grass clippings

Everything You May Have Wondered About Horticulture

~ craigb

TIP! Digging in hard clay soil is made even more difficult because it sticks to the shovel. To make digging clay soil easier, try applying a light coating of wax, either car wax or floor wax, and then buff off and commence digging.

Organic gardening is very relaxing and will help you connect with nature. It is a good way to grow healthy fresh foods in an environmentally friendly, chemical-free way. Are you intimidated? Throughout the article below, you will read some expert advice on organic gardening that can assist you in becoming a skilled gardener.

TIP! Consider starting your plants in pots and then planting the seedlings in your garden. This can give your seedlings the advantage they need to survive and reach adulthood.

Choose perennials that slugs are not attracted to. It is alarming to see how quickly slugs, and their cousin snails, can annihilate a plant. They’re particularly fond of perennials with smooth and thin leaves, especially if the plants are young. Perennials that have thick, furry leaves and unpleasant tastes are less likely to attract slugs and snails. Excellent varieties include heuchera, achillea, euphorbia, campanula, and helleborus.

TIP! A garden with a foundation of healthy soil is the best defense against pests. If your plants are healthy, they can more easily resist insects and disease.

If you notice powdery mildew on your plants, do not buy an expensive chemical. All you need to do is mix baking soda with a tiny bit of liquid soap in with some water. Use a spray bottle to apply to your plants weekly until the issue clears up. Baking soda treats the mildew effectively and gently and it won’t damage your plants.

TIP! Use both biennials and annuals to add color to your flower bed. Using a variety of flowers allows your flower garden to have a different look each season.

You could try to boil weeds if you are trying to remain organic. Considering that boiling water is rather safe, you don’t have to worry about toxins in your soil or at your dinner table. Just pour boiling water directly on top of the weeds cautiously to avoid damaging your plants. The extreme heat of the water will cause damage to the weeds’ roots, which will stop them from growing any more.

TIP! During winter, you should take your favorite plants inside. You may be able to save your most resistant or expensive plants.

Split up the irises. Increase your iris stocks by dividing your overgrown clumps. Try to life the bulbous irises when foliage begins to die. If you split the bulbs that you pull up, and replant them, they will bloom the following year. Use a knife to divide the rhizomes. Cut the new pieces from its outside and dispose of the older center. Be sure to retain a sturdy offshoot on every piece that you intend to plant. Replant them immediately.

TIP! The first thing you should do when planning a garden is test the soil. You can obtain a soil analysis for a nominal fee.

Purchase an inexpensive horticulture kneeling pad, as well as a wheelbarrow or wagon. Spending lots of time close to the ground while working tends to be hard on your knees, that is why it is important to have a portable and lightweight garden stool that you can use for comfort. A wheelbarrow will help you move heavy items without hurting your back so ensure that you invest in one promptly.

TIP! All plants need an adequate supply of carbon dioxide in order to thrive. Often, plants achieve better growth when they are surrounded by high levels of CO2.

Pest control is tough when you have a veggie garden. The vegetables are intended to be eaten, thus you should refrain from using harsh pesticides and chemicals. Frequently check your garden for pests. When you are vigilant, you can simply remove the pests from your plants manually as soon as you notice them. Early detection is the best solution to ridding your garden of pests.

Grass Clippings

TIP! One way to correct your soil’s alkalinity is by amending your soil with used coffee grounds. Coffee grounds add acidity to the soil and are very cheap.

Your compost pile should contain green plant materials and dry plant materials. Grass clippings, vegetable and fruit leftovers, and grass clippings are all examples of green plant material. Paper and straw are dry plant materials. Never use ashes, meat, charcoal, diseased plants or carnivorous animal manure in your compost pile.

TIP! Try to have a plan with your garden. This way, you will remember the places you planted your seeds when they start sprouting.

Do you want to kill weeds without using commercial chemicals? Put down old newspapers in several layers for controlling weeds. Weeds cannot grow without light. When you put newspaper on top of weeds they will suffocate because they are not getting enough light. Old newspapers are a valuable addition to your compost heap. Add a layer of mulch on top to make it look more attractive!

TIP! Protect your deciduous shrubs which are tender. When these tender shrubs are kept in pots, cold weather can be very damaging.

If you’re planning on selling crops to people and labeling them as organic, you will need to receive an organic horticulture certification. This will increase sales and shows your customers they’ve been buying from the best.

TIP! Buy a wheelbarrow and kneeling stool to work with in the garden. Spending time on the ground is rough on the knees, a portable and light stool can help make gardening easier.

Over-watering plants is counterproductive, as too much water reduces plants’ ability to absorb nutrients from the surrounding soil. Check the weather forecast before watering plants to see if there is rain in the near future. Depending on the weather, you might want to skip watering for the day.

