Tag Archives: gardening

Three Useful Tips in Maintaining a Mini Garden

Maintaining a garden is never an easy task, and it needs a lot of patience to grow one.

Here are simple tips you might find helpful in maintaining a garden. 

1. Water only when the top 2 inches of the soil is dry. Do not overwater.

Plants don’t need daily watering. You would know it needs watering when the soil is dry. Overwatering can cause the root to rot or shiver if it gets too little.

Getting enough water is the secret to growing healthy plants. Hobbyists suggest deep watering (but less frequently) as it allows the water to seep beneath the roots. Doing so encourages the roots to grow downward. Water until water comes out of the drainage holes.

For watering tools, a kettle sprinkler and garden hose are your options. If you prefer a hose, consider the length, diameter for water flow, and strength for water pressure. You may need a water hose reel to protect the life of your hoses from sun exposure and other outdoor elements.

Choose high quality hose reels worth the price. A water reel help prevents you from tripping or mowing over it. You can choose those that mount to a wall or a portable one.

2. Never put plants in full direct sunlight.

Not all plants thrive when exposed to sunlight the whole day. Some plants grow best when they receive direct sunlight on covered areas of the garden. Aroid plants, such as philodendron, monstera, and aglaonema, thrive indoors or in shaded areas. My son grows similar plants in a makeshift plant shade.

Aroid plants and ferns have not evolved to handle the harsh rays of direct sunlight, so they prefer medium light conditions.

Plant shade

Nonetheless, too much exposure to sunlight cause the plant to wither. They get a sunburn, too. Leaves get blotchy, wrinkled, scaly, or crispy.

3. Make sure the pot has drainage.

Before repotting or propagating your plants, make sure the pots have enough drainage holes in them.

Drainage holes allow excess water to seep out of pots after watering, ensuring that water does not pool at the base. The holes help to protect sensitive roots from rotting and acquiring fungus and bacteria.

There are plenty of things to learn in setting up your first garden.
As you grow your first set of plants, help it reach its full potential by keeping up with the garden routine.

 

Different Plants That Brighten Up My Day

Update: K bought two metal plant racks to replace the single wooden rack. The new racks can accommodate more plants.

These plants have given me calmness on a rather gloomy day.

I’m just lucky my son inherited his maternal great-grandmother’s love for plants. He sure got his Lola’s green thumb or that natural talent for growing plants.

Fun Activities You Can Do During Lockdown

Do you run out of fun activities to do while cooped up in your home for a while now? 

As many of us have been homebound since the beginning of the pandemic more than a year ago, we have done a lot of activities to keep us mentally and physically fit. 

People have discovered they have skills for baking, playing musical instruments, gardening, painting, or learning a new recreational activity like playing billiard. 

Online games

Not only do young people enjoy playing online games, but older people, as well. Playing online games keeps you entertained for many hours. There’s a lot of games available online for free. 

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Binge-watching 

Have you started a good series from your favorite streaming entertainment service? If not, you are missing a lot of good stuff like docuseries and Korean movies. 

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Gardening

Planting is one of the activities that you can truly enjoy. Start with easy-to-manage plants. Gardening has lots of benefits to mental and emotional health. It makes you move around, too. 

Photo by Jed Owen on Unsplash

Billiards 

It’s one of the recreational activities that you don’t want to miss. Even if it’s a social sport, you can still play and enjoy the game alone. 

Playing billiards is beneficial to people of all ages as it builds arms, back, and leg strength. It also improves body flexibility and balance. 

Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash

The cue sport requires necessary equipment such as 8 Ft Pool Tables, cue sticks, and balls. Traditionally, manufacturers use mahogany to build billiard tables. Now, they create them using woods and synthetic materials like the ones featured at Ozone Billiards.

These activities are just a few of the many ways to entertain yourself when you stay longer at home.