Gardening

Gardening for beginners: 11 tips to get you started right now

After the first plant there is always another and another and another…When you realize you are already a beginner gardener.

But here comes the question: how to take care of the green ones? We tell you in this post, or better yet, in this mini gardening guide for beginners. Get the notebook.

11 gardening tips for beginners

1- Have a gardening kit

The first tip in this gardening guide is: don’t improvise tools to care for plants. The right tools will make the job easier, guarantee greater efficiency in the cultivation of plants and prevent some silly mistakes, such as crushing the branch of a plant with inappropriate scissors.

At first, you don’t need to have a lot of gardening items. You can stick to the basics, which include:

shovel
hand fork
Pruning shears
common scissors
Glove
Watering can

If you have a larger area for planting, such as a garden or vegetable garden, for example, then it is also important to include a shovel with a handle and a rake in this kit.

2- Observe the climate and planting season

At the beginning of gardening, it is natural to want to get out of everything a little and then realize that the plants are not doing well.

But before giving up, thinking it’s your problem, pay attention to the type of climate in the place where you live and the time when the planting is being carried out.

It changes everything! Do you know why? Many plants do not tolerate cold, for example, as is the case with ferns, so there is no point in wanting to place them in a garden with temperatures below 10ºC.

The opposite is also true. Can you imagine a cold climate plant, like tulips and apples, being planted in full sun at 35ºC? It’s not going to work!

Therefore, before you want to grow any plant, do a little reflection on the region where you live and how the climate behaves throughout the year.

Another thing as important as the climate is the time of planting, especially in the case of vegetables and herbs. Most of them can be planted throughout the year, but some require a specific season, such as spring or autumn. When in doubt, always check the seed packaging.

3- Search for information about the plant

Did you buy or get a new plant? Perfect! But before planting it in the final location, do a quick search to find out what the green pea needs to live. This saves you time and effort.

Research if it prefers direct light or shade, if it needs a lot or little water, if the soil needs to be fertilized before planting and so on.

4- Time of dedication x type of plant

How much time do you have available to take care of the plants? Be honest to answer. The less time you have to spend gardening, the tougher the plants need to be.

In this case, the ideal is that you choose easy-to-grow plants that require little watering, fertilization and pruning.

By doing this honest analysis you allow your garden (even if it is in a small pot) to always remain beautiful and well taken care of. After all, it’s better to have one healthy plant, than ten asking for help.

5- Follow the light

Beginner gardeners, repeat this sentence: every plant needs light. Don’t be tempted to put a plant in the dark bathroom just because you saw it on Pinterest.

Light is the food of plants and they do it in a process known as photosynthesis (remember those 5th grade classes?).

However, it is important to know that the amount of light varies for each species. This is because some plants need direct sunlight, while others cannot be exposed to the sun at the risk of having their leaves burnt.

And how to know how much light the plant needs? First, you look for information about the species. The second step is to observe the behavior of the plant.

If she’s out in the sun and you notice the leaves are wilting, curling, or getting dry and burnt, it’s a sign she needs less exposure.

If the plant is in a place of indirect light and you notice that it is stretching and getting long, then this is an alert that it needs more light.

The solution is to regulate the luminosity by moving the plant around.

It is also important to know that in gardening there are three main concepts of light for plants, see:

Direct sunlight or full sun
Direct sunlight means the plant needs at least eight hours of sunlight a day.

Partial shade or indirect light
Half shade indicates that the plant needs a lot of light, but without the need for direct sun exposure.

Shadow or diffused light
Shade or diffused light is not the same as a dark place. There is no type of plant that survives the absence of light. In gardening, the concept of shade is a place where light is filtered and reaches the plant more smoothly. In nature this is common, for example under a tree.

6- Fertilization

Every plant needs a supply of nutrients to fully develop. But before fertilizing your plants, it is important to research about the preferences and needs of each species, in addition to the correct time of fertilization.

7- Customized irrigation

Well, it’s too wet, well, it’s not wet. So how do you know the right time to water the plants?

The simplest way is to touch the ground. If your fingertip comes out clean, then the soil is dry and needs water. If your finger gets dirty, it’s a sign that there’s still water in the toilet and you can wait a little longer.

You also need to know the watering needs of the plant, in addition to always keeping in mind that in summer, watering should be more frequent, while in winter, they should be more spaced.

8- Time to prune

At one time or another you will need to prune your plant. And don’t be afraid to do it, it’s for her own good.

The first rule is to prune whenever you notice the presence of dry and dead leaves. In the case of herbs and vegetables, pruning is important to prolong the life of the plant a little longer, preventing the growth of flowers and, consequently, the death of your greenery.

There are also plants that need annual pruning to complete the cycle and develop properly. When in doubt, do a search.

9- Protect the plant

Get used to protecting the soil of the pot by lining it with pine bark, sawdust or pebbles. This is important to prevent weeds from growing, as well as protecting the plant’s roots from sunburn. This protection also prevents the loss of water and nutrients through evaporation.

10- Get rid of pests

If you notice the presence of pests on your plant, the first thing you need to do is isolate it from the others, so that the pest does not spread.

Then do a shock treatment, that is, remove the most affected branches and leaves. Finally, research the type of pest and see the best way to get rid of it.

In gardens and home gardens, the most common is the attack of pests such as aphids, mealybugs and mites.