A well-kept garden can become a sanctuary for your home, offering you respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Gardening is a favorite pastime for many and can also beautify your home significantly. However, only a few people prioritize their gardens and keep them well-maintained all year round. For many others, garden work presents too much time and effort for maintenance, deterring them from paying attention to it. If you are part of the 55% of Americans who engage in gardening, it’s best to know more about overlooked elements that destroy this area of your home to help ensure it’s always in good shape.

Dandelion growing in a lawn
  1. Soil health neglect

The soil is more than a home for your garden plants. It is the source of food, minerals, water, and many other things to ensure proper garden growth. Many people assume that the soil is a natural element and is capable of taking care of itself. This is widely believed because plants can thrive in forests and bushy areas. However, your garden soil is different and will flourish only when you commit to the processes and requirements to ensure its health. Neglecting soil health can make your plants susceptible to diseases, lead to poor growth, and heightened nutrient deficiencies. It would be best to test for soil pH levels regularly to provide ample information on nutrient content and soil texture beneficial to proper plant growth in the garden. Organic matter is beneficial for your garden soil as it helps with proper water retention and increased microbial activity. With this in mind, it would help to add compost and mulch to your garden soil.

  1. Improper watering techniques

How you water your garden plants can make all the difference in their appearance. Although you may regularly do so with a hose or watering can, it may not be effective if you’re not doing it the right way. You must pour or sprinkle the water slowly in the soil, giving it ample time to soak into the base without running off the surface. There is a high risk of damaging your garden plants when water collects in puddles here. Therefore, it’s best to avoid overwatering as that can drown your plants and lead to rot and fungal diseases. Underwatering, on the other hand, may cause your garden flowers and leaves to wilt and fall off without anything growing back in its place. Admittedly, every plant has different watering needs, so knowing what yours are would be beneficial. You can also opt for drip irrigation systems or soaker hoses for ideal results in your garden.

  1. Invasive weeds and lack of weed control

Weeds are opportunistic plants that must be immediately taken care of in the garden. They compete with your garden plants for water, sunlight, soil minerals, and so much more. Many gardeners know this and make it a habit to diligently pull weeds to avoid stifled garden growth. However, manually pulling weeds can be challenging and time-consuming. It explains why some households and gardeners prefer using pre-emergent herbicide in their gardens as a weed preventive measure. This option is helpful because it prevents weeds from germinating in the first place. With the absence of weeds, your garden has a better chance to grow healthily without any opportunistic plants growing alongside it. Another simple and effective weed-preventive measure you can explore is mulching, which is known to smother existing weeds while inhibiting new growth. It is possible to maintain a weed-free garden without worrying about whether your plants have adequate nutrients to grow.

  1. Pest infestations

Your once beautiful garden can quickly become a pest haven if you fail to notice the signs early. Some of these signs include half-eaten leaves in your garden or places in the ground that look like burrows. The consequences of their actions go beyond garden destruction, which is why you need effective and sustainable measures to deal with the situation. Apart from the negative impact on human health, pests can wreak havoc on your garden plants and make them appear unsightly. Gardening experts say crop rotation can control pest populations if you want to avoid harmful chemicals. Another measure, like the integrated pest management strategy involving the introduction of beneficial insects, can help deal with certain infestations. 

Identifying the potential elements that could destroy your garden will help you be more proactive in protecting this area of your home from any damage. The common ones highlighted above are among the several ones that could cause damage to your home if left unchecked.