Tips For Cleaning Your Garden
Maintaining a garden is a tedious task, especially when spring is about to come, and you need to clear out most of the debris and fallen branches. This post will provide some tips you should know about cleaning your garden.
But before you do any garden cleaning, check that the soil is no longer wet. You also have to clear out any old growth to make sure that fresh leaves and stems of new growth will not get tangled up. Here are some useful tips that you can do when starting your garden cleaning project:
More...
Inspect Your Tools
Before you take out your tools for the season, inspect them first. See whether you need to have them repaired or cleaned. Using the right tools is essential to make sure that you can carry out your pruning and weeding tasks efficiently.
Check whether blades have rust, and they are still functional, so you can avoid any accidents. If you’re missing any tools in your gardening toolkit, now is the time to buy them (or rent if you don’t have space to store them year-round).
Choose the Best Time to Prune Your Plants and Trees
If your garden has shrubby plants, take this time to prune them now. You have to cut them back every spring because that’s the only time that they would bloom new branches. Why is it important? Pruning will make sure that the plant will start blooming in new branches.
You would know when it is due for pruning when buds begin showing signs of opening. They have more life and are easier to manage during this season because the weather is just right for them.
Cut Ornamental Grasses
If you have let your grasses grow during the winter season, you should immediately cut them. Letting them grow may cause you to have a hard time maintaining healthy growth in the spring. Keep in mind that you should not cut too short, so you don’t need to water them too often.
Test Soil for Nutrients
As seasons change, plants use up the nutrients from the ground. If you are going to add more plants, test the soil first if it still has enough nutrients so they can grow healthy. If you’ve already tested it and your soil lacks nutrients, add fertilizer as necessary as most plants love a proper spring feeding.
Should your soil still have enough nutrients, you can add a compost topping with a slow-release organic fertilizer. Only apply synthetic fertilizer once you see new growth.
Weed Out Your Garden and Start Composting
Aside from plant growth, weeds will start growing as well. Spring is the best time to weeding while your soil is still damp from winter. Once you pull up the weeds, throw them out. Do not try to include the weeds in your compost pile.
Plant debris that you can include are dried leaves and fallen branches. But, you have to make sure that any plant material with signs of any disease does not go into the compost pile.
Clean Pots and Planters
Part of your garden cleaning process is to make sure that your old pots and planters are cleaned from inside out to make sure that they do not harbor any fungi or other small insects that may affect the new plants that you are going to place in them.
To clean pots, remove old soil and fill a bucket with water and bleach in a 9:1 ratio. Dip the pots into the solution and let it stay for about 15 minutes. Make sure to wipe off any remaining dirt. If you have terra cotta pots, it would be best to thoroughly soak them in clean water for about 15 minutes to remove bleach residue.
Tackle the Grill
If you have a barbecue grill sitting in your garden area, clean it as well. Scour the grill with a cleaning solution. If you are going to use it for a barbecue party, it would be best to heat the grill up and cleaning it with an onion to make sure any baked up debris can be easily cleaned out each time. Plus, you can add a little flavoring each time.
Get Your Shed Ready
If you are planning to build a garden shed, spring is the best time to do it. Before you start digging, ensure that you have plans and layouts that you can use to guide your shed building project. You can always consult a professional landscaping service if you’re not sure that you can do it yourself.
Start Propagating
Springtime is also the ideal time to propagate your plants. It would be easier for them to divide and transplant as they would grow faster during this season. There is also a good chance that what you divided and transplanted will grow to be healthy plants later on.
Wipe Down Garden Furniture
If you have garden furniture, don’t forget to clean them as well as they can also harbor insects that may cause allergic reactions to those who will use them. If you have wicker chairs, you can use a mixture of ¼ cup of dishwashing liquid and two cups of clean water. Use a soft cloth to wash away the chairs, make sure to scrub crevices adequately.
If you notice the presence of molds and mildew, you can add a cup of vinegar into the solution. Then, wash it off with a hose, making sure to clear out soapy suds. Let it dry under the sunlight. If you have wooden furniture, you can apply oil as protection from the harsh rays of the sun and water from the rain.
Garden cleaning time should be done in spring as your plants are raring to grow. Just like you would call for a house cleaning service in Munster, IN for your indoor spring cleaning, you should make sure you schedule a spring cleaning for your garden as well. Before you start your task, check if you have the right tools, and you start your clean up at the right time. A healthy garden is a happy garden!
