By Camille Brooks
SUCCESS TIPS FOR PLANTING FLOWERS IN THE GROUND
1.The first thing we need to understand is what not to do. Absolutely do not just get on your hands and knees and dig a small hole and stick a flower in it. The flower will struggle all summer because the ground is compacted and it will get overrun with weeds in no time. The biggest mistake people make when planting flowers in the ground is they do not prepare the soil properly first. When people plant vegetables, it is intuitive to rototill the ground first. The same thing applies to planting flowers.
2.Most flower beds are too small for a rototiller. So use a shovel instead. Loosen the soil approximately one foot deep. Turn the soil over, smack it with the back of your shovel and get the dirt clods out. Repeat the process a second time. As you turn the dirt, pull out all the weeds. Rake the dirt smooth, pulling out rocks and weeds as you go. If you have dug deeply enough, gotten all the weeds out, and gotten it smooth, you are ready to plant. Now you can get on your knees and use a trowel. Dig a hole and plant your flowers a trowel apart.
3.Stir a little fertilizer around each plant and water immediately. Hopefully you will only have to water them by hand this time only. Ideally, the sprinklers will water them the rest of the time.
SUCCESS TIPS FOR WEEDING FLOWER BEDS
Prevention is the first step to weed control. If you prepare your ground properly by digging deep and getting all the weeds out, you will have very few weeds.
Pick a day to weed each week. If you do it regularly, it should only take you a few minutes. The best way to weed flower beds is with a hand rake. Just rake around each flower to loosen the tiny weeds, let them dry out in the sun. This also aerates the soil which helps the flowers grow and makes your flower beds look beautiful.
I find, the first year I needed to do it weekly, then once a month. Because I weed regularly the ground is aerated and the weeds just do not grow. If you don’t like aerating your soil with the hand rake you can also apply a weed barrier around your flowers after planting to prevent weeds from growing.
SUCCESS TIPS FOR WEEDING THE REST OF YOUR YARD
It drives me crazy when I see people weeding on their hands and knees with a trowel. Stand up and use a shovel. It doesn’t break your back, and its four times faster. Whether digging in dirt or through bark, use a shovel and dig deeply enough to get to the roots of the weed. Flip the weed over and let it dry out in the sun or you can pick up the weeds and throw them in the trash. Trowels never dig deeply enough to get to the roots and the same weed is back in a week, plus it kills your back and is a much slower way of weeding. Weed like a farmer. Use a shovel. It is wonderful!
Remember the principle to weed once a week and it will take very little time. Every week you wait, double, then triples, then quadruples the time it will take to weed your yard.
Exception: If you weed weekly the weeds and their roots maybe so small the you can just pull them if the ground is moist and you will not need a shovel.
