Avoid These Common Gardening Mistakes

The very idea that some naturally green-fingered people are better at growing plants than others makes me think that gardening is more about luck than skill. But, as anyone who has tried their hand at gardening, armed only with the information they learned in elementary school science classes, can tell you, this is far from the truth.

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There’s a lot more to growing and caring for plants than most people think, which is why many beginners make the same initial mistakes before they know where they’re doing something wrong and how to fix it. Here are some of the most common gardening mistakes to help you avoid repeating them.

Ignoring the soil

Whether you’re growing a potted plant indoors or starting a vegetable garden in your backyard, the type of soil you use matters. For those who live indoors, it is important to buy the right type of potting soil for your plant. But if you plan to plant seeds or seedlings directly into the ground, you should at least check the pH of the soil and adjust it for what you are growing.

Wrong location

Whether you are buying seeds or seedlings, there should be information about the conditions in which a particular plant needs to grow and thrive . They usually include things like the plant’s need for full or partial sunlight, as well as the minimum temperatures needed to survive, and other climate-related information. Don’t ignore these instructions and don’t try to be proactive, even if it means changing your landscaping plans.

overcrowding

If you like that lush, dense look of several kinds of flowers of different colors growing at different heights in the same spot, giving the illusion that this is a patch of wildflowers, you might be tempted to plant the flowers quite close. together.

And while visually this may create the look you want (at least initially), plants don’t like to live in crowded areas , and at some point the more dominant plants will start to take over. Instead, read the plant’s growing instructions to find out how much space it needs, and be sure to give it some.

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