Watering guide

Plants do need water to survive. Water also helps dissolve fertilizer and nutrients for the plant to absorb. However too much water may be bad for the plant and cause it to rot instead.

Watering frequency should be done based on the type of soil. Sandy soil and chalky soil does not retain water, therefore they have to be watered more regularly, while the other types of soil do retain water to a certain degree and they do not need to be watered often. Therefore, adjust watering quantity and frequency accordingly with the soil type to prevent flooding.

Other factors such as humidity and heat can affect the need for water. Hot days will require more water, and humid days will require less water as there are already a lot of moisture in the air.

If plants wilt during the morning, it is a sign that there is not enough water and water should be given to them immediately.

Plants should be watered daily, and with that should be watered in controlled amounts based on the factors above to get a lush, green garden filled with happy and healthy plants.

Basic Gardening Tools

There are several basic gardening tools that you will need to help you out with your garden. These tools are invaluable for building and maintaining a good and healthy garden.

Spading Fork – These are used to open up the ground, incorporate fertilizers, dig bulbs, and turn compost.

Hoe – A hoe is used to scrape the surface of the soil and to loosen it up for planting as well as to dig up weeds en masse. A very invaluable tool for the garden.

Shovel – This is used to dig into soil, especially soil that is too hard to reach by the hoe, as well as to dig up weeds.

Gloves – Use these to protect your hands during gardening.

Watering mechanism – This is used to water the plants. It could be a can or a sprinkler.

Preparing the soil

Soil must be prepared before it is ready for planting to ensure smoother growth of plants. There are a number of things to do in order to get the soil ready for your plants.

Weed the soil – pull out any weeds or extra grass from the soil so that they do not interfere with the growth of the main plant.

Loosen the soil – plow or spade the soil to loosen it as plant roots cannot penetrate hard soil effectively. From here, you could also tell the condition of the soil — if it is dusty, if it is too dry, if it clumps up or if it’s too wet. The soil is perfect if it crumbles as you spade it. If it is too dry, add water and if it is too wet, wait for a few days before trying again.

Apply adjustments – this is the time where fertilizer or compost is added in order to prepare the soil for planting and to provide sufficient nutrients for plants to grow healthily.

After doing these 3 steps, the soil will be ready for planting.

Types of gardening soil

There are 6 types of soil:

Clay soil
The main feature of clay soil is that it feels lumpy and sticky when very wet but rock-hard when dry. This also means that it drains poorly. It is therefore heavy to cultivate. However, if drainage is improved, plants grow well as it holds more nutrients than many other soils.

Sandy soil
Sandy soil is free-draining soil. It is gritty to the touch and easy to cultivate. However it dries out rapidly and due to its nature may also lack nutrients, which are easily washed through the soil in wet weather.

Silty soil
Smooth and soapy to the touch, silty soil is well-drained soil and it retains moisture. As such, it is richer in nutrients. However, soil structure is weak and easily compacted. It can be very good soil if well-managed.

Peaty soil
Peaty soil contains a much higher proportion of organic matter due to the soil’s acidic nature. However, this also means that there are few nutrients. Peaty soil is dark in colour and retains water very well to the point where drainage may be needed. It is fantastic for plant growth if fertiliser is added.

Chalky soil
This soil is alkaline by nature, with a pH of 7.5 or more and is usually stony, making it drain easier. This means some minerals will become unavailable to plants, causing poor growth and yellowing of leaves. This can be remedied by adding fertilisers.

Loamy soil
This is the perfect soil for general planting as it has good structure, it drains well, retains moisture and is full of nutrients. This type of soil makes growing anything at all easier.