TIP! The water that is leftover from the steamed vegetables is great to pour over them. To add acidity to the soil of your rhododendrons and gardenias, use coffee or tea grounds.

Annually rotate your garden. Planting the same family of plants in the same area over and over can cause disease and fungus to start growing. These kind of enemies to plants can stay underground ready for the next year to cause harm to your plants. Rotating the types of plants that you grow will help to keep the fungi and diseases from gaining a foothold.

TIP! If you want to spend more quality time outdoors with your children, why not allowing them to help you with your gardening? Small kids enjoy picking fruit themselves out of a garden. Because of this, they’ll be more likely to provide you with some assistance in your garden if they feel like they’re receiving something out of this.

Look closely at the seedlings you purchase. For instance, if you buy tomato seedlings for an organic plot, be cautious if you find green, lush-looking starts that have underdeveloped root systems. The reason that these starts will still look green with bad roots is because the seedlings will not grow until the starts are gone.

TIP! To avoid tracking the mud and dirt that will get on your gardening shoes, use plastic bags. This allows you to work steadily and without distractions, making you a happier and more productive gardener.

It’s best to plant tomatoes in an organic garden on a three-week cycle. Staggering the planting times ensures that you are able to consistently enjoy ripe tomatoes. Additionally, should something happen to during one of your harvests, your tomatoes will not all be ruined.

TIP! Add used coffee grounds to your soil. Coffee grounds are filled with nitrogen, that is a nutrient required by plants.

Pay attention to which products you can use in your garden. Experiment with organic and natural fertilizers instead of the usual chemical, commercial ones. One way to naturally feed your plants is through the use of compost. Organic materials hold many advantages over chemical methods. Chemicals tend to build up in the soil, which can leach into the drinking water.

TIP! Be aware of the location you are in, and the seasonal and climate changes that occur. Make sure that you adjust your watering cycles to match these changes.

You need to be very specific about what organic plants you plan to grow in the garden. Some flowers and vegetables require specific types of soil, a certain moisture level, and direct or indirect sun exposure. For instance, there are many different varieties of roses. However, only some will grow properly in you garden. Make sure you select the varieties that will adapt well to your garden.

TIP! An excellent feature of organic vegetables is that they contain no pesticides. This will improve your family’s overall health, but it does mean you have to be extra vigilant about checking for pest infestations.

Organic horticulture is a hobby incorporating nature, hard work and patience. It makes use of empty land to produce something tasty and healthy. But, if you are ready to dedicate yourself and stick to the advice in this piece, you are sure to be a successful organic gardener.

Want To Become A Great Gardener? Read These Tips!

~ craigb

TIP! Put sod down the right way. Be sure to get your soil prepared before you start laying the new sod.

A garden is more than just a way to decorate. It is also more than just something people with green thumbs can do. A garden provides the person who has put time into it a way of finding tranquility, peace, and a feeling of appreciation of life. When one is good at gardening, the rewards are outstanding.

TIP! Use climbers if you want to cover any fences or walls. You can hide an unsightly wall or fence, in as little as one growing season, with the right selection of climbing plant.

You can use the wooden handles of your tools as measurement sticks. Tools with long handles, such as rakes, shovels or hoes can work as great measuring sticks. Put the handles down and measure them with a measuring tape. Label the distances with a permanent marker. Next time you are working in the garden, you will have a large ruler at your fingertips!

Baking Soda

TIP! If you find that you have soil that has high amounts of alkaline, mix used coffee grounds throughout the soil. This affordable trick will give back the acid that your dirt requires.

If you notice powdery mildew on your plants, do not buy an expensive chemical. Mix a solution of baking soda, water, and a tiny bit of dishwashing liquid. You then want to spray this mixture on your plants one time a week until you notice the mildew disappear. Baking soda will bring no damage to your plants, and will treat the mildew in a gentle and efficient manner.

TIP! Mint is a very tasty herb that has a tendency to run wild in the garden if not kept in check. Keep your mint growth under control by planting them in pots and/or garden containers.

Use the correct type of soil for best results. Depending on what type of plants you have, your soil may or may not be adapted. It’s also possible to make a fabricated area that contains only one type of soil.

TIP! You should divide irises. You can increase your stock of irises by dividing up overgrown clumps.

Using natural materials in the garden will keep pests away. 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. Another way to get rid of pests is to spread wood ash at ground level around shrubs and tree plantings. Using these methods eliminates your need of chemical pesticides.

TIP! Pest control can become a major issue. While chemicals can help with pest control, you should avoid using overly harsh ones, as veggies you grow in your garden are meant for eating.

