Tips From Experts On A Healthy Garden

~ craigb

TIP! Learn about plant varieties so you can choose the ones with the best yields. It is quite common to find that hybrids, which are often able to resist disease and withstand cold climates, produce yields much larger than their conventional counterparts.

Well, now is as good a time as any. If you’d like more information on horticulture, this article can serve as a starting point for you. Listed below is some very valuable advice that will help tint your thumb green, and bring you horticulture success.

TIP! Plant some perennials in your garden that repel slugs. If slugs or snails find their favorite perennials in your garden, they’ll snack all night.

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 time goes by, slowly increase the time they spent outdoors. Hopefully, after about a week or so, your plants should have adjusted to the change. Now you can transplant them without any worries.

TIP! Starting off your garden with healthy soil can be the best defense against those pesky garden bugs. Healthy plants grown in robust and enriched soil have an advantage in fighting pest infestation.

Your tool handles can double as measuring sticks. Tools with substantial handles, like rakes, hoes and large shovels are great for taking measurements. All you have to do is lay them on the floor then use a measuring tape to measure their length. Have a marker handy, and mark the distance with it. Now when you go garden the next time, you’ll have a giant ruler at your command.

TIP! Before you even place the first plant in your garden, you need to check the composition of your soil. For a small fee, a soil analysis can be obtained – based on that report – the soil can be properly enriched to support a vibrant garden.

Get a slug-proof variety of perennials. These creatures can wreak havoc on a garden in a short time. These pests prefer plants with thin smooth leaves. Plant some helleborus or euphorbias along with your other perennials. Some perennials, however, leave a bad taste in slugs’ mouths or are difficult to chew through because their leaves aren’t tender. These varieties include achillea, helleborus, heuchera, euphorbia, and campanula.

TIP! If you’re like many gardeners, autumn means that it’s time to get some delicious fall edibles growing in your garden. Clay pots are boring, so replace those ordinary lettuce and kale pots with pumpkins.

Starting off your garden with healthy soil can be the best defense against those pesky garden bugs. Healthy plants are naturally more resilient against pests and disease. You want to cultivate quality soil with adequate salt levels, which leads to healthy plants.

TIP! Soak the seeds and store in a dark area overnight. Place a small amount of seeds in a little container, while filling it to the brim with water.

There’s no need for chemical intervention if you discover powdery mildew on leaves. A great home remedy is to mix baking soda with water and a little bit of liquid soap. Once every week, you should spray the mixture on your plants; the mildew will disappear shortly thereafter. This is a natural solution for ridding your plants of mildew safely.

Early Spring

TIP! Using boiling water to kill weeds is both efficient and organic. The safest herbicide that you can use in your garden is a simple pot of boiling water.

Bulbs will give you wonderful flowers that you can enjoy in early spring and right through the summer. Most people have no trouble successfully growing bulbs, and their flowers will return each and every year. Different varieties of bulbs flower at varied times and if you make the right choices you can have blossoms from early spring through late summer.

TIP! Cooled water left over from steaming vegetables can be fed to them as a little snack. If you have rhododendrons or gardenias, use coffee and tea grounds to acidify the soil.

Both cat grass and wheat grass are good for giving your errant feline pause. Alternatively, you can try putting mothballs, citrus peel or anything else with an odor that cats find distasteful in the soil surrounding the plants.

TIP! While gardening you must make sure your knees are protected. It’s not a good idea to spend much time standing while you are bent over at the waist.

Always make sure to mow your lawn to the appropriate length, always making sure that the cut is not too close. Keeping grass with a little more height makes it healthier. This allows the roots to grow more deeply and makes the blades of grass more resistant to becoming dry and discolored. If you keep your lawn too short, the roots will not go deep enough to survive in case of a heat wave.

TIP! You will garden more efficiently if you keep your tools close by. You can do this by using a bucket, or you can wear rugged pants or a gardening apron that has several pockets.

Keep your fragile shrubs protected from the winter weather. If you’ve got tender shrubs which are potted, you need to protect them from cold weather. Pull the canes together at the top and securely tie them. Next, using a sheet or perhaps even a blanket, cover the structure. People sometimes use plastic to wrap their plants, but plastic can cause the plants to rot because it impedes air circulation.

TIP! You should work efficiently, instead of working hard in your garden, to simplify things. Don’t waste your time looking for missing tools.

Aerate and dry your plants each day. If your plants are moist, this can attract disease and parasites. In fact, fungi love a wet plant and can cause a great deal of damage. Fungicide sprays can deal with fungal infestations, but they are most effective if you apply them before a fungus problem becomes noticeable.

TIP! Tuck away some plastic grocery bags and use them to slip over your muddy boots. You will save time and be back in the garden much more quickly by doing this.

Think about starting your peas indoors rather than planting them directly in the garden. Seeds will always germinate much better when you first plant them indoors initially. The seedling may also be hardier, which means that they can better resist disease and attacks from pests. After the seedlings have grown strong indoors, it will be time for you to transplant them to outdoor beds.

Pectrum Pesticides

TIP! If you over-water your plants, they can’t get all the nutrients they need from the dirt. Before watering plants outdoors, check with some weather stations to find out if it will rain anytime during the day.

When horticulture, avoid the use of strong broad-spectrum pesticides. While broad-spectrum pesticides will kill most pests, they will also kill helpful insects. Beneficial bugs are usually several orders more sensitive to the things you spray than the pests you are trying to kill, so you might wind up dropping the good bug populace and open the door to pest population growth. When this happens, you will spray another round of pesticides to get rid of the pests, thus creating a never-ending cycle for yourself.

TIP! Organic fruits and vegetables grow without being exposed to pesticides and other chemicals. However, although this is a much healthier alternative, it is important to check surfaces of organic fruits and vegetables thoroughly to be sure that no unwanted pests are living in or on them.

Gardening is a great way to relax. Countless methods of unwinding from the stresses of life exist. Gardening is a great way to just kick back, chill out, and enjoy your time with nature. There are numerous returns based on a very small monetary investment. Your beautiful lush garden will allow you to reap a harvest of peaceful tranquility.

TIP! To make sure you have strong seedlings, look deeply. When you are buying seedlings for tomatoes, look at the roots as well as the green parts.

Plant ever-bearing strawberries for your children in the organic garden. 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.

TIP! In organic gardens, like any garden, weeds take a lot of attention to keep them under control. This method is much safer for your other plants.

Now you should be ready to get horticulture. If you thought you knew everything you needed to know before, you might be surprised how much your knowledge has grown with just a simple article. The above tips have hopefully spurred some great ideas that you can use in your own backyard to create a garden you can be proud of.