Plants, in addition to water, also need air to be able to grow properly. For this reason, it is very important that from time to time we make sure that they receive everything they need, as otherwise they could soon weaken.
But What are the different ways to air a garden? And when do you have to do it?
Aerate your lawn
Let's start by talking about the lawn, which is an area of the garden that we usually pass through frequently. As time passes, the impact of our footsteps causes the ground to compact more and more, thus preventing the roots of the grass that forms it from receiving the oxygen they need. In order to solve it, it must be aerated once a year, in spring, with a garden aerator either gasoline if it is a wide field or manual if it is rather small.
Once we have the aerator, we will place it in a corner of the lawn and we will pass it from one side to the other in orderly rows. You do not have to go through the same area more than twice. In the event that we have never aerated it or we want to make sure that we will achieve an optimal result, we will acquire an extraction aerator that what it does is extract portions of soil using a cylinder.
Aerate your plants
Don't put them too close together
And finally, we are going to talk about a topic that is rarely given importance but that is, really, very necessary to take into account: aerating the plants in the garden. We often see for example coniferous hedges which are planted a few centimeters from each other, and this is a mistake.
I understand that you want to have privacy as soon as possible, but If a minimum distance is not left between specimens, several will end up dying.Not only because the strongest will "steal" the nutrients but also because the air that circulates on both sides will not be able to renew itself and, as a consequence, the fungi will not take long to appear.
If we take this into account, It is essential to find out what is the adult size that our plant will have to know in which area to locate it and at what distance from other plants that grow more or less at the same height to place. For example, if we have a tree whose crown will occupy 4 meters, if we want to put another tree or a palm tree near it we will have to dig the hole at about 4,5 or 5 meters.
Prune them from time to time
In nature the air, heavy rains, lightning and even the heaviest animals are responsible for "pruning" plants. But in cultivation we have to take care of this task ourselves, since being a little (or a lot 🙂) pampered and not lacking for anything, they grow and grow very strongly producing branches that, if not controlled, can cause problems.
Therefore, at the end of winter you have to do the following:
- Cut dry, diseased or weak branches.
- Remove those that intersect, that are giving a "wild" aspect to the plant.
- Trim those that are growing too large.
And throughout the year you have to remove -whenever possible, of course- the withered flowers and nuts.
With all these tips you are sure to have a great garden. 🙂