Flowering plants have many benefits and give beautiful scenery to your home. Therefore, you must give them top-notch care so that they grow properly and continue to look amazing. Since there are annual and perennial flowers that you can have in your garden. The care they need is different from each other depending on the type of weather condition that they are in. Hence, if you want perfect results from your flowers you need to do more than just watering and weeding them. Other important care practices are needed to be applied to have healthy and disease-free flowers. Read on to learn of more care practices you need to apply .
1. Water flowering plants regularly
This is the most important care practice that you can give your flowering plants. No matter where you get your tips and guidelines on gardening from it is always top of the list. Most flowers, especially in the summer, need to be watered at least once a day. This will avoid withering and possible stunted growth as they lose a lot of water during this season. Other than regarding the season that you have to water your plants. It is important to consider the species of flowers you have and their water needs. The amount of rain in your area and the type of soil also are other factors to be considered. Following a guide can help you know the different flowering plants available and their water needs.
2. Provide your flower plants with adequate sunlight
Sunlight is important not only in flowering plants but also in non-flowering plants. It is a source of energy to the plants. Thus, it is important if your flowers are indoors that they are positioned where they get enough sun. Also, ensure that the ones that are outside are not under a shade of a tree or shrub and are getting enough sunlight. So with the flower plants, you need to know their light requirements to know how best they can get it. The flower plants that do not require a lot of sunlight as they cannot survive can have a barrier in your home garden to protect them from direct sunlight.
3. Apply proper fertilizers
It is vital that your flower plants have adequate nutrients and they get this from the soil’s fertility. Hence it is important to check your soil fertility often to determine if you need to apply fertilizers to your flowers. Especially, since garden soils lose fertility after some time. Use the fertilizers appropriately to avoid them scorching the plants. Also, following the manufacturer’s instructions to apply at the correct time and right measure is necessary. Consider buying the fertilizer according to the size of your garden and the types of flowers you have in your garden. It is important to apply this care practice properly as it needs attention to be effective.
4. Prevent and control pests and diseases
This care practice is wide and detailed due to its importance to your flower plants. As pests and diseases are harmful to flowers and need to be prevented and controlled. In regards to pests, you can prevent them by keeping your garden free from refuse and weeds as well as installing traps. Common pests are gnats, aphids, bugs, and mites. This you can control with proper pesticides or removing the affected plants to prevent the spread of the pests. As for the diseases that affect the plants, most are caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Therefore, like pests, use the appropriate chemicals to kill the microorganisms that cause the disease. Optionally, there are other proper gardening tips like using clean weeding and pruning tools.
5. Weed and mulch your flowers
Weeds compete with your plants for water and nutrients and hence they should be removed. While mulching will help retain the soil moisture content of your garden. These care tips are essential to get the best from your flower plants. As for weeding do it as often as you notice them either they are indoor flowers or outdoor flowers. After weeding you can mulch to regulate soil temperature and control weeds. Try mulching with leaves, grass or polythene papers as they do not spoil the beauty of your plants.
6. Stake the plants
Staking is important as it helps support the plant stems. Simply, fix a stake in the ground and tie a stem to it. This is popular with flower plants that are required to grow in a specific direction. Also, when flowering plants have weak stems, staking is done to support them as they grow. The stake or rod you use should be light especially if it is to hold the weak stems together, like bamboo sticks. Use garden tape, strips of cloth or threads whichever you prefer to tie the stems to the sticks.
7. Cull and thin your plants
When you are applying this care practice it is best done concurrently as it is easier and it saves time. As you cull you are removing any weak and infested plants and others that are undesirable. This helps control any pests and diseases and give room for remaining plants to flourish. On the other hand, as you thin, you are removing excess plants to make room for the proper growth of the other flower plants. Practice this often to allow the flower plants to grow properly and look healthy. In conclusion, the above care tips are not the only ones as there is more you can apply to your garden for healthy flower plants. For instance, using clean tools to weed and prune, pruning and pinching, deadheading your plants to help them bloom better and the list continues. Although it seems like too much work to care for your garden. It is worth the time spent and the practices are easy to learn and carry out. Try the above practices and boost the aesthetic value of your home garden.
