You may still be thinking that things will go terribly wrong. That is understandable.
On the positive side, you are thinking like a plant, and making sure your plants get the right amount of water. That's a great start.
Another thing you will need to know about plants is that they live in the dirt. Scientists call this "soil", but we will continue to call it dirt.
Dirt is simply rotted ex-living things. You can do an experiment to prove this. Make a small pile of dried leaves in the fall. Leave them there all winter, then when spring rolls around, look at the pile. At the bottom, you will most likely find dirt. Not just any old dirt, but really good dirt. Fresh, dark dirt. There might even be some worms crawling around. You can make a pile of leaves and other stuff to make your own really good dirt. It is called a compost heap.
Plants use dirt for a few things. Dirt holds them in place and gives them space for their roots to grow. The roots expand in the dirt to help suck up all the water that the dirt offers. Dirt keeps trees from blowing over. Dirt is full of plant food...nutrients that get used by the plant to help it grow.
Just as plants like different amounts of sun and water, the type of dirt they like is also a personal preference. Some like very dark, moist dirt. Other like their dirt to be more sandy. What is a black-thumbed gardener to do?
For most plants, go with the best dirt you can find. The stuff from your compost heap should be perfect. It should be dark, moist, free of debris, and soft to the touch. Avoid clay-like soil, which tends to be very hard and thick, like, uh..., clay. Avoid very sandy soil, too, since the water will run off and you've worked so hard on watering correctly. Not to confuse you, but there are some plants that like sand in the soil to improve drainage. But we'll save that for the experts.
If you have a strange-looking plant, maybe a cactus or aloe plant, you might want to do a bit of research. You can buy special soil for "succulents" (cacti and aloe plants) at most garden stores.
Chances are, your plant came with dirt. This dirt should be fine for quite a while. After a few years, however, your plant may begin to look tired, or may appear to be struggling to get out of its container. A nice thing to do for your plant at this point is to transplant (move) it to a new pot with new soil. This gives it fresh nutrients, and more room to grow. Plants like to grow, so this pleases them.
One thing to avoid is burying a plant in mulch. Mulch is not dirt. It is a common mistake. You see your neighbor mulching the flower beds and it looks like a good thing to do. Maybe you think it looks or smells nice, or that it will keep the weeds out. So you buy a big bag of mulch and drop it on your plants.
As one who is prone to killing innocent plants, you should avoid mulch at the beginning. Stick with dirt until you are having major successes. Your plants will thank you.
Lesson 4: Light!
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More on this topic:
Index
They're Alive
Water!
Dirt!
Light!
Experiment
Rescues
Learning More
Bugs and Diseases
It Really Wasn't Your Fault
Plants Are Good For You
Four Year Basil and Other Oddities
Now You Garden
Enjoy our new hobby: digital photography!
Autumn Color
August Sun
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