Plants that need ‘full sunlight’ should be placed somewhere that gets 4-6 hours of direct light per day. Plants that need ‘partial sunlight’ should be placed somewhere that gets 2-3 hours of direct light per day. Plants that need ‘shade’ should be placed somewhere that gets 1 hour of direct sunlight per day.
Stick your finger in the soil up to your 2nd knuckle to see how wet it is; if your finger comes back dry, you need to water your plant. If it is wet at all, then hold off on watering for a day or two more. Always use warm water for your plants, as cold water can shock the roots and cause damage to the plant. [1] X Research source Give your plants a deep watering about once a month. Place them in the sink and let the water run through them. This will help keep salts from building up on the surface of the soil.
Spray or sprinkle the fertilizer directly onto the top of the soil, according to the package directions. Liquid fertilizers can be mixed with water in your watering can. To apply, simply water your plants. You don’t need to mix the fertilizer into the potted soil, as it will dissolve and incorporate into the mixture on its own over time.
Rinsing down your plant under running water works best for smaller plants. Make sure not to get too much water into the pot itself, though. There are brands of plant cleaning spray on the market that you can use to spray the dust off your plants.
Check the ideal watering amounts for each plant, as some varieties prefer lots of water while others require very little.
You can use weed killers in your garden, but most aren’t plant-specific and will kill all surrounding plants (not just the weeds). Check for weeds growing underneath the canopy of a plant or bush.
Be careful not to cover up the base of your plants with mulch, as this will inhibit their growth. This is especially important for small trees and bushes. You can add a layer of organic compost as a substitute for garden mulch, if you want. Keep in mind that compost will not prevent weeds like mulch will, although it is beneficial to your plant’s growth. For permanent plantings, you can lay down landscape fabric over the soil to act as a weed barrier. Using this in combination with mulch will reduce weeds to almost nothing.
To encourage the growth of leaves, cut flower buds before they bloom. This will conserve the plant’s energy. This applies to most types of flowering plants, like marigold, celosia and zinnia.
Mix the fertilizer into the top few inches of soil. This can help reduce harmful runoff of fertilizers into waterways and other areas. If fertilizer is left on top of the soil, the nutrients will enter the air instead of the soil. Consider organic options for fertilizing. Most nutrition contained in chemical fertilizers is wasted because it is released faster than plants can use it. Furthermore, they only provide three nutrients. Mature organic compost or organic mixes provide more micronutrients. Organic compost will release these nutrients over a long period as plants need them. If you’re unsure as to what fertilizer to use, ask your local nursery worker for help. [4] X Research source
If all of your soil is poorly draining, you can dig it up and mix in sand to help increase the drainage.
Always use store-bought gardening soil rather than soil from your yard, as the soil from your yard contains insects, plant diseases, and weeds that will spread to your plant in its new location. You can tell that plants are too close if they are growing into each other, or if their primary stems/branches become tangled.
If you add mulch too high on the base of a stem or tree, it will cut off valuable sunlight and prevent growth. Move mulch off the base of the stems and tree trunks in your garden.
Throw these branches away rather than leaving them in your garden as compost, because if they do contain a plant disease, it can still spread to nearby plants.
When transplanting a plant from a pot to the garden, keep the soil level at the same depth that it was in the original pot. If your roots are mostly above the surface, your plant will die as well. You want the roots to be level with the garden topsoil.
