As plants grow, the care they need changes just like any other living creature. While there are some needs that are constant, like proper watering and weeding, there are also times when some things should take precedence. There are four stages of seasonal growth, and each has a unique set of needs. The stages are infancy, adolescence, parenthood and retirement. Here is the basic information on each stage and what a gardener’s role is in each stage.
Infancy describes the stage of growth that includes seedlings and newly planted bedding plants. These plants need extra care and attention, just as the young of any living thing would. Provide plants in the infancy stage with protection from cold, pests and severe weather.
Adolescence is a stage of rapid growth when the plants are readying themselves for flowering. This is when fertilizing is the most important. This is also the time when it is necessary to pinch back plants like fuchsias and petunias to encourage them to grow out and become bushy. Adolescence is also the time to provide support for plants that tend to grow tall or become top-heavy. It is best to put the support system in place now, rather than waiting until there is too much stress on the plant in simply standing up straight, or you end up with broken and droopy plants.
Parenthood is the stage in which your plants are setting buds and blooming. This is the time to provide protection from the wind, plenty of water and good nutrition. Just because your garden looks beautiful during this stage, do not forget to keep caring for the individual plants.
Retirement is the stage when blooms are spent. It is important to deadhead individual spent flowers to prevent the plant falling into retirement too early. This is the time to continue deadheading and removing dead leaves to keep the plants looking their best. Water and nutrient needs will lessen during this stage.