fertilizer
Excessive use of fertilizer can have negative effects on your plants, causing overly rapid growth, refusal to flower or produce fruit, vulnerability to diseases, and burns caused by fertilizer. Excess nutrients can also pollute groundwater and waterways. It’s important to understand that fertilizer is not plant food but contains chemicals that help the leaves produce food from sunlight.
Plants that thrive in fertile, organic-rich soils don’t require frequent fertilization. Those in dormancy or experiencing drought may not need fertilizer at all. Choose fertilizers formulated specifically for your types of plants and apply them according to the instructions on the label. Opt for slow-release organic fertilizers, which act gradually over several months and improve soil by adding organic matter. These practices will help you maintain the health of your garden without harming the surrounding environment.
Planting in Shady Areas
You might love tomatoes, but if you don’t have a location that receives 6-8 hours of sunlight per day, your chances of successfully growing them are diminished. This is a basic, sometimes frustrating reality of gardening: you’ll waste time, money, and effort trying to grow sun-loving plants in shaded spaces.
On the other hand, if your garden is mostly shaded, consider growing sun-loving plants in containers that you can position in the sunniest available spots, whether it’s a patio, balcony, or pathway. Use as many pots as needed to create the garden you desire. Another option is to choose vegetables and herbs that tolerate partial shade, but check the label of each plant to see how much sunlight it requires.
Planting Far from a Water Source
Moisture is one of the most critical needs of plants, but nobody wants to constantly lug buckets of water or drag hoses around the garden for watering. Sometimes even doing all this isn’t enough, and your plants don’t get the amount of water they need. For this reason, if feasible, establish your garden near a water source.
If you need to plant elsewhere due to sunlight requirements, consider installing a rain barrel near the garden to facilitate watering. To know when it’s time to water, check how dry the soil is by inserting a finger into it.
Crowding Plants
As a beginner gardener, it’s tempting to try to grow many plants in the garden to maximize the harvest, and besides, small plants seem so lonely without friends around them. However, here’s what you need to know: small plants will grow, and as they do, they’ll need more space.
Too many plants crowded into a small space means they’ll have to compete for water and nutrients, jeopardizing the overall health of the garden. Additionally, if there isn’t enough airflow between plants, any diseases that arise will have a greater chance of spreading. Don’t worry—your plants won’t stay small or lonely for long.
Planting Too Varied
While it may be tempting to plant everything, it’s better to focus on growing the vegetables, herbs, and flowers that bring you joy on your plate. It may seem simple, but you’ll truly be passionate about gardening when you grow the vegetables, herbs, and flowers that you usually buy from the supermarket or local market. Choose to plant only those species that you truly enjoy and that fit your culinary tastes. This way, not only will you save time and resources, but you’ll also enjoy the gardening process, seeing your favorite plants grow and using them happily in the kitchen.
Conclusion
Excessive use of fertilizer can have negative effects on your plants, causing rapid growth, refusal to bloom or produce fruit, vulnerability to diseases, and fertilizer burns. Excess nutrients can also pollute groundwater and waterways. It’s important to understand that fertilizer is not plant food; it contains chemicals that help leaves produce food from sunlight.
At MSE Group, we know that efficient gardening is about learning from mistakes and adopting practices that support healthy plant growth. Therefore, we recommend following these tips to transform your garden into a green paradise full of vitality and color. Gardening is not only an art form but also an expression of care and respect for nature.