Be sure to buy a wheelbarrow and a kneeling stool that you can use for your garden. Spending too much time on the ground working can be quite hard on your knees, and a gardening stool can help alleviate this, plus make things more comfortable for you. Gardening also typically involves transporting bags of topsoil, fertilizer and other heavy items, so using a wheelbarrow to make these tasks easier is a sound investment for your garden, and your back.

TIP! You can attract the insects you need by planting heather. Bees are very attracted to heather.

Tend to a garden as a way to relax. There are countless ways that people find to relax. Gardening is fun, and it is definitely one of the best ways to achieve this state. It doesn’t require a lot of cash up front, but pays major dividends. Perhaps the most rewarding aspect is the sense of peace and calm that comes from nurturing your plants.

TIP! When gardening, protecting your knees is important. Bending over while gardening can be painful and unhealthy for your back.

Top all your garden beds with several inches of organic mulch. Covering the beds with mulch serves multiple purposes; it helps the flowers by retaining moisture and adding nutrients, and it discourages the growth of unwanted plants. In addition, your flower beds will have a beautiful, finished appearance year round.

TIP! Make sure that you take time to properly plant any seeds that you buy. Begin by adding moisture to the dirt.

It is common knowledge that grounds from brewed coffee are good for soil. Coffee grounds have nitrogen that plants will utilize. The more nitrogen you have in the soil, the greater the growth of your plants will be, so adding grounds or compost will ensure your plants grow large very quickly.

TIP! Looking for a natural way to kill weeds in your garden? You can easily control weeds by using layered sheets of newspaper. Weeds need sun for growth, just like any other plant.

When you’re making a compost pile, you should use fresh and dried plants to get it started. When you pull weeds from your garden, throw them in the compost. The same goes for vegetable trimmings and grass clippings. These are considered green materials. For the dry end of the spectrum, think of things like paper and cardboard, sawdust, hay, etc. Avoid meat, ashes, charcoal, plants with diseases and manure from carnivores.

TIP! When you run your personal organic garden, try ruffling seedlings using your hands or cardboard one or two times daily. This will sound a bit strange.

Use a beer trap to capture slugs and stop them from eating your plants. Place a jar into the soil so that the top of it’s mouth rests parallel with the soil. Pour enough beer into the jar to fill it below an inch from the top. Slugs are attracted by the beer and won’t be able to exit the jar once they enter.

TIP! Adding mulch to your garden can make your soil healthier. A thick layer of mulch offers protection to the soil underneath it.

Use mulch to enhance the health of your soil. Mulch acts as a protective shield for the soil it covers. On hot days, mulch insulates the ground, keeping it cool and protecting your plants’ roots. It will also stop the soil from losing it’s moisture in the hot sunlight. It will also serve as a method of controlling unwanted weeds.

TIP! Over-watering your plants can be harmful, because roots that are drowning in water cannot effectively pull nutrients out of the soil. Before watering your organic garden, check weather forecasts to determine if it is likely to rain later that day.

When checking out tomatoes to buy, do a bit of poking in the soil. Oftentimes, tomato seedlings that show verdant green starts have poor roots. Reason being, these kinds of starts stay attached to the seedlings for many weeks, which causes the seedlings to not grow until the starts are gone.

TIP! There are all kinds of plants that can grow in your organic garden. Mulch is a must-have for plants that require acidic conditions.

If you want to consistently grow healthy tomatoes, wait three weeks between planting each set. Doing this will cause your harvest to come in at differing times, allowing you to gather up the majority of them and cut your losses. If one crop is ruined for some reason, the next one will be healthy.

TIP! Healthy soil translates to even healthier flowers, grasses and vegetables. If the soil is nutrient-rich, plants will be able to ward off disease and damage caused by common garden pests.

If you’ve spent even a little time gardening, you’re probably well aware of how beneficial compost can be, but how much do you know about what it contains? Compost is actually a mixture of grass clippings, wood-chips, leaves, produce scraps, twigs, and straw which all breaks down to “psuedo-soil”. It is recommended that you use this compost in place of commercial fertilizer on your organic garden.

TIP! Weeds are annoying to any garden, organic or otherwise. This organic weed killer is safer for the environment and you and your family.

Know what to look for when choosing plants for your organic garden. This is especially important when buying annual or perennial plants. Purchase plants that have budded, but have not yet fully bloomed. This is how your new plants can a begin a strong network of roots.

TIP! You are aware of how helpful compost is in growing your organic garden, but do you have any idea what is actually in it? Compost is a mixture of wood chips, straw, leaves, scraps of produce, and grass clippings that have been allowed to sit until they are broken down into mock soil. Use this instead of commercial fertilizer.

Use this article to revive your garden. You will be rewarded by healthy plants full of life. Horticulture can have a powerful effect on your life, so give it a try.