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One of the hardest things to learn about gardening isn’t how to grow something, it’s knowing when to leave it alone. Many beginner gardeners think that more effort means better results, since this is true in so many other things in life. This often translates to more water, more fertilizer, more pruning, and more checking. But plants don’t work like that. Most of the time, they just need the right conditions and a bit of patience. And, if you fuss too much, you often create more problems.
Here are the most common situations where doing nothing, or doing less, is genuinely the right move.
Overwatering
More plants die from overwatering than from underwatering. This surprises most people, but it makes sense once you understand what’s happening. Plant roots need oxygen as much as they need water, and soil that’s constantly wet has no air in it. When the roots are overwatered, and therefore don’t have enough oxygen, they suffocate and will start to rot. Usually, the plant will wilt first. And for many new gardeners, when they see this, they will water more, thinking the plant is droopy because it's lacking water. This, unfortunately, only makes things worse.
Signs of overwatering include yellowing leaves, soggy soil, and a plant that looks limp despite regular watering are all signs you’re doing too much, not too little.
What to do instead: Always check the soil before you water your plants and vegetables. To do this, stick your finger in the soil up to the first knuckle. If it’s still moist, leave it be. Most vegetable plants and annuals want the top inch or two of soil to dry out between waterings. Plants that are in pots need more frequent checking than beds because they dry out faster. But they also get waterlogged faster, so you have to be very careful. When in doubt, wait a day.
Over-fertilizing
Fertilizer is not plant food in the way most people think. It is only a supplement. Plants make their own food through photosynthesis, and fertilizer is only needed when the plant is struggling or needs a quick boost. Overfertilizing is a serious problem that can seriously harm a plant.
When a plant has too much nitrogen (which is what most fertilizers are), it causes the plant to put all its energy into growing leaves. In return, you get big, lush growth and very little fruit or flowers. Using too much fertilizer can also burn the plant’s roots, cause leaf scorch, and make plants more attractive to aphids, which creates a whole other problem.
A lot of people fertilize on a fixed schedule regardless of what the plant is doing. If the plant is growing well and the soil is well prepared, it probably doesn’t need feeding yet. Pay attention to your plant.
Signs of overfertilizing include lushy green growth but no flowers or fruit, scorched leaves, and stunted growth.
What to do instead: Add fertilizer based on what you see, not on the calendar. If the plant has pale leaves, slow growth, and poor flowering, these are signs a plant is hungry. Good growth and dark green leaves usually mean it’s fine. If you start with a well-composted soil, you often won’t need to fertilize much at all through the season.
Over-pruning
Pruning is done to trigger new growth and to keep excessive growth in check. The time of year you prune is extremely important, and is not the same for every bush, tree, or plant. If you prune and cause the plant to produce new growth at the wrong time, it stresses the plant. When pruning is done in late summer or autumn, the plant will push out soft new shoots that won’t survive when the cold weather arrives. Also, heavy pruning on a plant that’s already struggling takes away the leaves it needs to recover.
Signs of overpruning include new growth at the wrong time of year and stunted growth
What to do instead: Always prune at the right time for the plant. Most flowering shrubs are best pruned just after they bloom. And, most fruit trees get pruned in late winter when they’re still dormant. If you’re not sure, look it up before you cut. A lot also depends on where you live, as seasons vary across the country. A bad pruning cut can set a plant back by a full season.
Disturbing seeds and seedlings
Seeds take time to germinate. Some take one to two weeks, while others take six to ten. It depends on the type of seed, the current weather (sun and rain), and the quality of the seeds. You might assume nothing is happening, and sow more seeds on top, and then when everything comes up at once, it’s a tangled mess. Or, the original seedlings get disturbed and die.
Seedlings also get handled too much. Touching them, moving them, adjusting the tray — roots are fragile at that stage, and any disruptions set them back. Handle seedlings as little as possible.
What to do instead: Keep a list of everything you’ve planted, when you sowed the seeds, and look up the expected germination time. Keep the soil moist around the seeds and don’t dig around in it; let them do their thing and take their time. If the germination time passes and nothing has happened, then it's time to investigate. M
Reacting to every insect you see
Not every insect on your plant is a problem; in fact, most of them are neutral or actively helpful. Spraying pesticides every time you see something moving does as much damage to the beneficial insects, the ones eating your pests, as it does to the pests themselves. When you overspray, you end up with fewer natural predators and more room for pest populations to grow.
Beneficial insects like ladybirds, lacewings, ground beetles, wasps, and hoverflies are all working for your garden. Many wasps are parasitic on caterpillars and aphids, and help keep your garden naturally pest-free.
What to do instead: Identify the insect before you take any actions. If you see a cluster of small, soft-bodied insects on new plant growth, that’s probably aphids and should be dealt with. If you see a single beetle on a leaf, it’s probably fine. A healthy garden with good plant diversity has some tolerance for imperfection and will regulate itself better than one that gets sprayed at the first sign of life.
To keep your garden healthy and producing well, take a moment to walk around and look before taking action. Water the plants when needed, and always check the actual moisture levels beforehand. It’s best to tackle problems when they’re still small, so you do have to be attentive, but not everything requires action.
The busyness that many beginners associate with gardening, constant fussing, adjusting, treating, and feeding, is often a sign of gardener anxiety rather than good practices. Plants are resilient, and they want to grow. Your job is to set up decent conditions and then, in most cases, get out of the way.