grow organically Archives

Horticulture Is Much Simpler With These Tips

TIP! In the cold winter months, you can salvage certain plants by bringing them into the house. Perhaps you can save your most expensive or resistant plants.

Organic horticulture may seem to be a very complicated matter when examined closely. You will need to research techniques for chemical-free pest control and healthy ways to make sure your plants continue to thrive. It can sometimes seem a bit difficult to grow organically for a novice. You can do it well by taking advantage of the advice that offered below.

TIP! Pre-soak your seeds through the night in a dark area. Place a couple seeds in each container, then fill it close to full with water.

It is important that you give your plants the chance to gradually adjust to the change in temperature and conditions, or you risk shocking them. You need to give them about an hour of sunlight during the first day. As you continue the first week of the project, gradually extend the duration of sun exposure. Finally, after about a week, you should be able to move them outside and leave them there for the summer.

TIP! If you’re growing veggies in the garden, they need to be in a spot that lets them get about six hours of sun daily. Most vegetables that can be grown need that much sun to grow well and quickly.

Shoveling clay is very difficult and lots of work because the clay is hard and sticks to the shovel, making it tough to handle. Get better results in clay by rubbing car wax or floor wax onto the shovel, then buff off and dig. The clay will no longer stick to the shovel, and this also helps to prevent other problems like rusting.

Choose higher yield plant varieties. Frequently, a hybrid that is able to deal with extreme temperatures will bring higher yields than the more traditional variety of a plant.

TIP! Surround your vegetable plants with organic mulch, a few inches worth. The organic mulch will keep moisture in the soil for a little longer.

Plant slug-proof perennials. These mollusks are capable of consuming an entire garden full of flowers in a single night. These pests are especially attracted to tender sprouts and to delicate, soft leaves. Perennials that are unappetizing in taste, or that have hardened and hairy leaves, are not a favorite of slugs or snails. Selecting an unappetizing perennial, such as campanula or heuchera, will help stop them from being eaten.

TIP! Plant with fall season color in mind. Fall, though, can still be an interesting time for trees.

Use biennials and annuals to add color to your flower beds. These fast growing flowers let you change how your flower bed looks season to season. In addition, they work well as gap fillers between other areas, as long as those areas receive plenty of sunlight. There are plenty of varieties including petunia, marigold, cosmos, sunflower, hollyhock, and rudbeckia.

TIP! If you have problems keeping the dog out of the garden, spray things like aftershave, perfume or other scents on the grass surrounding the garden. These scents overpower the garden’s scents, which causes your dog to lose interest.

The first thing you should do when planning a garden is test the soil. Have a soil analysis completed so you can know what you need to add to have soil which will fully support your garden. It can avoid ruined vegetables and flowers, so check with places, such as a cooperative extension department to see where you can obtain the analysis.

TIP! If you plant heather in your garden, you will attract insects that are beneficial. Heather is desirable to bees; when heather emerges in early spring, it can be a source of nectar.

Protect your deciduous shrubs which are tender. If you’ve got tender shrubs which are potted, you need to protect them from cold weather. With a sheet or blanket, you want to loosely cover the wigwam after you tie the tops of the canes together. In contrast to wrapping the plant with plastic, this method promotes air circulation, which stops the plant from rotting.

TIP! Indoor plants have been bred over time to thrive in temperatures that are characteristic of a home. Most indoor plants like to be in about 70 degree temperatures, plus or minus 5 degrees.

Fertilizer is important when you garden. Manure is a great garden additive, but it is important that you choose a manure that has been composted commercially so that there is less of a risk of pathogens. There are numerous types of fertilizers available. What type you select is less of a concern; any kind of fertilizer is better than none.

TIP! Use plastic bags to cover muddy gardening shoes. This way, you can maintain your momentum and head right back to your garden so that you can finish what you were doing.

To grow peas, try growing them indoors first, instead of outside. If you give them a chance to grow indoors where they are protected, they will germinate better. Seedlings raised indoors are hardier, too; they can stand up better to diseases and insects. Transplant them outside when they are fully established and able to thrive.

TIP! For container planting, be sure to plant your seeds at a depth around three times the radius of the seed. There are exceptions, however.

