Your Most Common Gardening Queries Answered

Gardening is no pre-determined formula, we agree. There are no ‘strategic steps’ outlined, but some tried and tested practices universally accepted by the community of sincere gardeners. Here Nursery Live’s experts answer most common gardening queries that most of you might find quite bothersome.

How to identify the right type of soil mix for your plants?

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Having the right soil for your plant friends is non-negotiable. Right soil mix anchors a plant's roots, supports its water supply, helps it breathe and offers the nutrients it needs to grow. The kind which is most suitable for almost all plants and ensures optimum growth is a rich, sandy loam. In most cases, you'll need to enrich the soil with compost. Selecting the correct soil mix is an indispensable step and as a rule of thumb, the soil should be well-draining and rich in organic content. It should not get soggy when you water your plants.

How frequently should you water your plants?

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The straightforward approach to this question is; water your plants when the soil needs it. Stick your finger into the soil a couple of inches deep and if the soil underneath feels dry, water. If it is not dry, don’t water. Simple.

To help you delve deeper into the topic, here are few rules given by NurseryLive’s experts:

• Water your plants according to the season: Thoroughly in the summer season and reduce the frequency during the rainy and winter season.
• Water late in the evening or early in the morning: When you water your plants in the absence of scorching heat, the water doesn’t evaporate quickly and plants have an ample amount of time to feed themselves.
• Keep leaves dry to avoid diseases: Water your plants near the stem area and not the leaves as wet leaves are easily prone to leaf-mould disease.
• Avoid waterlogging: Overwatering your plants can cause the rotting of roots.

How often should you fertilize your plants?

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Some gardeners in their naivety assume that “if a little bit is good, more will be better.” But in reality, too much can be worse than not enough.

Here are some basic rules to keep in your mind while fertilizing your plants:

• Apply the fertilizers during the correct seasons. Most perennials, annuals, vegetables, and lawns will reward you handsomely if fed with a balanced granular fertilizer in early spring.
• Annual plants feed should be fed with organic fertilizers three to four times during the active growth period and weekly or monthly in the case of flowering plants.
• Avoid fertilization during the flowering period in of fruit plants as it will result in the dropping of flowering.

How to best utilize your small space?

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Creating an aesthetic garden in urban Indian homes is always a challenge.

Following tips from our NurseryLive experts can help you maximize your plant space:

• Convert a balcony into a beautiful garden space by using the wall space, the grill area and floor space.
• Create your own vertical garden to grow vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers for all possible wall areas.
• Add plants in your personal workspace and work desks and brighten up our workspaces.

Which plants work best in pots?

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To a gardener, all plants are stars. But some plants are born to shine just a bit brighter. Here is a list of plants that work best in pots curated by Nursery Live’s experts:

• Flowering Plants: Roses, Jasmine plants, Shevanthi, Impatiens, Gerbera, Marigold, Begonias, Pansy, Peace lily, Orchids, Torenia, Pansy, Lavender, Kalanchoe, Tagar, Madhumalti, Adenium, Hibiscus, Vinca etc.
• Foliage Plants: Money plants, Synogoniums, Succulents, Palms, Philodendrons, Ficus plants, Lucky bamboos, Aglaonemas, etc.
• Fruit and vegetable plants: Tomatoes, Beans, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Guards, Herbs, Onion, Okra, Brinjal, Broccoli, Capsicum, Carrot, Radish, Lemon, lettuce, Orange, Pumpkins etc

How to deal with pest attacks?

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Dealing with pests and plant diseases can be quite a bummer. Spraying your plant babies with neem oil, castor oil or soapy water can help you in the beginning but what if the problem is aggregated? Here are a few tips to ease the nuisance:

• Take Advantage of Pests’ Natural Enemies: Insects such as parasitic wasps, ladybirds, spiders and ground beetles are all beneficial to a garden as they prey on pests. Encourage them into your garden by planting pollen and nectar-producing plants.
• Hand Pick Larger Pests: Hand-picking larger pests such as slugs, snails and caterpillars can be quite efficient, especially in a small garden.
• Companion Planting: Some plants produce a natural insect repellent, which makes them very beneficial when planted in your garden. Some examples are Basil, Marigold, Odomos plants etc.
• Don't overcrowd your plants: Good air circulation prevents the damp conditions that promote the growth of fungi and other disease organisms.

Daily tips to maintain a healthy garden

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Maintaining your garden year-round can be hard work for the best of us. Here are some daily tips to make gardening an easier and more enjoyable effort.

• Ensure that the soil is loose by turning it at least once a month to keep a light consistency. You can add organic fertilizers to your soil to keep it healthy and maintain the texture.
• Remove small weed twigs from your plants from their roots to prevent them from growing back.
• Prune shrubs to enhance growth, but wisely by giving enough time to recover before they are expected to bloom.
• Remove dying flowers to help promote future growth. Pinch the bases of dried flowers by hand or with a pair of hand pruners.

There are still some questions lingering on your mind? We got you covered. Book a video consultation with Nurseylive’s experts to help you with all the gardening roadblocks. Here are the details. Hurry up, we are running free post-launch free session as giveaways. Book your slot now.