For many homeowners, gardening seems impossible. No matter what, where, or how, their plants keep dying despite their best efforts. For those of us who struggle to keep plants alive, we simply concede we don’t have the elusive "green thumb". But what if I told you the trick to a beautiful garden was more about following a few simple steps rather than having a magical touch. Whether your garden is too dry, too wet, too shady, or all the above, follow this troubleshooting guide to prevent your plants from dying yet again.
Here are the six most common reasons for why your plants keep dying:
- Too much or too little water
- Too much or too little sun
- Poor soil condition
- Wrong hardiness zone
- Exposure to harsh elements
- Disease or pest
But how do you know which is the real culprit? The first step to take is to test your garden. Figure out exactly what conditions your plants are facing when they get placed into the ground.
It Must Need More Water, Right?
Most amateur gardeners make the assumption that if their plants look bad, it must be because they aren’t getting enough water. The knee-jerk reaction is to dump loads of water on the garden and expect the plants to perk right up. But what if the plants aren’t struggling because of a lack of water? What if the plants are actually struggling because they are receiving too much water? A great way to check if plants need more water is to check the soil. Dig down a couple inches with your hand and feel if the dirt is dry or damp. If the soil is moist but the plants still look bad, you may need to consider a different cause. Read how to Properly Water Plants.
Will My Plant Grow In Minnesota?
The Twin Cities hardiness zone is 4, but depending on where you live in Minnesota that number could be higher or lower. Micro-climates also play a factor in determining the hardiness zone of a garden. Micro-climates are small isolated areas effected by nearby buildings, heat sources, etc. that can influence the temperature and frost exposure within the space. A plant with an incorrect hardiness zone won’t thrive and may die over the course of a cold and harsh winter.
My Yard Is Too Shady
How much shade is too much shade? Full sun plants require 6-8+ hours or sunlight per day. A mistake many homeowners make is assuming the sun stays the same all day. Just because there is full sun at 4:00 pm doesn’t mean there was full sun at 10:00 am. To better understand the light conditions in your yard, you can make a sun table that looks something like this.
Draw a diagram of the space and observe where the shadows hit during the day. You might be saying, “How am I supposed to know how many hours of sun my garden gets? I work all day”. You can make some inferences based on tree coverage, nearby structures, and the path in which the sun takes over your garden from East to West. If your yard is very shady, refer to the University of Minnesota's Best Plants for 30 Tough Sites.
Happy Dirt, Happy Plant
Unless your soil is very bad or the plants require specific conditions, quality black dirt should be sufficient for most plants. However, it’s not always known whether black dirt or compost was amended into the soil. Acidity levels can vary within the same yard too. Certain shrubs like Rhododendrons like more acidic soil while others won't perform as well with the same conditions. Learn more about the Best Type of Soil For Plants. Try visiting the USDA Web Soil Survey website to get a general idea of what soil classification your yard meets. If you've confirmed the amount of water and sun is appropriate for the plant and it still looks bad, you may want to consider getting a sample of your soil tested by the University of Minnesota Soil Testing Laboratory. Unless you have very bad soil, first rule out the other factors in the list like sun and water before investing too much into soil testing and amending.
The last item to test is if there are any harsh conditions or elements effecting the plants. Make a quick observation to see if any AC units or laundry dryer vents are nearby. These heat sources could be constantly blowing hot air on the plants and drying them out. Is the garden exposed to high winds? Constant winds can place a lot of stress on plants that aren’t sturdy enough. Do you have any sidewalks or driveways that get salted during winter? Too much salt can have a negative effect on many plants including shrubs.
Can I Still Save My Plant?
Once you’ve observed the conditions in your garden, you must verify that the plants within the garden are suitable. If a plant requires 8+ hours of sunlight but you’ve discovered your garden only gets 4 hours, that might be a reason why it’s not growing. If a shrub is zone 5 but your garden is exposed to direct wind, and you live in a zone 4 region, that might be a reason why it’s dead in the spring.
If you purchased the plants yourself, there should have been a tag included with all kinds of information about the plant. The provided tag and a quick Google search will reveal what soil preference, sun and water requirement, hardiness zone and other growing notes about the plant. If you don’t know what type of plants you have in the garden, there are several mobile apps that have been created to help identify plants.
