If you want that green, lush garden, there are many things to do in order to get there. Maintaining a garden can be tiring, but it can also provide a lot of joy. Below you will find some wonderful tips for making horticulture more fun and less work!
Use the handles of your tools as a handy ruler when doing your outdoor chores. Larger handled tools like rakes, hoes, and shovels make great measuring sticks. Place the handles on the floor, then set a measuring tape alongside them. It’s a good idea to label distances with a permanent marker. Next time you work in the garden, you can have a larger ruler with you!
Try to plan a variety of perennials that are slug-proof. Your plants can be destroyed by slugs and snails overnight. These pests are especially attracted to tender sprouts and to delicate, soft leaves. Perennials with hairy leaves or bitter taste are unattractive to snails and slugs, keeping them safe from harm. Some perennial families that snails and slugs won’t eat include achillea, campanula, and helleborus.
Try to grow some wheat or cat grass around your cat’s favorite plants. In addition, you could put an item on the soil’s top around the plants which has a smell that cats hate, such as citrus peel or mothballs.
Coffee Grounds
If the soil in your garden has a high concentration of alkaline, try mixing some coffee grounds into your garden’s soil. The coffee grounds provide a cheap way to re-supply needed acid to the dirt. The plants will be healthier, leading to more delicious home-grown veggies.
Before you plant a garden you should plan it out. Doing so means you can remember where each particular plant is when you start seeing sprouts arise from the earth. A good plan can also help you to place each plant in the area that is most beneficial to them.
You must protect tender, deciduous shrubs. If you have some tender shrubs that are in planters, you need to protect them from cold weather. Connect the tops, and then place a sheet over the top of the wigwam. People sometimes use plastic to wrap their plants, but plastic can cause the plants to rot because it impedes air circulation.
Knee Pads
If many of the plants in your garden grow close to the ground, some horticulture knee pads will prevent pain and knee injuries. Long hours tending your garden can leave your knees sore and achy. Buy yourself a pair of knee pads to use in the garden to cushion and protect your knees.
Try “boiling” weeds to get rid of them. Boiling water is an excellent, organic substance for use against weeds. One simple layer across the weeds with a pot of boiling water will take care of the problem, but you have to remember the same applies to your plants, as well. Boiling water can hurt the roots of weeds and can prevent them from growing.
If your horticulture plans include pea plantings, try starting them off indoors rather than planting the raw seeds in outdoor beds. When the plants are started inside, the seeds will have an easier time germinating. Give the seeds enough time to get stronger: growing indoors will make it easier for your plants to resist diseases and the pesky bugs. Once they are strong enough, you can transplant them outside.
You should get a wheelbarrow and a kneeling stool for garden work. Working in the garden means you’ll be down on the ground a lot. This can cause knee pain, so if you have a stool, you’ll have an easier time. Horticulture also usually requires that you transport heavy loads, such as dirt or mulch, and a wheelbarrow will make this much easier to do.
Efficiently water your garden. To save time, use a soaker type hose so each plant doesn’t need individual watering from the nozzle of a hose or a little watering can. Turn down the water pressure to its lowest setting, as anything higher could harm the plants. Let the soaker hose do its thing for a couple hours, and your plants are watered.
If you have a cut, be careful about exposing it to soil or gardening chemicals. It is possible for a cut to become extremely infected if it comes into contact with dirt and grime while horticulture. Look for newer bandages which are able to completely seal your cut.
After seeds have sprouted, they require less warmth than they did prior to sprouting. It’s important to move the plants away from any heat source as they grow larger. This also includes removing any plastic that you had covering the plant or container. Check on your seeds often so you catch them when they are ready.
Pine is a wonderful mulch so do not discard the idea. There are some plants that thrive in acidic soil. Use pine needles to increase the acid level in your soil if you have plants that require higher acid. Cover up your beds with a few inches of needles. As they start to decompose, they’ll spread out acid onto the ground and soil.
Treated Wood
Use untreated stone, brick or wood to build raised beds. Any wood you use needs to be untreated and resistant to rot. Cypress, locust and cedar are all very good choices. In a veggie garden, don’t use treated wood since its chemicals can leech into the food crops and soil. If you must use treated wood, consider using a liner to keep chemicals out of the soil.
With these tips, you’re better equipped to grow the most beautiful garden you can imagine. In learning how to create your dream garden, you’ll also be growing as a person. That’s because learning how to nurture your plants will not only help you reach the goal of having a great garden, but it will help you learn to nurture yourself.