Spring Gardening Tips

Hello Gardeners, what a crazy Winter! The plants have no idea what is happening because of the high daytime temperatures we’ve experienced.

Don’t be fooled though, leave all your pruning until the middle of September, as we may still see more cold weather. You should be getting your beds ready now for Spring planting: Apply a wetting agent, Organic Extra and re-mulch all your gardens to help your plants through what looks like being a long, hot Summer.

We are often asked when is the best time to plant ‘this and that’ type of plant and the simple answer is, NOW! Unless you are trying to grow tropical or temperate plants, you can plant most sub-tropical plants anytime of the year. However, it is best to avoid the hottest and coldest weeks if you are time poor and can’t give them that little extra tender loving care.

If you are having trouble growing plants it could be that the Ph of your soil is out of balance. Have it checked – it makes a big difference if the Ph level is correct. Mulch from the tip and fresh from a tree lopper can severely deplete your soil of nitrogen. We don’t say not to use this mulch, just add some nitrogen rich fertiliser to counteract the process. However, using composted material will save you all the bother.

Use slow release fertiliser and don’t over fertilise your plants. Use smaller amounts of fertiliser but put it on more regularly. Plants are like us – they need food, water and a little TLC.

Happy gardening and have fun in the garden!

Bruce and Judi – Theo’s Garden Centre