Despite your best efforts, do your garden plants keep dying?
It can be endlessly frustrating when garden plantings die. The money you spent on those seeds and supplies alone is enough to break your heart. That’s before you consider the time you spent trying to nourish those plants. All you’ll have to show for your hard efforts is a dying garden that looks like a mess.
And, that’s when this happens for one year. Imagine how difficult it can be if your garden gets into the habit of dying every season? It’s enough to make anyone hang up their green gloves for good. After three or four years of it, you’ll undoubtedly start asking yourself what the point of everything is.
Three Things to Try if Your Plants Fail to Thrive
Though we can’t take away the pain, we might be able to put an end to the suffering. That’s because often, recurring trouble has simple causes. If you finally want to see your garden flourish this summer, you need only keep reading to find out how you get things right.
1 – Consider the quality of your water source
The chances are that you plug your garden hose into the house mains. No one in their right mind wants to spend a fortune on filtered water for their garden. It wouldn’t even be worth doing so as filters take out all the good stuff.
But, that doesn’t mean your house mains are doing your plants any good. If your supply is contaminated with anything from sewage to excess chlorine, it could kill your garden fast.
If you’re worried this is the problem, don’t hesitate to contact an expert plumbing or water quality service for diagnosis and repair. Your plants may start thriving the moment their water comes from a better place.
2 – Think about where you’re planting
Sometimes, something as simple as positioning is to blame for issues like these. As a gardener, you already know that plants need sunlight. What you might not realize is that they aren’t getting enough of the stuff where they are. If your plants are blocked by fencing, or only get a small amount of sun each day, their demise is inevitable. Instead, make an effort to plant in a place where your garden is sure to get the appropriate amount of daily sunshine each day.
3 – Let your garden go dormant…at least for now
As strange as it sounds, it’s possible that you’re too on the ball with your garden. It may be that you pick fallen leaves the moment they appear, or clear all debris from your planter beds on a daily basis. The trouble is that, while this keeps things looking great, it isn’t all that good for your plants. You’ll find that you actually get more out of your garden if you let things go a little.
That’s because your plants need nutrients from the soil, and they get them through the breaking down of old garden debris. We’re not saying you need to let everything go to ruin. But, leaving a few leaves around could see your garden getting the zest for life that it’s been lacking until now.
The Takeaway: Sometimes Your Plants Don’t Thrive, Adjust and Learn from the Experience
Keep these easy tips in mind if you find yourself struggling to make your garden thrive. It happens to the best of us, and we all grow from our mistakes. We’d love to hear if these hints keep your plants from dying.
Despite freelancing to make a living, her love is "all things home."
Deborah grew up in a family that grew a large vegetable garden and a fruit orchard, helping her parents pull weeds and can home-grown foods as part of her childhood. In fact, she had no idea that she could purchase veggies and fruits in pre-packed steel cans until she went to college and made a food run.
Today, she lives in Bertie County, North Carolina, an agricultural rural area with more chickens than people. She lives with her husband and two rescue pets a sweet toy fox terrier and a cat who showed up one day and moved into the house. Together, they enjoy DIY projects, furniture refinishing, gardening, and canning.
This blog celebrates all things home.
