We have put together this article to give you some tips and advice on keeping your landscape garden healthy. There are quite a few tasks you can do to ensure the plants in your garden have a long life.
Examine Plant Roots Before You Buy
Before you buy plants for your landscape garden you should check the plant to see if it is sick or not, you don’t want to introduce a plant with a disease into your garden as this can affect other plants. You should do some research into what a healthy plant looks like so you can check for the signs yourself. You will want to avoid taking home plants that have dead spots, rotted stems, or insects. It is also a good idea to check the roots of the plants to see if they are healthy. The roots should be firm, usually white and spaced all over the root-ball.
Keep Insects Out Of Plants
Regularly inspect your plants to see if they have any insects, insect damage can be serious as it can then cause further problems to your plants including viruses and bacteria. Some insects even transport viruses from one plant to the next. There are a few ways to keep insects away from your plants, one way is to create an unsafe passage – slugs, snails and caterpillars approach your plants from the ground, so spread crushed eggshells around the plant and it will be difficult for them to approach, you can also use poison, which is completely safe for humans.
Clean Up in the Autumn
It is a good idea to clean up your garden in autumn, this is the best way to control diseases that are already in your garden, it can also act as an effective deterrent to any potential diseases.
Use Fertilizer
You should use fertilizer however you should not use too much of it as this can cause more harm to the plant than good. Overuse of fertilizer can make the plants more susceptible to stress from drought, cold and heat. You should also get a soil test carried out to find out accurate information on nutrient levels of your soil. This will help you to provide the correct level of nutrients for your plant.
Remove Damaged Limbs
It is best to do this in late winter, wounded limbs on a plant can become infected so you should remove them in winter as this will prevent the disease from spreading to new growth. Use sharp tools when doing this as it will ensure clean cuts heal rapidly and grow back to healthy tissue.
Water Your Plants Regularly
You should make sure that your plants are getting the water that they need; however diseases also need water so you need to do this correctly to limit moisture on the plant’s foliage. Use soaker hoses and drip irrigation and hold the leaves out of the way as you water the roots.
Don’t Crowd Plants
Space plants out as this can improve airflow around the plants which reduces high relative humidity and allows the foliage to dry more quickly. Plants that are placed too closely together can deprive them of sunlight, water and nutrients, making them weak and more susceptible to attack. Diseases can also be spread when an infected leaf from a plant come into contact with a healthy leaf from another plant.
Following the tips provided in this guide is the best way to ensure you keep your landscape garden looking good and keeping your plants healthy.