You don’t have to be a horticulturist to grow beautiful flowers. All you have to do is plan ahead and prepare for success. In fact, it’s better to plan ahead before buying any plants or seedlings, so that you’ll have high quality plants to grow.
Let’s take some time to look at the basics of how to grow gorgeous flowers at home, and how to get the best results from your home gardening efforts.
1. Don’t plant in areas that have been treated with insecticides. Insects will attack the flowers and leave behind larvae. The larvae eat the flowers and leave behind seeds which then germinate and grow into adults.
This gives the larvae the food source necessary to grow into mature plants. So even if you’ve sprayed everything off of your garden before planting, you should still plan for success.
2. Check the soil pH before you plant. The pH level of the soil is one of the most important factors when you’re looking to grow flowers or grow herb gardens. Plants generally grow best with a pH of 7.0, which is neutral. Most soils are not neutral at this time of year.
They are more alkaline, so if you dig down about 7.5 to 8.0 you should get neutral soil. If you dig deeper you’ll get more acidic soil. The further you dig, the more the soil will drain away. A lot of gardeners get too excited and dig down too low. Do not plant your herbs where insects or worms have eaten the leaves.
3. Plants may not grow very well if the soil is too rich. You’ll see the leaves get smothered, and the plants may not flower at all. The plant might stop flowering at about a pH of 6.8. A plant needs a small amount of potassium.
You can measure the soil pH by using a home garden pH testing kit. If it is not too difficult, dig about 2 to 4 inches into the soil. If it is too rich, it will taste bitter. If it is too alkaline, it will taste alkaline.
4. You should try to give the soil an inch of compost. The last step in home gardening is a little trickier. It is also a lot of fun. It’s just that sometimes the job is difficult, and it’s not a lot of fun.
Home gardening is a wonderful hobby. It’s relaxing. It’s relaxing to garden at home. But you have to take a few simple steps along the way to make it less stressful.
