10 Biggest Mistakes Gardeners Make

1. They cut their grass too close.
Lawns composed of cool-season grasses need to be three inches tall after being mowed to permit the plants to grow the deep vigorous roots that can challenge weeds. Warm-season grasses do thrive at around two inches after cutting. Too often, gardeners THINK a short cut will mean more time between mowings, but it really means the opposite. Scalped lawns grow as rapidly as they can to try and compensate for your vicious attack. Grass allowed to achieve a decent height will always look much greener, have fewer weeds, and grow at the slowest possible rate.
2. They water incorrectly.
Your plants MUST be allowed to dry out between waterings. Plants that are watered daily might die from root rot. In a normal season in the upper half of the nation, a long, deep soaking once every week that you don't get an inch of rain is exactly what your lawn and garden needs and wants.
In a very hot spell or further South, you should water deeply twice a week. Always water in the early morning; never in the night, never in the hottest period of the day, never for short sessions of time, and at the base of the plants if you can make that happen.
3. They prune because they just want to.
NEVER prune a plant because "you just think you ought to or "it's a nice day for it"; both are a sure thing to result in a horticulturally horrible outcome and you might find yourself sleeping in the garage.
Simple rules: Prune nothing in the Fall! Find a new hobby if you have to, but keep your hands off those pruners. Prune big, non-flowering trees in the dead of winter. Prune Early spring blooming trees and shrubs immediately after they flower. For other plants, go to Google or Bing, and if you still can't find the answer, leave it alone.
4. They spray pesticides without thinking.
One reader recently asked for help with an insect problem, he explained he had dusted the plants with the insecticide Sevin every couple of days for the past several months without any effect-at least on the insects.
Another reader reported that Sevin had not helped her diseased roses! Maybe that's because it's an insecticide and not a fungicide! Why had she used it?: "It was the only thing in the house".
But my favorite was the woman who sprayed Atrazaine on her Japanese beetles, and the plants now looked dead. What could she do to avoid this next year, she wondered? Try not spraying your plants with an herbicide, was my best guess. When in doubt, don't spray.
5. They use wood mulch.
Never use bark to mulch your plants; it can drain food out of their soil, prevent water from reaching their roots and rot the bark or stems if the mulch actually touches the plant. You can safely use wood mulches to keep weeds down in your garden paths; that's it. People ask what about "landscape mulch"? Wood and bark mulches breed a fungus that irrevocably stains homes and cars.
6. They forget soil pH
pH is a measure of your soil's acidity or alkalinity. A pH of 7 is neutral. Most plants, however, thrive at a slightly acidic pH of 6 to 6.5. Some of our most popular plants-azaleas, rhododendrons and blueberries-require a VERY low pH to thrive.
Very few plants like an alkaline pH. That's why you should never lime your lawn 'because you heard you should'; have the pH tested and then apply lime only if it's needed. Give plants the soil pH they prefer and many garden problems will simply disappear.
7. They feed their plants instead of their soil.
It's easy to spray Miracle-Gro or spread Osmocote. And weeds, pests and disease just love it when you weaken your poor plants with those concentrated chemicals. It's the same as with us: Good food = good health. Trashy fast food = a litany of problems.
Two inches of compost applied annually is all the food plants in the Northern half of the country require. Another two inches is needed later in the season down South, where plants grow for a much longer period of time.
8. They confuse compost with manure.
Manure is not compost. "Compost" is made from yard waste that has been shredded and piled up until it has turned into a rich, black material that feeds your plants, prevents disease and improves the very structure of your soil. Aged manure can be an effective fertilizer-but only FOR SOME PLANTS, and it will not prevent disease. Do not use horse or poultry manure on flowering plants and never use any kind of raw manure. Protect your health!
9. They with no real purpose to fear insects and spiders.
Native bees are harmless to you and essential pollinators in your garden. Literally all spiders are harmless to you and fabulous predators of pest insects. The insect you, with no real purpose, sprayed could be a baby ladybug or other garden friend. Destroy all the life in your garden and...well-you'll destroy all the life in your garden.
10. They use pesticides INSIDE their home; It's True!
It is scary to spray chemical pesticides in your garden; those nerve toxins and hormonal disruptors are much more likely to kill to you than they are to garden pests.
But spraying poisons INSIDE your home, where you're breathing those life-shortening fumes every minute, is beyond nuts! Every indoor pest can be safely controlled without poisons.
Learn How To Grow Organic Food With Less Than 8 Hours Work A Year:here

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