Gardening Activities
Gardening can become a hobby, a passion, or a business but the life of a gardener revolves around the plants. There are lots of Gardening activities in which a gardener spends their whole day and also plans for the next day of gardening activities. Gardening aspirants should know all these gardening activities so that they can do gardening better.
List of Gardening Activities
1. Proper Watering
Watering is one of the basic tasks of any gardener as a part of key gardening activities. This is almost an everyday task for many gardeners. There are lots of plants with different water needs. Some plants require lots of water, some moderate, and some require very less water. The basic thumb rule of watering is almost the same for the majority of the plants except few that water once the top 1 or 2 inches of soil gets dry. Water needs can vary as per the climate and weather conditions.
2. Checking Plant Health
This is the most important part of gardening. Like our health, plants also get sick, and sometimes if we do not take care of them properly at the right time, we can lose the plant. There are lots of bacterial, virus, bug, and fungal attacks which affect our plants. The most common problem is root rot which is not initially visible but damages a plant very much. Gardeners need to properly care for their plants for these infections and treat them on time. Just we need to observe our pants for better health management.
3. Fighting with pests and infestations
An alert gardener always keeps their plants healthy. Once they notice any kind of pests or fungal attack on plants they try to treat it immediately to ensure that the disease is not spreading to other plants. This is very important to get maximum output from plants. It’s better to treat these infections organically. Sometimes if the plant is damaged a lot, they may need to sacrifice the plant to save other plants in the garden.
4. Topping up soil
When a plant grows on earth they expand their soil to keep getting nutrients regularly, but it is not possible for the plants when they are grown in pots. To ensure that plants regularly get the nutrients, gardeners keep topping up the fresh nutrient soil in the pot. They remove some part of the topsoil and top up with fresh compost mix soil. This ensures plants are getting proper nutrients for a long time and helps in keeping them healthy.Â
5. Fertilizing plants
Just topping up the soil is not sufficient for the overall growth of the plant. Providing proper fertilization is another key responsibility of the gardener. Fertilization depends on the plant. Some plants require more fertilization and some need less. The type of fertilization also depends on plants. Fertilization time, type, and the quantity depend on the plant. Flowering plants are fertilized in different ways and foliage plants are fertilized in different ways. Foliage plants are provided with nitrogen-rich fertilizers and flowering plants are provided with phosphorus-rich fertilizers. It’s better to always use organic fertilizers and manure rather than using inorganic and factory-made fertilizers.
6. Removing dried and yellow leaves
Removing dried and yellow leaves is a day-to-day activity for any gardener. The leaves which are removed can be used for making compost or for mulching purposes. Also, removing dried and yellow leaves provides good health to the plant. It also helps plants in adding aesthetic value. The side advantage of removing yellow and dried leaves, gardeners get early signs of any kind of disease on the plant as while doing this activity, gardeners keep a close watch on the plant.
7. Pruning
Pruning is a typical activity that has to be performed by any gardener. This requires expertise which comes with experience and learning. Pruning season is different for different plants. Sometimes hard pruning and sometimes soft pruning are required. Pruning helps in keeping the plant in desired shape and size. Pruning also helps in overall plant growth and makes the plant bushier. Pruning also helps in getting more fruits and flowers from your plant.
8. Pinching
Pinching is a process when just the top part of any branch or plant is removed either by scissors or by fingers. Pinching also helps plants get more branches and flowers. Typically pinching is done in plants such as Pancy, Chrysanthemums, Aptinia, Gazania, Gerbera, Dianthus, Dahlia, Portulaca, Marigold, etc.
9. Seed collection
Seed collection is very important for reducing your gardening budget. When the gardener collects the seeds from the plant they save these seeds for the next season. Seeds are also collected to exchange seeds with fellow gardeners. In this way, gardeners also get to understand other gardeners and help them to become an active part of the gardening community.
10. Propagation
Self-propagation also helps in reducing the gardening cost. It’s also a very satisfying activity for a gardener as they see their plant growing from day 1. When one plant is multiplied into multiple plants through propagation, the gardener gets a very different kind of feeling and belongingness for the plant. Gardening keeps propagating plants, otherwise, anyone can buy plants directly from a nursery and just keep taking care of the same. Stem cutting, leaves division of plants and seeds are the best ways to propagate the plants.
11. Enjoying and utilizing the garden
Last but not least a gardener enjoys their work and they do not get bored like their regular job. Gardening is a very satisfying activity. Although most plants have their importance and value in the ecosystem, especially fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowering plants have utility in day-to-day life. Gardeners like to grow their vegetables and fruits and keep utilizing them. In this way, they get fresh and pesticide-free fruits and vegetables which keeps them and their family healthy.
