When selecting plants from your local garden store or nursery, you’ll surely consider features such as color and texture, size, shape, and each plant’s needs for sun, shade or water. Do you know what to look for to ensure that you’re choosing healthy plants, that will remain vibrant after you take them home and plant them in the ground? Learn how to avoid some common plant pitfalls with these tips on how to assess the health of plants at a garden nursery near me in Ulster County and Sullivan County, NJ, areas.
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Discolored Leaves
If you notice that the leaves on a plant are discolored, that could be a sign that the plant is suffering a nutrient deficiency, or that the pH is out of range. Both of these problems can be remedied if the plant is not too heavily affected yet, but you will need to give it some extra care and resources to return it to its full health. Purchase a bag of nutrient-rich topsoil to mix in when replanting. Fixing problems with the pH level of the soil can get a little trickier, but depending on what type of plant you have (most require a level between 5.5 and 6) and what pH level the soil tests at, you can make adjustments with the right kind of fertilizer.
Garden Pests
When you find holes in your plant’s leaves, you’ll know you’ve got garden pests. Some types of beetles, aphids and cabbage loopers (those large, green caterpillars) can decimate your garden in the blink of an eye.These types of issues can escalate quickly and you’ll want to take precautions to avoid a major insect takeover of your garden. Organic pesticides are one strategy for repelling pests, but there are other ways to naturally keep the pests at bay.
There are plenty of beneficial bugs that will help your garden to grow strong and healthy, and keep unwanted insects away. Many beneficial bugs will eat the pests who try to explore your garen. Plant a diverse garden that includes herbs, marigolds and zinnias to attract insects such as ladybugs, the soldier beetle (because not all beetles are bad!) and the lacewing, that commonly eat aphids and other pests.
One more proactive measure you can take to deter pesky insects is to rotate your crops from year to year. Not only does this help to keep pests away, it is good for your plants to be rotated into different parts of the soil so that the soil can keep replenishing its nutrients.
Bolting
Typical for plants that become stressed by a high-heat environment, bolting is when a plant starts to grow flowering stems that will produce reproductive seeds. Plants do this naturally when they sense that they are nearing the end of their life cycle, so that they can reproduce before they die. If you see plants in a garden center or nursery that are bolting, you may want to choose a different one as this is a sign that the plant is near the end of its life. Make sure that plants susceptible to heat stress are planted in areas that are shaded from the afternoon sun, or consciously plant heat-tolerant crops for your hotter growing season.
Slow Growth
There are some common reasons why a plant may not be growing as well as it should be. In a garden center with hundreds of plants all on display, you may notice that some plants are not thriving because they are not getting enough light, are receiving insufficient nutrients or are becoming root-bound. Many plants that are slow to grow can be revived when you plant them in an area with enough room to grow and appropriate sun or shade.
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