Increase
Your Perennial Garden’s Beauty this Spring
By Melinda Myers
Send a link to a friend
[May 26, 2022]
Give your perennials a boost this spring with a
topdressing of compost, aged manure, or other organic matter. It’s a
great way to revive tired gardens, improve a garden’s overall
health, and keep vibrant perennials healthy and blooming.
|
Research
found topdressing your garden with
compost every year or two provides most, if not all the nutrients
that most perennials need. It feeds the soil, which in turn feeds
your plants. Let a soil test report and your plant’s performance
determine if additional fertilizer is needed. Spring is a great time
to add this as well.
When purchasing compost, it should appear light and fluffy. Take a
whiff, it should not have a strong smell of ammonia, rotting food or
another off odor. It should have a rich earthy smell and not be
covered in flies or maggots. If jumping worms are a problem in your
area, ask your compost provider how they are managing the compost to
avoid spreading this invasive pest.
Once you have the needed organic matter, you are ready to get
started. Pull the mulch back if needed. Keep it handy, so you can
put it back in place once you finish amending the soil.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/May/21/images/ads/current/graue_sda_042021.png)
Topdressing is the first step in the process. Simply spread a one-
to two-inch layer of the compost or other organic matter over the
soil surface. Be careful not to bury the crown of your plants.
You can leave the compost sitting on the soil surface or lightly mix
it into the top inch with a hand cultivator. The earthworms, ground
beetles and other organisms will move it down into the soil and
around the plant roots where it is needed.
The second step is especially helpful for those with heavy or
compacted soils. Once the compost is in place, do a bit of vertical
mulching. Use an auger bit on your cordless drill. Simply drill
holes into the soil between plants. This aerates the soil and pushes
some of the compost into the soil further boosting your efforts.
[to top of second column] |
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/May/21/images/ads/current/2022%20Business%20Directory%20Cover%20lda%202022.png)
Vertical mulching helps speed up the process a bit by
getting the compost closer to the plant roots and soil organisms
that will help incorporate it into the soil. The openings created in
the soil allow air, water and fertilizer to penetrate the soil
surface and travel to the root zone.
Then be sure to return the mulch you removed from the garden or add
mulch if needed. Maintaining an inch or two of organic mulch on the
soil surface not only conserves moisture and suppresses weeds; it
also continues to improve the soil. As the organic mulch breaks
down, it adds organic matter and nutrients to the soil.
Investing some time to create and maintain healthy soil goes a long
way in making your garden a beautiful part of the landscape.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including
the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and
Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow
Anything” DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s Garden
Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing
editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and her website is
www.MelindaMyers.com.
[Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com]
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/May/21/images/ads/current/castlemanor_sda_FINANCIAL_2017.png) |