No Rest for Gardeners

Saturday, June 19, 2010 03:58 AM

The flowers are planted, the garden is coming up, time to lay back and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Not yet!

Just when you think it is time to sit back and relax, the weeds start coming up, pests are enjoying your plants and there is the never ending task of providing water and nutrients to plants so that they remain strong and healthy.

In order for plants to be at their peak performance they need to be fertilized with the appropriate fertilizer. Flowers and perennials that bloom should be fertilized with a fertilizer where the middle number is the highest number. Plants need phosphorus to promote blooms and this is what the middle number of the 3 listed on fertilizer stands for.

Granular fertilizer is available as well as water soluble types which are mixed with water and then applied. The granular types are good for flower beds but the water soluble type is better for containers and can also be used for flower beds. Plants grown in containers should be fertilized on a weekly program. Vegetable gardens may also need to be fertilized if there was nothing added to the soil before the garden was planted. The organic route would be to apply blood meal, bone meal, or mushroom manure or you could apply a granular fertilizer such as 8-20-20.

Moisture is another important factor in growing a healthy garden. It is better to water less frequently but deeper as you want to encourage the plants roots to go down making them more water efficient. If a plants roots are shallow they will dry out much more quickly as the soils surface dries out quite quickly. When watering, water enough so that the top 6 inches of soil is moist. Container grown plants will need to be watered much more often as the plants roots have nowhere to go in search of moisture. They may need to be watered daily depending on size of container as well as location and weather.

Pests and disease can also inhibit a plants healthy growth. Check plants weekly for any problems so that if something is discovered it can be dealt with quickly before it becomes a big problem. I have found that it is better to be proactive rather than reactive. Spraying plants with insecticidal soap or neem oil on a weekly basis can cut down on pests such as aphids. Neem oil is sprayed on the plants foliage making the foliage unattractive to pests so they will go somewhere else and insecticidal soap will kill aphids, mites, and whitefly even if you don't see them in a safe way by suffocating them.

Also keeping plants clean by removing any damaged or mouldy foliage will aid in keeping them disease free. Removing flowers that have finished blooming before they set seed pods will promote a larger flower production as the plants energy will go into blossoms not seed.

A healthy garden tends to be a weed free garden as plants do not have to fight with weeds for moisture and nutrients and pests and disease are often hidden in the unwanted weeds.

So, after you have weeded, watered, fertilized and maintained the yard you will have a chance to enjoy the fruits of your labour.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Home and Garden Centres in Prince George:

Highway 16 West at Kimball Road
Highway 97 North at Northwood Pulpmill Road

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No Rest for Gardeners

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