Don't Make These Gardening Mistakes After a Heavy Rainfall

Rain may be a welcome sight after a long dry spell, but when it comes to your garden, getting hit with a lot of water all at once isn’t an instant fix. In fact, any prolonged and/or heavy rainfall could actually harm some of your plants.

For this reason, it’s a good idea to check on your garden once the skies have cleared—just don’t make these mistakes when your plants are in a potentially delicate state.

Avoid these gardening mistakes after a heavy rainfall

Here’s what not to do in your garden after a substantial rainfall:

Nothing

Don’t assume that your garden and flowerbeds got through a heavy soaking unscathed.

Leave standing water alone

If you notice that water has collected in planters, wheelbarrows, flowerpots, or in a section of your garden, dump or remove it, if you can. In addition to avoiding waterlogged roots, any standing water can attract mosquitoes.

Fertilize your garden, flowers, or other plants

Wait a few days after the heavy rainfall before fertilizing your garden. If you do it too soon, the fertilizer could wash off before it actually does anything.

Prune your plants

While it’s fine to remove any branches or other foliage that was damaged during the storm, this is not the time to prune your plants. Pruning in wet conditions can leave your plants vulnerable to pathogens.

Ignore snails and slugs

Snails and slugs prefer their habitats moist, so they may decide to move into your yard or garden after a heavy rainfall or period of wet weather. The problem is, they also like eating holes in plants, flowers, and various leaves.

After all the hard work you put into your garden, you probably don’t want it to turn into a slug and snail buffet. If you spot any on your plants, sidewalk, or driveway, your best bet is to pluck or scoop them off the surface, and put them in an empty bucket.

It’s up to you what to do with them next. To relocate them humanely, release them somewhere at least 65 feet away from your home and garden, to prevent them from coming back.

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