REVAMP YOUR GARDEN
After all the drought and now the lovely rain we received, we still have a very big problem in our garden because of the quality of our soil. In all the drought we experienced we lost most of our soil microbes. Even if you did put mulch and compost on your soil.
Why is the soil organisms so important for your garden? Without the activity of soil organisms no fertilization can reach the plant via mineralisation. The soil organisms which die first are the fungi and protozoa organisms. The are the organisms which keep your soil aerated, which keep the soil particles together with a gum and who keep the calcium in the soil available towards the plant. Then you pour unsulphured molasses water over your mulch. Use a quarter cup of molasses in 9 liter of water.
This time of the year it is a good practice to look to the condition of your grass. Do you have any pests like termites or grass croquets? If not, is your root system a thick system or do you still have empty patches in the grass? If so, it means that you don’t have enough calcium and phosphates in your soil to strengthen the root system. Then you need to use agricultural lime and bonemeal on your grass before you use any nitrogen for strong growth.
Did you have any black spot on your roses before pruning? It tells you something about the poor condition of your soil. Put your broom stick in the soil next to your rose. If it does not enter at least 20cm deep, it means that you lost all the aerobic fungi in your soil – the reason for the black spot on your roses. Condition the soil with a lively compost made out of leave mold or any bark chips. Don’t fork in your soil to open the structure, but rather use earthworm castings to bring in more soil microbes.
When last did you prune your shrubs in the garden? We prune our shrubs to rejuvenate them after the summer and winter season. If not, the shrubs will only sprout new growth from the tip of the bush and not from the bottom stems. Allowing that for 2 to 3 years and you will end up with shrubs becoming trees, because the bottom stems will never again sprout new leaves. Please prune all your shrubs every year after winter. And then, also remember to feed your shrubs after pruning.
Do you want a garden without any pests and diseases? Then foliar feed your garden weekly with some foliar food which is filled with trace elements. When the trace elements enter the leaves of the plant, the photosynthesis sugars in the leaf will become complexed proteins which the small insects can’t digest. This will give your leaves a shiny layer and after a while of foliar feeding the leaves will start to develop plant lipids.
For more info, please visit out website, https://edengardenschool or contact Arina at 082 331 5434.
Article & Photos: Arina Duvenhage
