While gardening is supposed to be a relaxing hobby, it can sometimes depend on what sort of garden you’re dealing with. Once your outdoor space is perfectly organised, all you really have to think about is minor maintenance and what flowers and bulbs you want to plant. However, in the beginning, there will likely be several tough areas you’ll have to manage. The sort of spots that you thought would only take an hour but then swallow up the whole day.
In this article, you’ll learn some valuable tips for tackling those difficult areas so they don’t cause you so much grief!
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Assess the Overall Situation
Managing the ins and outs of any big problem requires you to first take a step back. Take a pen and a piece of paper (or your phone) and note down the main areas likely to cause the most struggle.
There might be one corner of tough, tangled branches that needs completely removing before anything can be planted. Or perhaps there’s a patch covered in weeds that’ll require some serious digging. Whatever your situation, put each element into a hierarchy of most difficult to least difficult and work from there.
Make Sure You Have the Right Tools for the Job
There’s nothing worse than mustering up the effort to take on a big gardening job only to realise you’re missing some essential tools.
Even if you have the hand tools you need, you may find that you need more powerful tools to clear certain areas. For example, a battery-powered chainsaw as opposed to standard shears for thick branches. Or maybe a more heavy-duty wheelbarrow than the one you currently own.
Do your best to plan ahead and research each job on your list to determine what you’ll need. Don’t forget to assess the tools you do have for signs of wear. After all, having a tool break while you’re using it would be a similarly annoying problem!
Clearing Weeds, Dead Foliage, and Branches
No matter which area you’ve decided to work on first, you’ve likely got a lot of plant matter to clear first.
Start with the biggest stuff. If there’s an overgrown tree in the way, you’ll need to cut back the branches considerably to make space to dig deeper.
Next up are the weeds and dead plants. While you can remove the bulk by hand, you should apply weed killer once cleared to ensure the problem doesn’t rear its head again. Any decaying plant matter can be removed easily using a wide-tipped spade. If you’d rather avoid weed killer, you could also try natural methods that use vinegar and washing up liquid to get the job done.
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Restoring the Soil
Having cleared an area, you now need to restore the soil. It’s never a good idea to plant straight on top of where dead plants and weeds have been. This is because part of the reason that the situation existed in the first place could be because the earth was of poor quality.
To rejuvenate your soil, you should start by manually breaking it up with a spade or fork. Next, rake so that you turn it from hard and dehydrated to exhibiting a fluffy, darker consistency. From there, you can add compost to thicken it up and improve nutrient density. It’s also a good idea to include mulch in the mix so that it stays moist over time.
Introducing Some New Plants & Maintaining the Results
Now that you’ve performed some much-needed soil restoration, you can start thinking about adding some new plants or grass. It’s advisable to leave the soil for a week or two before planting if you’ve used a strong weed killer. This gives you some time to think about what you’d like to do with the freshly prepared space.
What you do is entirely up to you. However, it’s key to keep on top of maintenance once you’ve laid down new plant matter. Employ regular weeding sessions and always check for pests and plant diseases every couple of weeks. Your watering schedule will be dictated by the type of plants or grass you decide to go for, but regardless, feel free to add more mulch as needed to keep the new soil nice and moist.
Wrapping Up..
So, there you have it – a few quick tips for rejuvenating those unsightly spaces in your garden. It’s also worth mentioning that you don’t have to tackle everything yourself! There’s no shame in bringing in a professional gardener to help you get the job done faster. Whatever it takes to turn your garden into a more livable space is worth it!
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