Cultivate Workshop: Garden troubleshooting (Part 5/5)

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Now that you\'ve prepared the soil, begun planting, nourished it with compost and deterred pests through non-chemical means�what\'s next? Maintenance!

This post is dedicated to garden troubleshooting. I\'m drawing from my own experiences as a beginner urban gardener, and from commonly-asked questions by friends and family.

FAQ

1) I see white ants in my garden! Help!

According to Dr Sultan Ismail, white ants, or termites, point to the presence of decaying matter e.g. decaying bark on older trees. Solution? Make a compost pile. The termites will find that much more appetizing than your front door! If that doesn\'t do the drink, pour kerosene on the affected areas.

2) I water my plant every day, but it\'s still dying. What am I doing wrong?

Are you over-watering your plants? Look up how much water your plant actually needs. Over-watering actually drowns the roots of your plants, causing them to rot and die. If your plant\'s roots are dying, then so will the rest of your plant.

3) I\'ve tried spraying chemical-free pest repellent on my plants, but they\'re still being attacked by pests.

It sounds like your plant is weak and your soil needs more compost. Strong, healthy plants only grow if the soil is nutrient-rich.

4) Why are there so many mosquitoes in my garden?

Try looking for sources of stagnant water. Remove them, but if they\'re located in an immovable structure like a drain, pour a thin layer of oil on top. Also, dragonflies are natural predators of mosquitoes. To attract them, make sure you don\'t have an insect-zapping devices in your garden! They zap mosquitoes as well as dragonflies.

This marks the end of our first Cultivate Workshop series. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Stay tuned for our next urban gardening series � Hello Herb!

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