Do you know what "brown thumb" means? It means a person that is unable to grow plants. How do you keep from wasting money on plants that don't survive? A beautiful landscape can add tremendous value to a home.
The following 5 tips will help turn your "brown thumbs" green, and ensure that your time and
money are invested wisely:
1. It's important to make sure the soil pH is at a good level. In zone 7 most ornamental plants grow well in a pH range of 6.0 to 7.0. Azaleas, gardenias, and camellias like a soil pH level of 4.5 to 5.5. Plants with too high a pH level will begin to yellow, their leaves will become smaller, and the plant will die over time. Plants with too high a pH are a clear indicator that they have not been tended to by a "green thumb".
2. Does the planting area have good drainage? As a good rule of "thumb" shrubs and trees do not like to sit in water. If your plants are sitting in water, you do not have a green thumb.
3. Buying high quality plants cannot be emphasized too much. We are attracted to sales, discounts, and clearance aisles because we want a bargain. Is it really a good deal, though, if in two years that plant dies, or snaps in a windstorm, or overgrows and takes over your landscape? Buying quality plants is essential.
4. Do you know what is needed to make a plant successful throughout the year? Does it need to be watered in the summer? Does it like full sun or shade? If your thumb is more brown than green, your shade loving plant might be burning up in the hot summer sun.
5. Soil preparation is vital. Tilling or turning over the soil does wonders to prepare a shrub bed for planting. Hard compacted soil does not allow plant roots to reach out and grow. Planting in untilled soil is like trying to plant in a concrete parking lot. In two or three years your plants will die.
Bonus: Place healthy mulch like hardwood, pine bark, or pine straw around the base of the plant, making sure the mulch is not on the stem of the plant. This helps hold in moisture and inhibits weeds from growing.
Do you know what "brown thumb" means? It means a person that is unable to grow plants. How do you keep from wasting money on plants that don't survive? A beautiful landscape can add tremendous value to a home.
The following 5 tips will help turn your "brown thumbs" green, and ensure that your time and
money are invested wisely:
1. It's important to make sure the soil pH is at a good level. In zone 7 most ornamental plants grow well in a pH range of 6.0 to 7.0. Azaleas, gardenias, and camellias like a soil pH level of 4.5 to 5.5. Plants with too high a pH level will begin to yellow, their leaves will become smaller, and the plant will die over time. Plants with too high a pH are a clear indicator that they have not been tended to by a "green thumb".
2. Does the planting area have good drainage? As a good rule of "thumb" shrubs and trees do not like to sit in water. If your plants are sitting in water, you do not have a green thumb.
3. Buying high quality plants cannot be emphasized too much. We are attracted to sales, discounts, and clearance aisles because we want a bargain. Is it really a good deal, though, if in two years that plant dies, or snaps in a windstorm, or overgrows and takes over your landscape? Buying quality plants is essential.
4. Do you know what is needed to make a plant successful throughout the year? Does it need to be watered in the summer? Does it like full sun or shade? If your thumb is more brown than green, your shade loving plant might be burning up in the hot summer sun.
5. Soil preparation is vital. Tilling or turning over the soil does wonders to prepare a shrub bed for planting. Hard compacted soil does not allow plant roots to reach out and grow. Planting in untilled soil is like trying to plant in a concrete parking lot. In two or three years your plants will die.
Bonus: Place healthy mulch like hardwood, pine bark, or pine straw around the base of the plant, making sure the mulch is not on the stem of the plant. This helps hold in moisture and inhibits weeds from growing.