Now is a great time to take the steps necessary to energize your plants. Whether it be flowering plants in your flower garden or veggies in your vegetable garden, you can do a few things to set the stage for beautiful blooms or tasty treats to come!
Anything in excess – such as an extreme lack of rain, flooding, cooler temps and excessive heat – can rob your plants of the nutrients they need to survive and thrive; and we suffer from a bunch of excesses when it comes to the weather here in Florida. Don’t worry though, we’re just starting our season and there is a long way to go. So, here are a few ways to supercharge your plants…
Since all those excesses mentioned above can make it difficult for plants to absorb what they need from the soil, the first thing you want to do is boost that soil with a healthy dose of nutrients. Give your plants a good running start by feeding them several times over two to three weeks.
For strong, healthy plants, you also need plenty of mulch. Mulch helps to prevent weeds, which will strip those valuable nutrients. Mulch will also help insulate your plants from extremes and help to keep valuable moisture locked around their roots. Bare soil dries out quickly and hard, splashing rains can more easily spread disease along bare soil. Make sure your mulch is thick enough – around six inches – to do the trick.
Before you cover your plants with mulch, it is also a great idea to add a shovel of compost around the base of each plant. If that shovel contains a bit of worm castings, that won’t hurt a bit either. Each will slowly release nutrients to keep your plants thriving. Then, when you feed your plants throughout the season, remember to fertilize early in the morning, at the base of the plant, so that the hot sun won’t burn your leaves.