Keeping pests out of a vegetable garden can be difficult. The vegetables are intended to be eaten, thus you should refrain from using harsh pesticides and chemicals. Research the methods available for eliminating garden pests organically. If you discover the pests when they first infest your plants, the best way to remove them is to pick them off manually.

TIP! Water demands from plants will depend on the season and the climate in your area. The amount of water you use each time should be dependent on the water quality, the soil type and what time of day you are doing it.

If you have children, plant strawberries, especially everbearing strawberries, in your organic garden. Little ones will be more likely to help when they can enjoy the fun of harvesting their own fruit.

TIP! Take care not to overwater your plants, as this can prevent the roots from drawing the proper amount of nutrients out of the soil. Prior to watering your outdoor plants, you should check with weather stations to see if it will be raining later in the day.

Gardening can be hard on your knees. Not everyone has the ability to remain standing in a bent position for an extended time. Kneeling is a great way to reach your plants without causing stress to your back. Use a pad to kneel upon and protect your knees from possible pain.

TIP! You should rotate your garden every year. When plants of the same family are planted in the same spot year after year, it can encourage the growth of fungus and disease.

If you’re really serious about environmentally-friendly gardening practices, refrain from developing some of your land and use it as an animal habitat. This can be a good area for the types of insects that pollinate plants. It can also be a sanctuary for birds, which will help some plants thrive. This can greatly improve the production of your organic garden.

TIP! If you would like to create a garden that is organic, it is vital you understand how to correctly make beds. Use a spade to slice under the grass.

Now, you shouldn’t get your hopes up and believe that a few tips are going to turn you into an instant professional gardener. However, these tips are a great starting point if you do plan to grow organically. As you implement these tips and hone your skills, you’ll be a professional green-thumb-holder in no time.

Horticulture Advice To Turn Your Brown Thumb Green

TIP! Digging in hard clay soil is made even more difficult because it sticks to the shovel. To make your digging project easier, apply a coat of automobile wax to your shovel first and then buff it lightly.

Horticulture can be extremely complex, especially when you examine all of its components. This is especially true if you want to garden naturally. You may need to learn everything from soil pH to controlling pests without chemicals. It can sometimes seem a bit difficult to grow organically for a novice. Be certain you do things the correct way, and get some help from the information offered below.

TIP! Soak the seeds and store in a dark area overnight. Put some seeds (a small amount) in a container that isn’t too large for the plant you’ll be growing.

Use your tool handles as rulers in the garden. Large handled tools like rakes, hoes or shovels may be used like measuring sticks. All you have to do is lay them on the floor then use a measuring tape to measure their length. It’s a good idea to label distances with a permanent marker. Now you have easy access to a long ruler whenever you are gardening.

TIP! If growing vegetables, make sure they are in a location in your garden where they will be exposed daily to at least six hours of the sun. Almost all vegetables need this much sunlight, so that they can grow correctly and in a shorter amount of time.

Try to have a plan with your garden. Doing this makes it easier to keep track of where you planted what when you first start to see sprouts. This is important, because different plants require different care.

TIP! Your plants need to be kept dry, but sill receiving a good amount of air. If you have excess moisture, this can attract bugs or diseases.

To help young plants, try pouring boiling water on top of nearby weeds. The safest herbicide that you can probably find is a cup of boiling water. Literally pour the water on the weeds, avoiding any wanted plants near them, and watch the weeds die over time. What this does it essentially kill the weeds by damaging their roots. The result is that those weeds are unlikely to regrow.

TIP! Buy a wheelbarrow and kneeling stool to work with in the garden. Gardening can be very tough on the knees as you spend much time leaning near the ground, so a portable stool can make all the difference to your comfort.

Fertilize your garden. Manure is probably the best fertilizer. Choose a commercial product to reduce the risks of pathogen exposure. You can choose from many different fertilizers. Do not worry about the kind of fertilizer you end up using but definitely put down something.

TIP! Be sure to plant using the colors of Fall. That need not be the case though! Foliage never looks as colorful and vibrant as it does in the fall.

