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If you’ve recently stepped into the role of homeowner, you’ve likely encountered plenty of firsts when taking care of and personalizing your house. Once you’ve tackled the inside, there’s a whole other aspect to learn about: landscape maintenance. If you’re stumped on how to properly take care of your plants, trees, and grass, try to avoid these three common rookie mistakes.

3 Landscape Maintenance Mistakes to Avoid

1. Watering Too Much

While water is essential for plants, overwatering will drown them, so you must strike the perfect balance between parched and soaked. After it’s rained, skip your manual watering session for the next day or two. Then check the soil around the plants you’re considering watering—if it’s still considerably wet, hold off.

Clay-rich soils hold onto water longer than sandy soils, so you may need to adjust your schedule accordingly.

2. Skipping Soil Maintenance

landscape maintenanceIt’s easy to focus all your attention on the above-ground aspects of your landscape. However, soil composition is one of the most influential factors in your garden’s health.

Few properties have perfect soil—yours might need fertilizer to improve its nitrogen content or aeration to allow for greater oxygen flow. Soil-dwelling pests can also eat away at the roots of your grass and plants.

The next time you head to a home and garden store, spend time in the soil improvement section to enhance your landscape as a whole.

3. Ignoring Proper Placement

Just like with real estate, successful landscaping is all about location. Some plants thrive in full sunlight, while others need the shade or partial sun. Watch the way the sun and shadows travel across your lawn throughout the day to see if you need to move any plants to more ideal environments.

When you purchase plants, check the tags for recommended sun intake. If they don’t mention it, do some research online. These tags may also mention a particular soil type, which is important for homeowners with large properties that have rocky soil in one area and clay soil in another.

 

If you could use help with landscape maintenance, reach out to Hui Kū Maoli Ola Native Hawaiian Plant Specialists of Kaneohe. They’ve improved area yards and gardens for nearly 30 years. Plus, they offer a rich selection of native Hawaiian plants, so you can find the flowers, grasses, and trees that will thrive on your property. Learn more about their offerings online, or call (808) 235-6165 to speak with a landscape maintenance expert.

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