Give your garden some much-needed TLC with these three easy tips

March marks the start of autumn. While this might be a disparaging time to keep up with your garden, big or small, you need to give it extra love.

Gardena South Africa marketing manager Fathima Mathen shares tips to help you show love to your garden at this time.

CUT WITH CARE

Heavy pruning is reserved for the cooler months but a little bit of light pruning is needed in summer to tidy up flowering and other plants. This makes way for healthy growth and new buds. Prune only to remove faded blooms and damaged leaves.

Remove faded blooms from flowering plants by cutting off the flower stem below the dried-out bloom but just above the first set of healthy leaves. This is known as deadheading and is important to ensure healthy growth in flowers. The Gardena garden secateurs expert cut has sharp stainless-steel blades well suited for light and surgical pruning. The blades deliver a precise and clean cut..

Now is also a good time to shape up your shrubs. Sculpt the outer growth to improve the shape and thin out the inner growth so light and air can circulate in the shrub. The Gardena battery grass and shrub shears make this job a breeze with its ergonomic handle that can be bent to adapt to the natural position of the hand. The quality blades also assist you to achieve perfect cuts.

PAMPER YOUR PLANTS

Add a general fertiliser to the garden, including potted and hanging plants, to promote healthy plant growth. Consider using organic fertilisers such as compost which provides essential nutrients and improves the soil structure. Liquid fertilisers offer as much if not more nutrients that easily seep down to the plant roots. Dispensing liquid fertiliser can be easily achieved using the Gardena pump and pressure sprayers. They come in various sizes to accommodate everything from small, easy flower beds to large complex gardens.

SHOWER YOUR GARDEN WITH LOVE

1. Watering thoroughly once or twice a week is better than watering often with a little water. Thorough watering allows deeper penetration into the soil, ensuring the water reaches the roots and the soil retains water longer.
2. Prioritise seedlings or cuttings that have recently been planted.
3. Water early in the morning or in the evening to avoid evaporation during the hottest times of the day.
4. Always water around the plant and not just at the root point to ensure even root growth and better nutrient absorption.