Why Did They Die? Part 4

4 - Weather

By weather, I mean outside temperatures. There are several plants, most plants, that can't tolerate cold temperatures. It is best to watch the weather and make sure to plant plants after the last frost day of the year. You can find your average frost dates at USU Freeze Dates. All you need to do is find your state and then your city. I have looked at few other websites but this one seems to have the most accurate information. Now this doesn't mean that if you plant after these dates you will be fine, this year being a good example, but it can give you an idea of when to plant tomatoes, peppers or other warmer weather plants.

Once the plants are in the garden it is hard to bring them inside on cold nights so it is best to find a way to cover them if there is a threat of frost.

This now ends the Why Did They Die? series. I would like to share a final bit of advice for helping your plants stay healthy and death-free. I honestly think it is what separates the successful gardens from the unsuccessful gardens. The advice is Time. Take 10-20 minutes a day to go out and walk through the garden. Check plant color, growth, abnormalities and anything else that might not look right. Take a little time to pull a few weeds; make mental notes about garden needs; and check to see if there is a need for watering. This short little check will do wonders for your garden. Well this should end the Why Did They Die? series, unless I come up with something else later.

Why Did They Die? Part 3

3 - Bugs and Disease

Honestly I wish I had a lot to say about these but I really haven't had a ton of experience with them. However I will share the little I know. The best advice I can give about bugs and disease is to learn about the problems in your area. Some plants tend to be more prone to diseases than others, raspberries being a popular one. I wish I know more about the diseases but I haven't spent too much time researching them. As far as bugs or pests there is a number of products on the market to kill them. I really don't like to use pesticide but I have used Sevin dust and some brand of grub killer. The only bug that has given my garden major problems is the notorious squash bug, which wasn't bother by the things I tried aside from squishing. They didn't really like that one.

Why Did They Die? Part 2

2- Soil

Now I can't really say what is number two but this is the next one I wanted to talk about in this series. Now everybody's soil is different. Some have more clay; others more sand; others rocks and some soil; and yet others have nice store bought soil. Whatever your soil type, it is important to know how to work with your soil to get the best from it. If you have rocks, haul em off. If you have sand add compost or organic materials (this is a good idea for all soil types) to help hold water. If you have more clay add compost and organic matter as well to help break apart the clay particles.

It is also helpful to know possible problems your soil might have, like is it heavy alkaline (salty), does it have too much or one mineral, does it not have enough. There are places you can take your soil to be tested to tell you just what it needs. Your County Extension Agent should be able to direct you. I have never done this but it really is a good idea. It usually costs a little bit and I try to garden as cheaply as possible.

Another thing to avoid that can cause death is fertilizer. In the right quantities it can be a huge help in the wrong quantities it can kill or produce the wrong things like all foliage and no fruit. I recommend following the instructions on the bag. If it isn't a bag I would learn a bit about it. For example: Chicken manure is, in my opinion, one of the greatest things you can add to your garden; if added sparingly, too much and it will be a plant killer for a couple years if serious. Too much of anything can be bad. My personal favorites are outlined in my Improving Soil post. However here are the things I add again for quick reference: Iron (Granules), Chicken Manure (Sparingly), Leaves, Fertilizer (Small amount to break down organic material when needed) and Miracle Gro Shake and Feed. Other things that are good is Cow Manure or any kind for that matter, Compost, some people use grass clippings but I don't like to add seed to my already weed ridden garden, and sawdust preferably from animals beds. The list could go on and on. Doing nothing is not helpful either.

Why Did They Die? Part 1

Every year millions and millions of home plants die needless deaths. Some can be avoided, others are a mystery or cold cases, if you will. This series is dedicated to some of the reasons plants die.

1-Watering

This in my opinion is the number one killer of plants. I have no research to back this except for what I have seen. Plants are killed by over watering and under watering. I would guess that for most it is under rather than over. Each plant's water needs are different; and how much to water and how often depends on the soil. Most plants do not like to sit in puddles. More often than not they will get moldy, diseased, and die. Plants also don't like to be forgotten which is what I think is the problem for most home gardens. People forget to water. The thing that I would recommend for keeping plants healthy, strong, and properly watered is doing a quick check everyday. Take a quick 5-10 minute walk through the garden. Stick a finger into the soil to see if it is moist or dry. Look at plants to determine whether they look dry or wilted a good sign of under watering. It may take a little while to get the feel of your soil and how often to water but it is worth it to take a quick walk so you can catch problems before they can't be fixed.

Hardening Off Plants

When you get indoor plants, from wherever you get them, it is important to harden them off before planting them outdoors. Hardening off is essentially getting them ready for outdoor conditions like temperature, wind, sunlight, among others. There a lot of ways to harden off indoor plants, I'm sure, but here are the methods I have used.

First - Put the potted plants outside in the morning and bring them in, in the evening to keep them from experiencing too extreme temperatures. It is good to place them is a spot that will not be bombarded with too much sunlight at one time. However I have put them in full sun and they have been fine as well.

Second - The other thing I did this year, which is shown in the picture above, is put them by a window in my garage for a couple days. I left them in there all night. They don't get as cold and don't have wind exposure.

I'm sure there are other ways to harden off a plant but these are the methods which I have used. Take a few days before planting to do the hardening, it is hard for me, but it is worth the day or so wait.