At this point, it should be easy to cross reference the plant’s needs to the garden’s conditions and determine what the problem is. If a plant is planted in the right location with the correct amount of sun, water, etc. there should be little reason for it to die. However, every plant has unique diseases and pests they are vulnerable to. Without knowing the plant or the symptoms, it’s difficult to diagnose those diseases. That is when you may want to consult a landscaping company, plant nursery, or arborist. If you went through this list and STILL couldn't identify the root cause of your brown thumb, then rock gardens may be in your future.
Kwa wamiliki wengi wa nyumba, kazi ya kutunza bustani huonekana kuwa haiwezekani. Haijalishi ni nini, wapi, au jinsi gani, mimea yao huendelea kufa licha ya jitihada zao za kadiri. Kwa wale kati yetu ambao wanapambana ili kuweka mimea hai, tunakubali tu kwamba hatuna "kiguu kijani" kisichoeleweka. Lakini nini kama mimi kukuambia ujanja kwa bustani nzuri ilikuwa zaidi kuhusu kufuata hatua chache rahisi badala ya kuwa na kugusa kichawi? Kama bustani yako ni kavu sana, mvua sana, na shady, kufuata mwongozo huu wa matatizo ya kuzuia mimea yako kutoka kufa tena. Kuna sababu sita za kawaida kwa nini mimea yako huendelea kufa: maji mengi au machache sana, jua kidogo au kidogo, hali mbaya ya udongo, eneo lisilofaa la ukali, kuambukizwa na vitu vikali, magonjwa au wadudu. Hatua ya kwanza ni kujaribu bustani yako. Jibu swali hili kwa usahihi: Je, mimea yako inapaswa kuwa na hali gani wakati wa kuingizwa kwenye udongo? Lazima iwe inahitaji maji zaidi, sivyo? Wakulima wengi wa amateur hufikiri kwamba ikiwa mimea yao inaonekana vibaya, ni kwa sababu haipati maji ya kutosha. Jambo la kawaida ni kutupa maji mengi kwenye bustani na kutarajia mimea hiyo iendelee kukua. Lakini vipi ikiwa mimea hiyo haishindani kwa sababu ya ukosefu wa maji? Lakini vipi ikiwa mimea hiyo inapata maji mengi sana? Njia bora ya kujua kama mimea inahitaji maji zaidi ni kuchunguza udongo. Chimba chini inchi chache kwa mkono wako na uhisi kama uchafu ni kavu au unyevu. Ikiwa udongo ni wenye unyevunyevu lakini mimea bado inaonekana vibaya, huenda ukahitaji kufikiria sababu nyingine. Soma jinsi ya kunyunyizia mimea maji ifaavyo. Je, Mti Wangu Utapanda Huko Minnesota? Eneo la ukali wa Twin Cities ni 4, lakini kulingana na mahali unapoishi huko Minnesota, idadi hiyo inaweza kuwa ya juu au ya chini. Hali ya hewa ndogo-ndogo pia huchangia kuamua eneo la bustani lenye ukali. Micro-mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa ni maeneo madogo ya kutengwa kuathiriwa na majengo ya karibu, vyanzo vya joto, nk. Hii inaweza kuathiri joto na baridi katika chumba. Mti wenye eneo lisilofaa la ukali hautakua na unaweza kufa wakati wa majira ya baridi kali na magumu. Yadi Yangu Ni ya Kivuli Sana Ni kivuli kiasi gani ni kivuli kingi sana? Mimea ya jua kamili inahitaji masaa 6-8 au mwanga wa jua kwa siku. Mengi ya makosa ya wamiliki wa nyumba ni kudhani jua linabaki sawa siku nzima. Kwa sababu tu kuna jua kamili saa 4:00 jioni haimaanishi kulikuwa na jua kamili saa 10:00 asubuhi. Ili kuelewa hali ya mwanga katika bustani yako, unaweza kufanya meza ya jua ambayo inaonekana kama hii. Chora mchoro wa nafasi hiyo na uone mahali ambapo vivuli huanguka wakati wa mchana. Huenda ukajiuliza, 'Ninawezaje kujua ni saa