The desire to have a house full of greenery or a thriving garden is common, but the skills to make it happen don’t come naturally to everyone. It can be scary to start developing a green thumb as the fear of losing plants quickly sets in. Use these tips for beginner gardeners to give yourself a better chance of success and watch your plants grow to their full potential.
Choose Plants With Simple Care
You likely have ideas for what you want in your dream garden, but there’s a good chance that many plants require some serious know-how and experience to cultivate correctly. Gain some confidence in your green thumb by starting with plants that are easier to take care of. For indoor plants, hardy and tender succulents are great places to start. Outdoor plants like tomatoes or sunflowers are also relatively simple to care for.
Be Careful of Overwatering
One useful tip for beginner gardeners is to reign in the urge to constantly water your plants. Obviously, plants need water to survive, but you might be surprised how efficiently plants use the water you give them. Some plants only need a good watering once a week, while others can go multiple weeks without worry. Overwatering can cause bacteria to develop in the standing water, leading to much faster wilting and decay.
Sun Requirements Can Vary
Sunlight is another key to strong plant growth, but just like water, there is such a thing as too much. Being in direct sunlight all day can negatively affect many plants as it causes them to dehydrate faster. Some plants do well in “full sun,” while others will likely need “partial sun,” which usually means under six hours of direct sunlight in a single day. Knowing your plants’ sunlight requirements before planting them can help you choose their prime location.
Regularly Check for Pests
Pests are common in the gardening world, so you have to be okay with dealing with them yourself if you want to protect your plants. Depending on where you live, you may have to deal with weevils, ants, grubs, or aphids that will easily tear through a garden. Searching for a safe insecticide is one of the more effective ways of removing these pests if you can’t get them to go away through natural means.
Start Small
It’s normal to envision a beautiful garden full of plants that you want to tend to, but don’t give yourself too much to do too quickly. As with any skill, it’s good to start small. Try caring for a few indoor plants at first or a window box garden. You can always expand as your skills improve.
With these tips, you’ll be on your way to having a strong green thumb in no time.
