Most people begin gardening with mimicking their neighbors. Mrs. Jones plants impatiens, you plant impatiens, hers live, yours die. You think to yourself, I have a black thumb but the reality never comes across your mind that maybe, you have planted the right plant in the wrong place. You continue to copy Mrs. Jones and to no avail, everything you plant dies. You concede to defeat and eventually give up. This is not a time to concede with defeat but a time to follow my 3 simple little rules.
Rule #1 Plant the right plant in the right spot. Time goes on, you plant the right plant in the right spot but again, the plant dies. Now there is not doubt in your mind, you are a plant killer!
Rule #2 Remember one critical thing-Water! Watering is a balance act between hydration and saturation. Watering needs to be through enough to fully saturate the roots without drowning the plant. This is typically accomplished with watering 3 time per week. Now you plant the right plant in the right spot, remember to water but the plant flowers for 2 weeks and then the beautiful flower is a really pretty green.
Rule # 3 Simply add fertilizer. At the initial planting, your plants have had the equivalent of life support. They have been carefully monitored, watered exactly right and fertilized everyday. This is to make sure that when you buy the plant, its prefect. These plants are planted in gardening and basically it’s likely going into sock. The care they received is no longer around and these plants have to fend for themselves. Rather than that, add 1 tablespoon of granular fertilizer for flowers. This fertilizer will take approximately 2 weeks to become active in the soil. To help the plant recovery from the initial transplant and encourage future flowering, use 20-20-20 Peters water soluble fertilizer every 7. Now following these simply instructions, you plant the right plant in the right spot, watering properly and simply adding fertilizer. Now, “ You are a gardener” and the title Plant Killer can be removed from the garden shed wall.
Remember the 3 simple rules;
Plant the right Plant in the Right Spot
Water
Simply add fertilizer
Once you understand the importance of the 3 simple rules to gardening, the next step is planning.
In the Gulf South when the weather begins to turn cooler in the evenings the thick lush St. Augustine grass develops a fungus we call brown patch. It also can occur in winter rye grass as well. Typically the fungus grows in areas when humid and moisture is present in the thatch layer of the grass and usually happens during April and October in the New Orleans Area.
So you have this problem and just want to fix it. Here are a couple of things you can do to reduce brown patch in your yard.
What do I want in my garden?Before planning the garden one must realize what he wants his garden to be. Whether it is a place to entertain, an arbor, a water feature, a sculpture, screening, open areas, etc, these are things that help in the planning process.
We call this developing a program for the property or the yard.
Why do I need to plan my garden?
To have a cohesive garden, one where all the elements work and function together, a good plan is essential. Also, if the idea is to create a garden in stages, a plan a necessity. It will help in making decisions about where to put the garden elements. The plan may help visualize a garden (come up with a plan and example photos).
Some things to consider when planning: circulation, function, interest, color, water, fragrance, shade, openness, activity, privacy.
Where do I put the garden elements?
This is the part when the actual plan comes to life. It is basically a combination of what is discussed in the first two steps, the what and the why. A survey or some sort of measured layout of the property is needed where all existing elements are located on a piece of paper. Using a system of trace paper overlays is very useful.
Lets say we have decided to have a patio, a water feature, and an arbor in the newly planned garden. Where will all this be placed?
Functionally the patio will be located at the door from the house to the yard.
If I want to enjoy the water feature and hear the sound of water while on the patio, I will locate very close or within the patio. Existing trees could be a factor for the features location as well.
The arbor will be located at the sunny part of the yard where I can go sit and enjoy filtered sunlight while reading. This area should be connected to the back patio.
This is a general idea of how the garden will be planned. There are many factors to consider when planning as mentioned in item 2.
