Generally, one of the worst things that can happen to your garden is when a specific plant becomes infected with a certain disease. This can leave a gardener with certain thoughts like; will my plant die? Will the disease spread? How did it happen? How can I stop it? While these questions might be thought-provoking and essential, it is good to remember that diseases in plants are caused when three main things coincide. The first component is the host, which is the plant, the second component will be pathogens like bacteria, virus that might attack the plant while the last component will be the condition of the environment that will promote or spread the disease. If these components do not coincide then your plant would not have been infected. To prevent the plant from being infected, you have to take preventive measures. To do this, you have to ensure that your garden is healthy. In this article, we will discuss some of the best ways you can keep your garden healthy.
They include:
- Carefully examine plants before buying them; the most common and easiest way to prevent or limit disease is by not introducing it in the first place. Buying a plant for your garden that is infected will definitely not be the best decision you will make. You have to remember that it is quite difficult to detect plants that are infected, that is why, careful examination is required. For careful examination, you can buy catalogs and books that describe how a healthy plant should look and feel like. This is a good way to examine plants and also check the root of each plant before making purchases. It is reported that most buyers do not bother checking the root of the plants before making purchases.
- Make use of composted yard waste; yard waste that is well composted have high temperatures for a longer period of time which ensures that all pathogens in the materials are killed to prevent them from infecting your plants. Plant debris that has been infected can prove to be dangerous to the entire garden. If you cannot differentiate between a composted yard waste, it is advised that you do not make use of it at all.
- Regularly water your plants; this has been the oldest and most common garden healthy tip. You have to regularly water your plants to ensure that they remain fresh and continue to grow. It is advised that you water your newly purchased plants with diluted seaweed solutions and it is advised to ensure that the plant has a good contact with the soil at the same time encouraging the plant root to grow. Seaweed fertilizer, lime & fertilizer spreaders are also good supplies that could help your plants.
While most of the pathogens that might infect your plants need water as well to grow, you must water with caution to ensure that you do not end up feeding the enemy. Drip irrigations and soaker hoses are fine garden supplies that you can make use when watering to ensure that these deadly pathogens are not watered as well.
- Apply lime and fertilizer spreaders; asides water, fertilizers are one of the most common ways to ensure the growth of your plants. Generally, fertilizers are essential garden supplies that contribute to the growth of healthy plant. Basically, plants require about 6 nutrients to enable them to grow properly, while they receive hydrogen, carbon and oxygen through the process of photosynthesis, the other nutrients are found on the soil, and for these nutrients to be renewed, fertilizers would be needed. Lime on its own has been described as the most effective solution for neutralizing the soil.
- Apply certain plant disease resistants; these resistants have been referred to as those that will not succumb to disease rather fight them off. There are various flowers that have proven to be strong and effective disease resistants.
- Do not crowd your plants; it is advised that you take appropriate care when spacing your plants and also monitor established plants in your garden as they spread. It is revealed that plants that are crowded create humidity which gives diseases like Downey mildew, rust and powdery mildew an opportunity to thrive. Spacing your plants do not only reduce relative humidity, it also allows foliage to quickly dry up.
Biologically, plants that are placed together will have to compete for sunlight, nutrients and water thereby leading to poor or stunted plant growth. While spacing your plants, you have to take this into consideration to ensure that your plants are healthy.
- Ensure that your plants are protected; if perhaps, cabbage moths, flea beetles and other insects have become a big problem in your area, then it is wise that you protect your plants with row covers immediately after planting. Waiting for a long period of time before covering them could result in insects laying eggs which you will have to incubate later. Once your plant flower, then you can remove the cover to let pollinators do their jobs.
- Regularly weed your garden; it is important that you pull weeds out because they can stand as an obstacle or even limit the amount of water, sunlight and relevant nutrients your plants will get access to. It is advised that you pull out the roots of this weed to ensure that they do not grow back. This is perhaps one of the oldest and most efficient healthy garden tip that all gardeners should take to heart. While you have pulled out this weed, ensure that you properly dispose of all foliage to ensure that they do not in any way grow back.
While most people have decided to use chemicals, it is wise to use chemicals that would not be harmful to the plants as well.
These healthy garden tips are not just the oldest, they are the most efficient. If these tips are taken into consideration properly, then your plants and garden at large will be healthy.
Author Bio: Thomas M. Strother is the blogger at spreaders.com which specialize in making spreaders and dump trucks from last 24 years. They provide quality products in agricultural areas like lime and fertilizer spreader, construction and other needs from tailgate salt spreader to litter spreader. They make sure that customer requirements are full filled.
Related Posts
Loves home. I am here to provide how to make your home a much better place. 🙂 Blogging about HomeDecor, Home Improvements and more.