“There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments”
Watering your Plants
Watering Plants is the top in the list as it is most essential. Plants lose moisture from their leaves through a process known as transpiration. Plant roots will absorb water from the soil and as we are living in the tropical climate, moisture evaporates from the soil as well. Therefore, you need to always check the moisture of your soil, water more often during drought season and in sunny areas more than shady ones.
Water seedling and young plants more regularly than older established plants. This is because they have smaller root systems, so their roots absorb less moisture.
Planting and transplanting plants damages the tiny hairs on their roots which are used to absorb water. So, for the first few days after planting, you’ll need to give these more water too.
Feeding your Plants
There are three main nutrients required to keep plants healthy which are:
- Nitrogen (N) : Which aids growth of leaf
- Phosphorus(P) : Which encourage roots development
- Potassium (K) : Which encourage flower and fruit development
You can use organic or non-organic fertilizers to feed your plants. Organic fertilizers consist of plant/animal based material which have the additional benefits of encouraging earthworm activity and soil bacteria which keeps the soil and plants healthy.
There are several non-organic fertilizers in the market with various number of Nitrogen, Phosphorus & Potassium (NPK). The type of fertilizers that you should choose depends on the type of your plants and what current condition your plants is in.
Pruning your plants
Shrubs and trees require cutting or pruning at some point. Pruning is required to keep the size of your plants in check, encourage it to grow in a certain shape or develop more fruit, flowers or stems. Pruning also is required to remove dead or diseased plants.Pruning may seem intimidating for new gardeners but you shouldn’t make it complicated. Just remove dead, diseased or crowded branches is often enough for most plants, shrubs.Clipping and trimming
New hedges should be pruned regularly for the first couple of years after planting. This is also called as “Formative Pruning”. Formative pruning usually involves cutting the side branches until the desired height of the hedge is achieved. Hedge that has reached its maturity should be prune twice annually.
