Gardening is a great hobby to develop. It not only helps reduce stress, anxiety, depression, boosts memory, concentration, good mood, and gives you a regular exercise, but is also an effective mood-improving activity. Whatever purpose you wish to do gardening for, doing it the right way is crucial for best results. Whether it’s choosing the right seeds for the season (although plants like oleanders and camellias bloom all year round in Australia) or sowing your seeds in a good fertile area in your backyard, you must make the right choices.
In trying to nurture and grow a healthy garden, you must also consider choosing the right tools. Considering the generally great soil we have in Australia, adding the extra effort growing plants with the right tools will bring some very astonishing results. Without the right gardening tools, the process of growing plants can be quite energy and time-consuming. You might think that if you choose to grow a single potted plant, you don’t need any tools. However, even a small plant requires great effort and the right indoor gardening tools. Here’s why having these right tools are paramount for gardening.
The first and foremost thing you need to do before sowing seeds into the soil is preparing the soil. Usually, the soil has numerous rocks, stones, weeds, clogs, and other debris. If you plant the seeds directly into this soil, there is a high chance that they won’t germinate at all. Even if they do, the low quality of the soil will result in poor quality plants. Plus, adding fertiliser to such an unrefined soil bed would do no good for the growing plants either. This is why you need an assortment of the right digging tools to clean out the soil.
The most important digging tools a good gardener must definitely have in their arsenal are fork, hoe, spade, shovel, rake, and a trowel. Most soil beds have a compact and hard surface which needs to be broken to make it suitable for plant growth. A fork is a great tool to do so. It helps in breaking compact soil, softening the tough ground, removing stones, and creating holes for seeds or plantings.
Likewise, a hoe helps in weeding and creating garden edges. A spade helps in transplanting and trenching. A shovel helps with transporting dirt, mixing potting soil, and turning dirt. A rake helps in removing weeds, stones, pebbles, and a trowel helps with transferring and planting. Remember, you might not need anything other than a trowel if you are looking to plant a small garden on your windowsill or grow plants in pots. However, if you plan on growing a proper garden in your background, you definitely need all the above mentioned digging tools.
The right planting and potting tools are equally useful for both small potted plants or large gardens. When sowing seeds, using your hands might be sufficient. However, if you need to plant plantlings or bulbs in the soil, you need the correct planting and potting tool to do the job well. Plantlings and bulbs need to be placed at just the right depth in the soil with just the right air permeability because of which using a planting tool to give a final turn to the soil are crucial. A trowel is a good choice when looking to do so. It offers a comfortable grip so that your hand doesn’t get too tired.
Other than a trowel, it is also essential to get gardening gloves. While you can still overlook wearing gardening gloves when digging the soil, wearing them during planting and potting is important. Gardening gloves are great to protect your hands from thorns, prickly weeds, scratches and splinters.
Now that you are done planting and potting, you need to nurture your plants for optimal growth. This includes watering, pruning, and adding fertiliser. A watering can would be enough for very small gardens. However, for large gardens, you need a hose along with an adjustable spray nozzle or perhaps consider investing in an irrigation system. This is especially good for the summer months of December to February here in Australia when it gets particularly hot.
Trimming your growing plants is essential for optimal growth. Plus, weeds tend to grow again in the soil and must be removed before they overpower your growing plants. Pruning shears and weeders are the perfect candidates for this job. However, if you are growing plants with thick branches or the weeds around the plants are thick, you might need something even more capable. For this purpose, use a lopper and a pruning saw. Other than these gardening tools, you can use a shovel to add fertiliser to the soil.
Having the right tools for the right job makes your gardening so much more enjoyable and productive. It may be an extra expense, but it’s one that yields results you can be happy of.
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