The primary reason a garden usually fails is water. If you water too much or don’t water enough, your plants will die. Other common mistakes include setting out tender seedlings without a hardening-off period. Young plants need a short acclimation period before meeting the bright sun. Another common error is giving a young transplant too much fertilizer too fast since they are susceptible to chemical burns. Read on to protect your investment by avoiding 13 common gardening problems. The problem with this approach is that the nursery tended these tender tropicals in its greenhouse, and now you’ve slapped them into spring thaw mush. The plant never recovers from this shock to its system. Solution: Contact your local county extension service to determine your average last frost date. If the plant marker says put out two weeks after the last frost, follow this advice, weather anomalies be darned. For the earliest flowers, stick to stalwarts like pansies and primroses. Solution: Plant flowers with similar needs together. The landscape around your mailbox and far away from your faucet may be perfect for a xeriscape garden. Install moisture-loving plants in the garden bed by the downspout to avoid the possibility of root rot. Solution: It’s okay to push the envelope a bit on a plant’s exposure, for example, allowing your astilbes to get an hour of the morning sun, but as a general rule you should follow the exposure suggestion on the plant’s care tag. Solution: Visit a local botanical garden to see what grows well in your region. Shop for plants locally, and ask your nursery for flower advice. Realize that cool weather annuals, like pansies, will peter out before the summer solstice arrives. Solution: Never pull a plant out of the container by the foliage or stems. Tap on the bottom of the pot to loosen the plant. If it’s slightly rootbound, squeeze the pot to loosen the rootball. If it’s really rootbound, get out your box cutter, and carefully slice the container off the plant. Solution: Plant seeds following the spacing recommendations. Don’t overwhelm a pot with too many seeds. If they all sprout, make sure you thin your seedlings or pull out the weakest ones and create space between your seedling following the packet recommendations. Too many seedlings competing in a pot for the water and food will yield smaller leaves, crowding, and may cause insect issues or disease. Solution: Most plants have a preferred pH level soil for optimal growth. Check the pH with a test strip. Prepare the soil as early as spring—as soon as the ground thaws—if you are in a cool winter zone. Solution: Adhere closely to the directions on seed packets for planting depth. The larger the seed, the deeper it needs to go. But, if it’s too deep, it may not sprout, or the sprout may not make it to the surface for the sunlight it needs. Solution: In your first season, start with easy plants. Some flowers that are easy to grow include marigolds, sunflowers, or begonias. Once you get the hang of growing forgiving plants, gradually start adding a few more specimens in the next season. Marigolds are a great place to learn to read the signs of plant stress and care needs. Solution: All chemicals, organic and synthetic, must be applied with discretion. Carefully read all labels before using the product, research that it will do what you need it to do, and only use the minimum amount necessary. Solution: Carefully read the plant tag or label and account for the description’s mature size. As a general rule of thumb, you should plant a tree at least 15 feet away from the foundation of a home. Solution: Wait for the plants to flower before pruning. Also, read up on your plant to see if it needs pruning. Sometimes, all the plant needs is a little shaping and trimming of dead stems or branches. Solution: If transplanting a seedling from a small container, gradually set the container outside in its new intended spot for a couple of hours each day, increasing the time over several weeks.
