Spring has sprung! It’s time to get that garden in shape.
The sun is out, the birds are singing, and you are ready to get back out into the garden and get your hands dirty and reconnect with the earth… but where to start?
Here are some helpful tips and tricks to get that garden and yard prepped for the planting stage.
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Take a squizz at what you’ve got going on below the surface. Good soil is the key to make or heart break in your garden. You want your soil to be tip top to give your plants the best chance at survival and striving to be their most beautiful self. Do some research on what plants you want to go into your garden and what soil best suits them, especially regarding nutrients and drainage.
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Plant in warmth, reap in heat. You want to get your plants in during Spring when the sun isn’t as strong as the later months as the increase in temperature (but not during heat spikes we experience in Summer) encourages new growth. As the heat penetrates the soil it promotes root growth and the more of that the hardier your plants will be in the hotter months when rain and water restrictions tend to be a bit harsher.
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Widen the hole, don’t deepen it. When planting your new blooms, the trick is to make the hole twice the width as the pot it has come in but the same depth. This gives the plant a chance to really lay some roots into some hardy earth and not rot around the stem of the plant which can happen when planted too deeply.
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Don’t waste water! Plants are sensitive things at the beginning. They aren’t magical and sprout longer roots as soon as they are re-homed and can’t feed themselves. You need to be prepared to give them the water they need to establish a good root-hold in the soil. They can only take up the water in the roots they already have established. They need to be watered daily until they can root-out and fend for themselves a bit better.
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You can teach your plant new tricks! Once roots have established well into the soil you can teach your plants to be more drought tolerant. By slowly reducing their water intake from daily to once or twice weekly they are going to have to source water else where and the best way to do that is to deepen their roots into the soil. The deeper the root the stronger the plant. You don’t want to cut the water intake just the frequency. Give them a good ol’ soaking weekly rather than the nice sprinkling they get daily. Stronger plants prefer a bath over a shower. When the temperatures rise and the days stretch on, you’ll be sure of mind that your plants are well established and learned in the art of water conservation.
Source: Lawn Solutions Australia