Many people, while favorably considering the practice, never actually commit themselves to organic horticulture. Some people think gardening is just too complicated and are intimidated by the many details. Follow the advice in this article to make organic horticulture a simple and fun activity.
Take the proper approach to laying sod. Get your soil ready before you lay the sod. Remove any weeds, and break the soil up into a fine tilth. Make sure the soil is packed firmly and even. Make sure you work with a moist soil. Staggered rows with offset joints is the best way for the sod to be laid out. After the sod is in place, go over the surface to ensure everything is level. Use loose soil to fill in any gaps between seams. Water the sod every day for a couple of weeks. Then it should be rooted well and ready for foot traffic.
Choose higher yield plant varieties. 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.
Cover fences and walls with lots of climbers. Many climbers can cover the wall or fence in as little as one growing season. They can also grow through existing shrubs or trees, or be trained to cover an arbor. Some require ties attaching them to supports, but others will attach themselves to any surface nearby. If you’re looking for the most reliable varieties available, choose from clematis, wisteria, and climbing roses.
When partaking in gardening activities, particularly in the autumn months, keep an eye on those stink bugs. They like fruits, as well as peppers, beans and tomatoes. If left uncontrolled, they can cause substantial damage in your garden, so make plans for how to protect your plants from these pests.
Set your mower blades higher, so you don’t cut the grass too short. If you let your grass grow, the roots will go deeper and make your lawn more resistant to dryness. When grass is cut too low the roots will not grow as deep, and your lawn may suffer from brown patches.
You can prevent pests from invading your garden with certain plants and natural materials. A good way to keep slugs away is to create a border with onions around a garden with vegetables. Marigolds would do this trick as well. Mulch around the bottom of trees and shrub seedlings with wood ash to reduce unwanted infestation of pests. These are methods you can use to get rid of the need to use pesticides.
Pest Problem
Keep your garden free from broad-spectrum pesticides. These types of pesticides also kill the beneficial insects that eat the pests. These helpful bugs are usually more sensitive to the chemicals than the pests, so if you find yourself in a situation where the good bugs are dying out, you can expect the pest problem to grow. If you respond to the growing pest problem with more broad-spectrum pesticide, you only continue the harmful cycle.
A mixture of aspirin and water can help your ailing plants. Dissolve 1 aspirin per gallon of water for a plant disease fighting solution. You simply have to spray the solution on your plants to assist them in warding off diseases. Spraying should be one time every three weeks.
It’s simple to lay a new perennial bed. Use your spade in a slicing motion to cut a flap of turf. Carefully turn the flap over, then cover the area with a three-inch layer of untreated wood chips. You want to then give the area about a couple of weeks, then you want your new perennials planted by digging into it.
Use several inches of organic materials for mulch in your flower beds. Using this much mulch retards weed growth, locks in moisture, and ensures that your plants are well-nourished. It will also increase the visual appeal of the flower beds.
Cover your muddy shoes with plastic bags. This way, you can get in and out quickly, and get back to work in the garden.
Creating a trap with beer can help reduce the number of slugs in your garden. Bury a canning jar so that the open mouth and the soil top are level. Fill the jar with beer within one inch of the top. The beer attracts these slugs, but traps them in the jar.
If you are building a raised bed utilize stone, brick or wood that is untreated. Make sure the wood you use is untreated and rot resistant. Several species of trees yield suitable wood. Locust, cypress, and cedar are among the more commonly used rot resitent woods. Avoid using treated wood in an organic vegetable garden. The chemicals in the wood can leak into the soil, and eventually into the plants. If you’re using treated lumber, line it with a barrier, or some plastic.
Grow some garlic that is organic. Cloves should be planted whole during the fall or early spring months. Garlic grows best in soil that retains moisture but drains well. Each clove should be planted end-up, four inches apart and between one and two inches below the surface of the soil. Green garlic shoots can be cut as they grow, and used in place of chives or scallions. The garlic will be matured when the green tops start drying out and turning brown. Dry the bulbs well in the sun for several days to harden the skin. Store the bulbs separately or tied in loose bunches in a cool place.
Research local botanical insecticides which can help keep any pest population down. You can find more power from natural insecticides, as opposed to engineered synthetic pesticides. Keep in mind, however, that these insecticides have very short half lives. Since they are made out of all natural ingredients, they may decay and disappear soon after you use them.
The information you’ve been given in this article should have done a great deal to ease any apprehension that you have about starting your own organic garden. Follow the tips you have studied here, and your yard will soon be yielding a terrific amount of delicious wholesome food for your kitchen.