ngapi za jua ambazo bustani yangu hupata? Mimi hufanya kazi siku nzima. Unaweza kufanya baadhi ya inferences kulingana na kifuniko cha miti, miundo ya karibu, na njia ambayo jua inachukua juu ya bustani yako kutoka Mashariki hadi Magharibi. Ikiwa uwanja wako ni wenye kivuli, tazama Mimea Bora ya Chuo Kikuu cha Minnesota kwa Maeneo 30 Magumu. Kwa mfano, kama udongo wako ni mbaya sana au mimea inahitaji hali maalum, udongo mweusi wa ubora unapaswa kuwa wa kutosha kwa mimea mingi. Hata hivyo, si mara zote inajulikana kama uchafu mweusi au mbolea ilibadilishwa katika udongo. Viwango vya asidi vinaweza kutofautiana ndani ya uwanja uleule pia. Miti fulani kama vile Rhododendrons hupenda udongo wenye asidi zaidi huku nyingine zikiwa na hali sawa. Jifunze zaidi kuhusu aina bora ya udongo kwa ajili ya mimea. Jaribu kutembelea tovuti ya USDA ya Utafiti wa Udongo wa Mtandao ili kupata wazo la jumla la uainishaji wa udongo wa bustani yako. Ikiwa umethibitisha kwamba kiasi cha maji na jua ni sahihi kwa mmea na bado inaonekana mbaya, unaweza kufikiria kupata sampuli ya udongo wako kuchunguzwa na Chuo Kikuu cha Minnesota. Ikiwa una udongo mbaya sana, kwanza kuondoa mambo mengine katika orodha kama jua na maji kabla ya kuwekeza sana katika majaribio ya udongo na marekebisho. Jambo la mwisho la kupima ni ikiwa kuna hali yoyote ngumu au mambo yanayoathiri mimea. Angalia kwa makini ikiwa kuna vifaa vya kulehemu hewa au mashimo ya kupasua nguo karibu. Vyanzo hivyo vya joto vinaweza kuwa vikipeperusha hewa moto juu ya mimea na kuifanya iwe kavu. Je, bustani hiyo huathiriwa na upepo mkali? Upepo wa mara kwa mara unaweza kusababisha mkazo mkubwa kwa mimea ambayo si imara vya kutosha. Je, kuna vijia au vijia vinavyopakwa chumvi wakati wa majira ya baridi kali? Chumvi nyingi kupita kiasi yaweza kuwa na athari mbaya kwa mimea mingi kutia ndani vichaka. Je, Bado Ninaweza Kuokoa Mti Wangu? Mara baada ya kuchunguza hali katika bustani yako, lazima uhakikishe kwamba mimea ndani ya bustani ni sahihi. Ikiwa mmea unahitaji masaa 8 ya jua lakini bustani yako inapata masaa 4 tu, hiyo inaweza kuwa sababu ya kutokua. Ikiwa shrub ni eneo la 5, lakini bustani yako imefunuliwa kwa upepo wa moja kwa moja, na unaishi katika eneo la 4, hiyo inaweza kuwa sababu ya kufa katika majira ya kuchipua. Ikiwa umenunua mimea hiyo mwenyewe, inapaswa kuwa na lebo iliyojumuisha habari zote kuhusu mmea huo. Tagging na utafutaji wa haraka wa Google utafunua upendeleo wa udongo, jua na mahitaji ya maji, eneo la upinzani na maelezo mengine ya kukua kuhusu mmea. Kama hujui ni aina gani ya mimea una katika bustani, kuna kadhaa ya simu za mkononi programu ambayo yameundwa ili kusaidia kutambua mimea. Katika hatua hii, inapaswa kuwa rahisi cross rejea mahitaji ya mmea kwa hali ya bustani na kuamua nini tatizo ni. Mti huu unapandwa mahali pa haki na kwa kiasi sahihi cha jua, maji, na kadhalika. Haipaswi kuwa na sababu kubwa ya kufa. Hata hivyo, kila mmea una magonjwa na wadudu wa kipekee ambao huathiriwa nao. Bila kujua mmea au dalili zake, ni vigumu kugundua magonjwa hayo. Wakati huo ndipo huenda ukataka kushauriana na kampuni ya kurekebisha mazingira, kiwanda cha kukuza mimea, au mtaalamu wa miti. Kama wewe kwenda kupitia orodha hii na Bado hakuweza kutambua kisababishi msingi wa kidole gumba yako kahawia, basi rock bustani inaweza kuwa katika siku zijazo yako.