Gardening is a very satisfying hobby, and it provides many benefits. Displaying your beautiful flowers and eating the fruits and vegetables grown in your garden will give you a great sense of accomplishment. This article will give you fantastic advice that you can put to use to improve your gardening skills.
In order not to shock your plants, you have to gradually accustom them to the change of temperature and conditions. Place them outdoors in the sun for about an hour or two on the first day. As time goes by, slowly increase the time they spent outdoors. By the end of the week, your plants should be ready to make the big move with no problem!
Find some plants that will give you a higher yield. A lot of times a hybrid that will tolerate cold weather or disease will give you a higher output than heirlooms.
Bulbs are a great option for people who want to enjoy spring and summer flowers. Most bulbs are extremely hearty and grow easily. They also come back year after year. Remember that different bulbs will bloom at all different times of the year, so if you are careful to choose the right bulbs, you will see blooms in the early spring, and have flowers all the way to late summer.
Tempt your cat away from the plants he has been bothering by planting catnip or wheat grass near them. Additionally, use your cat’s keen sense of smell to your advantage. Citrus fruit peels and mothballs both smell horrible to cats, so put them on the soil near the plants your cat likes to eat.
Make sure that your deciduous shrubs are protected. Cold weather significantly affects these plants, especially if they are in pots. Tie these canes at the top, and place a blanket over it. This tactic is better than utilizing plastic, because it will allow air to circulate.
Knee Pads
If your garden requires a lot of low work, then save yourself some strain by investing in knee pads. Gardening is supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable; you don’t want to finish every horticulture session with aching, throbbing knees. A pair of good gardening knee pads can cushion your knees for more comfort.
Do you ever wish that your fresh mint leaves would not grow as quickly and overcome your garden? You should plant the mint in a rather large garden container or pot instead so you can monitor growth. Then, you can plant the container into the ground. However, the container walls will keep the roots held, and prevent the plant from consuming too much of your garden space.
To grow peas, try growing them indoors first, instead of outside. When you plant the seeds indoors, your seeds will start to germinate better. The seedlings will also be heartier, which means they can resist pests and diseases better. You could transplant the seedlings outdoors once they are able to survive and thrive.
When growing a vegetable garden it can be hard to control pests. You can’t use chemicals as they’re the last thing you want to be eating when you enjoy the fruits of your labor. Persistence and care is a much better solution for pest control, but many avoid it because it actually requires some work on their behalf. When you see bugs, remove them by hand before they have a chance of spreading.
Make sure your pesticides are focused on only what you’re trying to kill. In addition, these pesticides destroy the good insects which eat pests. Beneficial bugs are more sensitive to these pesticides than the bugs that are detrimental to plants, so if the good bugs are eliminated, the bad pest population may grow. If this happens, you just fuel an expanding cycle of needing even more pesticides.
When planting anything, think about planting for color so that you have something to enjoy in the fall. That doesn’t have to be way it is though! Autumn is the most colorful season of all, foliage-wise. Maple trees are an autumn rainbow of crimsons to yellows, and so are beech and dogwood trees. Shrubs such as barberry, cotoneaster and hydrangea all have gorgeous fall foliage.
Be sure to plant some strawberries for your children and grandchildren. Ever-bearing ones are especially nice. Strawberries are a favorite of children due to their sweetness. And since they’re so easy and fun to pick, it’s also a healthy, productive, safe activity that children can assist adults with.
Protect cuts from dirt and chemicals, and think about staying away from horticulture until they heal. A cut will likely become infected if it is exposed to dirt when horticulture. These days, bandages are available that can totally seal the cut.
Pine Needles
Pine makes a much better mulch than you might think. There are many common acidic plants that prefer acidic soil. When you have plants like this, nothing is easier than to gather pine needles for your beds. Covering your plant beds with a layer of pine needles will allow the pine needles to disperse their acidic nutrients into the soil for your plants.
While horticulture organically requires more work than gardening with the help of chemicals, the rewards are worth it. Even though the claims of the chemicals may be astounding, the organic way is always going to provide the best reward to you and whoever is eating your crops.
As has been noted above, there are many rewards inherent in horticulture. There is just something about growing your own flowers and vegetables that is very fulfilling. If you use the advice from this article, you will see the benefits taken to the next level.