Getting Started In Horticulture

Horticulture can be defined as the art, science, technology and business of cultivating plants. A branch of the much larger agriculture, horticulture is not only limited to commercial crop growing. Even a small herb or plant garden in your backyard is enough for you to get started as a horticulturist. If you really like this field and want to make it your profession rather than a hobby of yours, you can even go to a training institute, which may provide a lot of hands-on experience, certificates and maybe even degrees.

While a career in horticulture is a good path to follow for anybody who loves this field, not everybody has the time or money for such a commitment. In that case, how do you get started? First of all, you need enough space for any plants you intend to grow. This area should also have all necessary requirements to ensure that your plants grow healthily, including sunlight, water and the correct temperature. You will also need some tools, so it may be a good idea to search for irrigation pumps for sale as well as pots and fertilisers.

The first requirement before preparing anything is studying about the plants you want to grow. It can be a flowering plant, a fruit bearing plant or even a medicinal plant. Make sure that those plants can be grown in your climate. Otherwise you may need to consider about a greenhouse or consider some other plant. Also try to learn about tips and tricks to make your plants grow faster and more efficiently, as well as any potential diseases which can affect them. This way you won’t be caught by surprise by bugs appearing out of nowhere on your plant’s leaves.

Water is an important component for proper plant growth. Insufficient watering and excessive watering are both harmful, so make sure to provide just the right amount. Small potted plants can be easily watered by yourself daily, but this process is not viable for larger cultivations. In that case, you will have to resort to building an irrigation system for watering your plants. Getting a hold of irrigation supplies in Australia is not enough: you need to choose and design an efficient process suitable for the type of cultivation you are going to irrigate.

Speaking of irrigation systems, there is a lot of options to choose from. From simpler irrigation methods like surface irrigation, overhead irrigation and drip irrigation to more complex (and expensive methods) like sub-surface irrigation. For someone getting started, a simple irrigation system will suffice, and you might be better off spending more money on setting on other more important factors like fertilisers, greenhouses and the like. Be also mindful to take care and check your plant every day!