How to Grow Healthy Plants [Courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens]

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How to Grow Healthy Plants [Courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens] 1. Take the time to prepare the proper environment before new plants arrive. Loosen soil to at least 6 inches, add organic matter (such as peat moss, compost, or manure), and mix well. Rake to level. 2. Don't smother new plants with too thick a soil blanket. Most flower seeds should be barely covered; make the soil layer just 1/4 inch thick. 3. Use fast foods or health foods, but nourish young plants well during growth spurts. You can feed fast foods to your actively growing plants by adding water-soluble fertilizers to the watering can or a hose-end sprayer. 4. Weed out bad influences when plants are young. Weeds rob your seedlings of nutrients and water and make them look bad. Take an authoritative stand and stay in control; set limits, and spend some quality time pulling weeds. 5. Be overprotective at a plant's vulnerable seedling stage. Once seeds sprout, they are at the vulnerable seedling or toddler stage. At this point, it's your duty to hover over them. Keep the soil moist, but avoid the temptation to fertilize until you see two true leaves. 6. Deadhead plants to keep them feeling young. Once plants flower, keep the color coming by deadheading, or removing, faded flower heads. 7. Offer support as plants mature and grow tall. Consider some additional support as seedlings turn into gangly adolescent plants. 8. Plant adoption is an option. Adopting transplants from a nursery can be an easier option, or you may want to start the seeds indoors, then carefully transfer them to the nurturing nursery of outdoor soil once the weather has stabilized. 9. Celebrate as perennials graduate. Growing too big for their original home is one sign that you've done your parenting job right. There is no need to feel anxious at this time of separation. Most perennials are easy to divide by pulling the side shoots or baby plants from the mother and transplanting them to a new location. 10. Don't forget to photograph your full-grown, blooming successes! Get out the camera and take handsome graduation photos of your beautiful flowers in the prime of their lives!