It is an exciting moment when you see small green shoots popping up in your seed bed. But you are not the only one who likes to see your new seedlings – birds, squirrels, nude snails and a whole series of other garden residents all enjoy a freshly sprouting snack and they can work through the entire rows in no time.
Although all these beings are an important part of the ecosystem of a garden, we are understandably reluctant to share gardeners, so it is important to offer your seedlings some protection until they are large enough to take care of themselves. Creating a physical barrier around your small plants scares birds, squirrels, raccoons and other larger creatures to destroy your future crop.
If you are sown in a dedicated herb bed, the easiest way to protect young plants is making a cover with fine bird tnet or mesh that makes water and sunlight possible in it, but keeps birds and most mammals out. To prevent the delicate new growth from being damaged, many gardeners create a structure using Poly snakes to make a series of arches over the bed, which is then covered with network or mesh firmly attached with landscape staples or weighted with rocks. Stocks can be found in your local garden center.
Smaller garden animals such as snails, snails and woodlice can crawl under cover. Kick them off by remembering that they usually feed on night and are attracted to damp places. By watering your plants in the morning, the soil can dry out by the time they appear at dusk. The spreading of a thick layer of ground, dried eggshells or sharp grit around the seedlings deteriorates snails and snails while they hate to slide their soft bodies over sharp surfaces.
If you have only planted a few seeds or if they are alternated in an established garden bed, you can make cheap and easily protective cloches from used plastic bottles. Remove the lid and all labels and cut the lower inch or something and gently push the bottle into the ground around the seedlings to a depth of 1 “-2”. This technique also helps to protect against wind, fluctuating 40 temperatures and creates a warm, moist environment to encourage growth. If you feel extravagant and want a little more pleasant for the eyes, beautiful bell -shaped glass cloches are available online.
No matter how you protect your seedlings, don’t forget to keep the soil moist while they grow. Even rare water can disturb growth or even kill seedlings. In dry periods it is best to water every morning using the rain spray that can be adjusted on your water. A drop system is even better and will guarantee that your plants will become consistent when they grow.
Losing a few seedlings is inevitable – that is the nature. But now that offering a little protection, you must still have many plants to grow, harvest and enjoy in the coming months.
Writer Paula Grainger is a highly regarded British medical herbalist. After graduating with first -class distinctions at the University of Westminster, she created Lemon Balm, a popular herb pharmacy and clinic in the city of Camden in London. She has worked with people of all ages who use herbs to improve their health and well -being and has a wealth of experience in communicating the power of plants through her workshops and writing. In 2011 she moved with her husband (the novelist Michael Marshall Smith) and their young son to Santa Cruz, California, where, when she does not grow herbs or hits herbal preparations, her love and expertise of plant medicine continues to share with people on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Her first book Infuse (co -written with Karen Sullivan) will be published in the spring of 2016.
Only for educational purposes. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent a disease or to sell a product.
Continue reading