There are a thousand different reasons why someone keeps their garden clean during spring. Dead plants, stems, and leaves littering your garden not only look bad, but it can also be unhealthy for your garden.
Dead plant material can harbor disease and fungus that can end up causing major problems later on in the season.
The first reason is to stop weeds from growing inside your garden. During the winter season, the dead plants cover a lot of ground which produces weeds. So, cleaning them up in time is necessary.
The uncleaned garden is the perfect spot for bacteria and fungus to grow. This can take over your garden in the blink of an eye. It can become extremely hard to clean them later on. So, you better start early to get the ultimate results.
Perfect Time to Clean Up The Garden
You shouldn’t start heckling your garden right after the ground has thawed. It might cause unwanted plant composting, which is caused by the fragility of the plants.
Plus, the soil can also be damaged with you walking around them. So, you should wait until the ground has properly dried. Avoid starting the cleanup while the soil is still wet.
Necessary Tools for Proper Spring Gardening
The cleanup job can be easy or hard, depending on which tools you have on your hands. These are the tools that I’d recommend for you if you are looking for a swift transition and cleanup. I personally love using these tools in my own garden all the time.
a) Heavy-duty Semi-automated Hand Pruners
If you want to cut through all the stems and roots without applying too much pressure on your hands, then you must opt for heavy-duty hand pruners. They make the cutting job easy, and provides a clean cut every time.
b) Loppers with Easy Fit
There are just some thick branches that can not be cut with a pruner. You’d waste up all of your energy if you tried to cut them without loppers. Loppers are handy at taking care of thick branches. So, you should have one by your side.
c) Semi-Automated Hand Rake
You definitely need a hand rake if your garden is infested with fungus and bacteria. It will keep your hands safe from contamination. Plus, it’s easy to pull out the weeds and debris from the garden with the help of the hand rake.
d) Billhook Saw
A billhook Saw is one of the most versatile tools that you can have. It can take care of fragile plants like the lilies and stems. At the same time, it can uproot grass from the ground in uneven places.
e) Fully Automated Chain Saw With Extension
Well, this one’s for you guys out there who are not afraid to spend a bit much to get perfect cleanup. A chainsaw would take care of the thickest branches in just a click. No extra effort is necessary.
Quick Steps for Garden Clean Up
These are the steps that you must follow to keep your garden clean.
a) Prune All the Shrubs Right After Blooming
You should start with pruning your garden. It not only gets rid of the old plants, but also advances new growth. You should start pruning as soon as the shrubs start to bloom.
b) Carefully Remove All Winter Protection from Your Garden
You should carefully take off all the protection you laid in your garden. This will help you to get rid of weeds and debris easily. Plus, your plants need more flexibility and sunlight when the winter is gone.
c) Brush/Blow Away the Leaves
There are some leaves that are good for the ground. It creates a sort of a green compost for the soil. But, you need to blow/brush away the thick leaves. It takes a lot more time to get dissolved. So, get the big leaves in a different compost.
d) Hand Pluck All the Dead Weight
There are plants which only last for a year and would not be of any use a year later. So, if you have an annual flowers, like petunias, begonias, marigolds, geranium, and snapdragons then hand pluck them. You can put them in your compost chamber.
e) Use Hand Rack or Billhook to Pull Out Perennials
If you had a healthy garden before the winter, you must have a lot of dead perennials now. You must use the hand rack or Billhook to Pull Out all of these perennials. It is important to get rid of the access weed around the place, otherwise it would slow down the new growth.
f) Take Care of the Vegetable Garden
Did you get the chance to remove all the vegetable plants before winter? If not, then this is the perfect time to do so. Your vegetable garden bed needs all the nutrition it can get. Remove as much as weed and debris as you can from your vegetable bed. Take some time to untangle all vines.
g) Pull All the Weeds and Compost Them
Weeds spread like wildfire during spring. They will totally get out of control if you do not pluck them in time. They are easy to identify and pull out while there is no perennials insight. You can easily pull them out while the ground is still wet. Put them in a compost sight to use them later for the soil.
h) Edge Your Whole Ground to Getting Rid of Stray Grass
The last thing you need in your garden is stray grass. It makes your garden look uneven and take out the nutrients from the soil. So, spring is the perfect time to edge your garden bed. The soil is relatively easy to maneuver during this time.
Conclusion
Everything should be picture perfect in spring. Your garden is no exception. If you start off early, then cleaning your garden will automatically become extremely easy.
The more you wait, the more difficult it will become for you to clean up the mess later on. I hope this list would help you to properly manage your garden during spring. Let us know how it goes. Cheers!