From the time you dropped them into a tiny hole in the ground, you’ve nurtured the plants in your garden every single day. You’ve spent every single day watering them, checking their leaves, and maybe even talking to them. They’ve become a friend of some sort that you routinely pay a visit to. It’s a sort of therapy. That is until you find a problem in how they’re growing.
All of a sudden, you find something off. Either the leaves have something nibbled off, or they’re looking a bit sick. Maybe some leaves are starting to look translucent. Most of the time, watering the garden isn’t enough. You’re going to need to take extra measures to make sure that they grow healthy and that, if you’re growing your own food, you’ll have something to harvest. The three main things you need to look out for are pests, birds, and pets.
Plants versus Pets
It’s a common dilemma among homeowners – should I have a pet or a garden? It isn’t easy to keep both. You’re going to have to figure out a way to keep one away from the other. Pets destroy plants, and if you happen to be growing a plant that can be poisonous for them, you’ll end up at a loss on both ends.
But wouldn’t it be great to have both? It is definitely possible. Just make sure that you’ve checked out the list of toxic and non-toxic plants on aspca.org for whichever pet you’re planning to have. You need to take this precaution if you can’t keep them away from your plants.
Most pets, especially dogs, love to chew on those greens in your garden. It’s difficult to train them to behave, even more so if they’re not used to being around plants that they need to stay away from. Unleash Fido says help from a dog trainer can make a huge difference in how your dog will behave at home. It’ll be easier for you to achieve a harmonious household and, this way, you won’t have to choose between your pets or your garden! You can have it all!
Trick Those Birds
Although it is lovely to be able to bird-watch from the comfort of your garden now and then, beware. They can start eating bits of your garden or dig up the seeds you’ve just sown. Birds usually end up as a nuisance because they won’t let your garden grow in peace. Sometimes, even putting up a scarecrow can ruin the overall look of your garden.
You can try using decorative pieces instead, preferably one that can disperse light or look like a natural predator. CDs and mirrors will work fine and are cheaper to incorporate in your garden’s design. These will keep the birds away because they’re not fans of flashes of light. Natural predators like falcons can also keep pesky birds away so that a plastic lookalike will help. You can also transfer the decoys in the garden from one place to another to make it look like they’re moving around.
Pesky Pests
Leaf miners, snails, and other kinds of pests (IFAS) are challenging to detect until the damage has already been done. It will definitely be heartbreaking to see the damage in the plant you’ve been looking after for so long. Of course, you’d love to get rid of the pests, but here is a quick rule of thumb: Get rid of the infected left. Cut it out and bury it somewhere far. Try to carefully apply a pesticide to decrease the chances of it happening again. Just make sure that your solution isn’t too strong, or you could end up burning the plant.
Another way, yet a more expensive way, you can get rid of the nuisance that birds, pests, and pets bring is by building a greenhouse. It’ll be a big investment on your end, so it’s only advisable to do so if you’re planning to be dedicated to that garden. A greenhouse with dead plants is going to be a very poor investment.
Greenhouses are great to keep the birds away because the plants will be protected at all times by the glass. Any house pets you have won’t be able to get in either. More importantly, the pests that love destroying your plants can be minimized or completely removed from the picture so long as you practice adequate biosecurity. Investing in a greenhouse usually produces the best results for your plant’s growth, and if you’re growing your own food, you’ll be able to enjoy pesticide-free food because you won’t have to worry about pests.