In the world of organic horticulture, there are plenty of great resources available to both new and experienced organic gardeners alike. There are many e-guides, books, videos, and other resources available. This set of tips contains some of the best advice for helping a good organic gardener become a great organic gardener.
Try planting your plants in flower pots first, then transferring them to your garden once they have had a bit of time to grow. Doing this betters your odds of your plants making it to adulthood. It also lets you have tighter control over the planting periods in your garden. When you remove your mature plants, the next batch of seedlings should be ready.
Flower Beds
Plant a variety of annuals, biennials and perennials to keep your flower beds bright. These fast growth plants make flower beds vibrant, and they let you alter the appearance seasonally and annually. They are very useful for filling in the gaps between perennials and shrubs in a sunny area. There are many different varieties to choose from such as daisies, marigolds, impatiens, and lantana.
There is no need to purchase a costly chemical if your plants develop powdery mildew. Combine a bit of liquid soap and some baking soda with water. Spray this solution on plants once weekly until the mildew is gone. Baking soda treats the mildew effectively and gently and it won’t damage your plants.
Before you plant a garden you should plan it out. It will be a while before things start to sprout and visually remind you of what was planted where, so a written record can be helpful. It can also keep you from planting any of your garden favorites too close to each other.
Make sure that your deciduous shrubs are protected. Any potted shrubs should be sheltered in the winter from cold weather. You want to then tie the tops of the canes together, and cover them with a sheet or blanket. This is a much better method, instead of putting the plastic wrap around the plant. It allows proper air circulation that can prevent rotting.
Separate irises. Increase your iris population when you divide up overgrown clumps. Try to life the bulbous irises when foliage begins to die. The bulbs will automatically split in you hand, and will likely flower the year after being replanted. You can divide rhizomes with a knife. Discard the center and cut pieces from the exterior. Make sure that every cutting contains a viable offshoot. Replant right away.
To keep pests away, you can use plants in the garden or other natural materials. For example, if you plant onions or marigolds along the edges of your vegetable garden, you can ward off slugs. Mulch around the bottom of trees and shrub seedlings with wood ash to reduce unwanted infestation of pests. These methods prevent use of harsh chemicals.
Know when to harvest your vegetables at precisely the right time. Each variety needs a slightly different amount of growing time to produce the most flavorful vegetable. As an example, zucchini and baby peas both have the best flavor when they are harvested at a young age. Plant winter vegetables at the right time for a sweeter flavor. Take some time to learn about the best harvest time for the vegetables that you have growing.
It’s important to let your cuts heal prior to doing any horticulture without gloves. A cut may become badly infected if it’s exposed to a lot of dirt or grime when you garden. However, there are bandages available that will seal the cut completely. Using these should protect the cut from any infection while gardening.
Go slowly as you plant the seeds. Start first by moisturizing your soil. Spread the seeds, and leave them enough room to grow. Bury the seed with a planting depth of about three times its size. Some seeds need some light to grow, and therefore shouldn’t be buried.
After your seeds have sprouted, heat lamps are not needed. As your plants grow, you will want to put a little distance between them and heat. Remove plastic films on containers to prevent warmth and humidity from penetrating them. Keep an eye on your seeds so you will know when this should be done.
A good way to plant seeds is in containers. Plant them three times as deep as their overall size. However, some seeds do not need to be covered, they need the sunlight. This is true of popular flowers like petunias and zinnias. If you don’t know whether your seeds require sun exposure, check the seed package or search online for the information.
Lightly ruffle your seeds by hand or with cardboard, twice daily in your organic garden. This will make your plants grow faster and they will get bigger than they would have without this practice.
Rotate your garden at least once a year. Planting the same area with the same plants year after year will lead to disease and fungus. The problems leech into the soil, staying there for the next year’s crop. When you rotate your crops, fungus and disease have less chance to spread.
The advice given here is perfect for helping you to know the best ways of organic horticulture. There is so much information about this and it is crucial that you learn about it and apply it to your gardening. When you keep this in mind, you can go about planting and growing a garden in your own way.