Does it seem like the greener grass is always next door? You may imagine your neighbor has the key to a perfect garden. The truth is that there is no horticulture “secret”. All it requires is knowledge to take proper care of plants. You can start your search for information by using the advice given about gardening in this article.
Put sod down the right way. Before laying the sod, the soil must be prepared. Remove any weeds, and break the soil up into a fine tilth. Make sure your soil is flat and compacted. Now make sure the soil is thoroughly dampened. Sod must be arranged in staggered rows; each joint should offset one another. You want the sod to end up as a flat and even surface. If there are any gaps in between the sod pieces, then you can fill these in with some soil. Water the sod each day for two weeks so it will become well-rooted and ready for foot traffic.
Choose plants that will give you the most yield at harvest time. Normally, hybrid plants that are disease-resistant and cold-tolerant have a greater yield than traditional varieties.
When powdery mildew appears on your plants, you should not rush out to purchase a costly chemical treatment. Rather, you should mix a bit of baking soda with a small quantity of liquid soap in water. Use a spray bottle to apply to your plants weekly until the issue clears up. This solution is perfectly safe for your plants and gently treats mildew in a short amount of time.
All soil is not the same. You need to check the soil to make sure it’s the best for what you’re planting. For a tiny fee, a soil analysis may be done, and based on the results, the soil can support a growing garden by you enriching it as necessary. Many Cooperative Extension offices will provide this service, and it is well worth knowing exactly what the soil needs to avoid ruining a crop or two.
Tempt your cat away from the plants he has been bothering by planting catnip or wheat grass near them. Offensive smells also work to repel cats and other pesky animals from eating your plants. Try putting mothballs, citrus peels, garlic and other pungent items on the topsoil.
When mowing your lawn, be careful not to cut the grass too far down. If your grass has more height, roots be able to grow more deeply in the soil, which will make for a stronger lawn and will have a higher resistance to drying out. Short grass means short roots and dead grass.
Coffee Grounds
Consider adding coffee grounds to your soil if it contains high levels of alkaline. Coffee grounds are an inexpensive way to increase the acid level in your soil. The right soil will make your vegetables taste better and make your flowers more vibrant and aromatic.
If your garden contains lots of short plants, purchase some gardening knee pads. Without pads, you may have pain in your knees from spending too much time kneeling on the hard ground. Your knees can get supported with a decent pair of gardening knee pads.
The best gardens from an environmental standpoint originate from seeds, instead of plants. When you grow a new garden, start the environmental way, from seeds. Plastic used in nurseries normally end up in landfills. For an garden that helps the environment, plant seeds directly in the garden’s soil or purchase plants grown in organic packaging.
Don’t use broad-spectrum pesticidal products anywhere in your gardening area. Broad-spectrum pesticides will kill insects that are helpful to your garden as well as the harmful ones. Since these pesticides often affect the good bugs more than the bad, using them can actually increase your pest problem. In the end, you may resort to using even more pesticides in order to erase the problem.
Choose a plant as a focal point. You need a focal point that can catch your eye in garden design. The best focal points are those plants that really stand out from those that are adjacent.
Ward off certain diseases that plague plants with the use of aspirin. Dissolve one and one-half aspirins into two gallons of cold water, and use it to fortify your plants. Spray the plants with the aspirin solution to help your plants fight disease. Give your plants a spray of the aspirin-water mixture about one time every three weeks.
If you are gardening with a cut, make sure that you adequately protect it from dirt and chemicals. If you have an open cut while horticulture, contact with dirt or debris can infect the wound. Look for newer bandages which are able to completely seal your cut.
The advice in this article is fairly simple and pretty easy to follow. Now that you have learned what to do, it is time to apply it. Monitor the response of your plants when you apply these tips. If you find that it’s not working for you, try something different. While it may take time, with patience your beautiful garden will be admired by the whole neighborhood.