Tips on planting a mature garden
If you have a rocky compound or gardens and want to have a mature garden within the shortest time possible, you need to dig deep holes to allow the roots of the mature plants to penetrate faster. You should also use black soil. File photo
What happens when you want a mature garden by a certain date, but you don’t want to spend on gardening consultation fees?
Brighton Onyango, the in-charge, propagation and planting at Plants for Africa on Kasenyi Road in Buziga, tells us about what happened to such a friend of his:
‘A friend of mine has finished building his house. So he wanted to beautify his compound. He wishes to start living there in three months’ time. He also wants to hold his wedding there in December.
The problem is that his plants are not coming up well, because he did not plant them professionally. The land is rocky and anyone who wishes to plant anything in it needs to consult widely.
He had discussed the issue with me before he started planting, but he discarded my advice, thinking he could go about it alone. He thought my fees were too high. Afterwards he came running back to me again, after messing up his compound.
Some areas have murram, some clay, black soil, red soil or rocky soil. You have to find out the type of soil you are dealing with, so that you can consult about it. His compound has rocky soil, a type of murram that is rocky. It is flat rock. He planted Palms, Ixora, Msaenda, oranges, mangoes and bananas, among other plants.
He did not dig their holes properly. Moreover, because of the rock, he needed to have put a lot of black soil and manure in the holes he had dug, so that the plants could have something to feed on.
The circumference of the feeding area should be suitable for roots to develop. Otherwise within a short time, the roots will have reached the rocks.
So their growth was stunted, because the feeding process had ended.
Even if he were to apply manure now, the roots will have surpassed the soil area and will be trying to penetrate the rocks, which they cannot do.
If they are Palms, use sewage manure. For other plants, like trees, use cow dung that is already dry and rotten. If you apply a good amount of manure, the trees will grow well.
First apply manure at the bottom, pour a lot of water, then plant.
The plant will then start growing with a lot of vigour because of this.
Need to consult
So, always consult before going it alone. You may think you are saving, but you may lose your plants in the end. Then you may need to buy new ones.
My friend’s plants are between two to three metres high, but they are supposed to be about five metres high by this time.
The leaves are not growing and the plants are stunted.
Use big plants
He planted them about six months ago. The wedding is due in December and it is still possible to beat that deadline if we buy big plants and plant them.
That is what we started doing on Sunday. We are applying good amounts of manure and watering every day.
Dig deep holes
We dug holes about two metres deep, which is a good depth for the roots. And the grass we are planting will have grown in one-and-a-half months, because we are expecting the rainy season.
If you are targeting a particular date so as to have a mature garden, please consult. It does not cost much.
If I am to visit your compound, it starts at Shs50,000 and can go up to Shs150,000, depending on how long I spend there. It is not that expensive.’
So, to avoid any disappointments or embarrassments on your big days, you are better off safe than sorry.
