Monday, April 30, 2012

Repeated Farming Blunders To Sidestep

By Taylor Fernando Xavier


If you are trying out gardening for the first time, there are certain gaffes you do not want to make. If you do make mistakes, it is not the end of the world and you can usually correct them, either right away or next season. However, with a little forethought and knowledge, you can bypass many typical newbie gardening mistakes such as the ones we will be talking about in this article.

If you want productive plants, you need to make sure you give them enough room to grow. The space requirements of each plant is a little different, so this is something you should investigate before choosing a location. What often happens is that many plants appear so small that you don't realize how much space they really need. As your plants grow, their root systems will spread out and, if they are too close together, these roots can become entwined. This is one reason why, if you have limited space, you should either stick to a few types of plants or use containers. Any seed packet or plant that you buy will tell you how much space is required, and you should always follow these recommendations. In regards to gardening, one thing people seem to have issues with is pruning. If you do not keep up with routine pruning, some herbs, trees and plants will have trouble growing. Even though plants vary with their pruning requirements, you should keep your eye on certain warning signs, for example damaged leaves or plants that are exceeding their height limit and lack stability. Certain things, like hedges and fruit trees need frequent pruning. All at once, though, you should take care not to over-prune. In most cases, you should always take care not to trim more than a fourth of the foliage at one time. Because of the different kinds of plants you may have, your pruning tools could be anything from hedge trimmers to a saw for cutting branches.

Even though most gardeners know the importance of water to their plants, this is a factor in which there is a lot of room for error. The problem is, not all plants need the same amount of water, which is why you shouldn't plant species with very different needs close to one another. Your location will determine your plant-watering schedule. You need to take into account the rainfall you can expect while your plants are growing and what the climate is like in your region. One handy gadget for gardeners is a soil tester. This simple piece of equipment will analyze the moisture content of your soil. This way, you will know without doubt whether your plants require more water or not. Most plants get bogged down if their soil is kept too wet. They prefer moist soil. You can water too much and this can be as damaging to your plants as not watering enough.

The use of compost and fertilizer is of utmost importance. Whether you're using compost made from your own leftovers or fertilizer that you've purchased from a gardening store, this provides your plants with essential nutrients, so it's something you can't overlook. You can unfortunately give your plants too much nourishment. If you have purchased a fertilizer online, or otherwise, that comes with directions; be sure to follow them. The more fertilizer you use the faster the plants will grow; this is not a good thing due to the fact it will be a magnet for bugs and will also deplete the water. Be considerate of the preferred dosage and stick to it.

It is important to have a game plan in mind before you plant a garden so that you can avoid common mistakes that may cause your garden to fail. Once you are aware of all of the possible mistakes, you should also focus on how fun gardening can be. It's inevitable that you'll make a few mistakes -even experienced gardeners do. Your gardening will actually improve as you make mistakes because you will learn what not to do the following season.

Getting the right set of instruments is essential for any gardening undertaking. Numerous believe that a tractor is important. Seek advice from your hardware store to find out more.




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