Make sure to wear sun protection gear if you’ll be working in the garden in the sun. Clothing should keep your skin covered, and don’t forget to wear a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Protecting yourself from the sun will lower your chances of getting skin cancer, as well as prevent premature aging from sun damage.

TIP! The prevent your dog from trampling through your garden, spray some old aftershave, perfume or other heavily scented things on the grass around your plants. This can help mask any scents which attract animals so pets will now avoid the garden.

To create an English garden, combine a lot of different plants in the same garden. Plants that are all at the same height makes a garden bed look flat and uninteresting.

Cover your muddy shoes with plastic bags. This allows you to keep going, getting back to your garden quickly.

Pine Needles

TIP! When gardening, remember to take care of your knees! Bending over for extended periods can be harmful to your joints and muscles. Kneeling is a great way to reach your plants without causing stress to your back.

Pine makes a much better mulch than you might think. Some garden plants are high in acidity, and do better with acidic soil. If this is the case, use pine needles to mulch your beds. Cover soil beds with a few inches of pine needles, and they will disperse acidity to the soil below as they decompose.

TIP! If you want a sustainable garden, leave part of it undisturbed as a home for the wildlife in the area. This will also benefit your cultivated gardens as it will attract more bugs and birds to pollinate your other plants.

Get more value out of your property. When you landscape, you can get one of the highest returns. When you invest into plants they can do a lot to your home, they can raise the resale value of your home by 20% and possibly more. Plants that are low in moisture and suit your environment are a good investment.

TIP! You never want to do any gardening with open wounds, so make sure everything is completely healed up before you begin; otherwise, you run the risk of your cut being exposed to dangerous chemicals and dirt. Open wounds can easily get infected while gardening because you’re exposing yourself to dirt, bacteria and germs.

In order to construct your raised beds, make use of untreated brick, stone, wood and other materials. If you choose wood, it needs to be naturally rot resistant and untreated. Good choices are cypress, cedar and locust. If you use treated wood in your vegetable garden, the chemicals in the wood can make their way into the soil, and in turn, to your crops. If you’re using treated lumber, line it with a barrier, or some plastic.

TIP! Do not plant your seeds in a rush. Begin by adding moisture to the dirt.

Though organic farming can present challenges that traditional farming with the use of chemicals does not, harvesting the crops is reward itself for the hard work. Chemical giants claim miracles, but those miracle crops come at a price to whoever eats the produce.

TIP! When working in the garden, try to work as efficiently as possible. Don’t waste your time looking for missing tools.

Rotating plots of garden has been done for centuries, and there is good reason for that! When plants of the same family are planted in the same spot year after year, it can encourage the growth of fungus and disease. The diseases and fungi are harbored in the soil and are ready to make a comeback each year. If you change things and plant your garden in a different area, you will have a way to keep fungus at bay.

TIP! Be aware of spacing considerations when you are first planting your organic garden. It is easy to underestimate the amount of space that the plants will take up once they start to grow.

Understand the variety of natural horticulture solutions that can be used to tend an organic garden. Try using organic substitutes for the typical chemical fertilizers. Compost works great for this. Unlike inorganic fertilizers, compost fertilizers do not add toxic chemicals to the soil which could get in your water supply.

TIP! Use a beer trap to get rid of unwanted pests, like slugs. Place a container in the ground so that the lip is even with the soil surface.

When choosing plants for your organic garden, make sure you have a plan about what you want to grow. Different varieties of plants call for different environments and climates. As an example, take the beautiful rose bush. There are hundreds of variances available and while some will do well in your garden, others won’t. Make sure you check on what environment a plant is best suited for before you purchase it.

TIP! Mulch your garden to keep the soil nourished. Mulch will protect and nourish the soil.

Be sure you know how you should buy plants that you want to add in your organic garden. Keep this in mind when you are purchasing annuals, biennials, and perennials. Purchase plants that have budded, but not yet in bloom. Buying them this way ensures that the root system will grow strong in your organic garden.

TIP! When adding a new tree or shrub to your garden, remember that a ragged planting hole is best. If the shovel “glazes” any sides of the hole, leaving a smooth and compact surface, the roots may have trouble breaking through the soil in that area.