Turn Your Thumb Green With These Horticulture Tips

~ craigb

TIP! To prevent your plants’ systems from becoming shocked, you need to gradually transition them from higher to lower temperatures. Start by placing your plants outside for a few hours only.

It goes without saying that taking care of an organic garden is critical for its success. Good organic horticulture techniques can be very useful in this context. By employing your knowledge you will be able to more efficiently and reliably produce healthy, tasty food. Use this information to make the best organic garden that you can.

TIP! When winter comes, you can save a few plants by transferring them inside the house. Try to save plants that are expensive or that are resistant enough to handle the transition.

If you work with clay soil, you have probably found using a shovel very frustrating and exhausting. One way to get around this problem is to coat the shovel with wax. Use a clean cloth to spread the wax evenly. You will be able to work with the clay more easily, and it will not stick to your shovel.

TIP! Use proper soil for the best results. Depending on what type of plants you have, your soil may or may not be adapted.

You can use the wooden handles of your tools as measurement sticks. Handles of things such as rakes, hoes or shovels make excellent measuring instruments. Simply lay the handles out on the floor and run a measuring tape next to them. Then, with a permanent marker, you want to label distances. When you are at work in the garden, you will always have a handy measuring device on each and every tool.

TIP! Prepare your seeds by soaking them in a dark environment. Put some seeds (a small amount) in a container that isn’t too large for the plant you’ll be growing.

When you go to mow your lawn, make sure you don’t mow it too closely to the ground. Higher grass has deeper roots, meaning a healthier lawn that will be less likely to dry out. The shorter the grass, the shallower the roots, which makes the lawn more likely to develop brown patches.

TIP! Always have a plan for the garden prior to the start of planting it. Use this to remind you where certain things were planted, later when they start sprouting.

Protect your plants from moisture on a daily basis. Parasites are attracted to the moisture on plants. Fungus infections are common in overly moist plants. Fungicidal spray treatments can contain fungi, but spraying prior to problems even developing in the first place is the best way to go about it.

TIP! Start your garden by planting seed in small pots. Planting seeds is the most eco-friendly way to start a new garden.

Protect the soil around your vegetable plants with an inch or two of organic mulch. Mulch will keep soil moist for longer. It will also dramatically decrease weed growth. This could save you lots of weed-pulling time.

TIP! Any time that you are gardening in direct sunlight, dress appropriately to prevent skin damage. Make sure you wear a wide brimmed hat along with sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen.

If you are going for a British feel with your garden, then vary the heights of your plants. Plants that are all at the same height makes a garden bed look flat and uninteresting.

TIP! If you’re really serious about environmentally-friendly gardening practices, refrain from developing some of your land and use it as an animal habitat. You will then find that the wildlife that can help you create a garden that can flourish become present; from birds to insects, they’ll be around your garden and help your produce grow better.

You should teach your children how to garden alongside you. Gardens are a wonderful place for kids to learn, and working side by side with them can strengthen the bond that you have.

Flower Beds

TIP! After your seeds begin to sprout, it is not as important to keep them warm. You should move your sprouted plants farther from the heat when they are past the sprouting stage.

When mulching your flower beds, aim for anywhere between two or three inches of mulch. Using this much mulch retards weed growth, locks in moisture, and ensures that your plants are well-nourished. In addition, your flower beds will have a beautiful, finished appearance year round.

TIP! Pine can make a great mulch. There are many common acidic plants that prefer acidic soil.

Pine can make surprisingly great mulch. Some plants do better in soil with high acidity as they are highly acidic themselves. Pine needles to line the bed of your garden are easy to find for these kinds of plants. Cover your beds with the needles, as they will decompose and disperse their acid throughout the soil.

TIP! Try using coffee grounds on the soil. They contain nitrogenous nutrients which are essential to plant growth.

Spacing is one important factor in gardening. Plants take up quite a bit of space as they grow, and it’s easy to underestimate just how much. Air circulation and room to grow is important for any plant. Think ahead and give each plant room for expansion, by properly spacing the seeds.

Treated Wood

TIP! One way to help maintain healthy soil is to incorporate mulch into your landscape. Mulch acts as a protective covering for the soil.

Create a raised bed for your garden out of stone, bricks or untreated wood. If you choose wood, it needs to be naturally rot resistant and untreated. Good choices are cedar, locust and cypress. In a veggie garden, don’t use treated wood since its chemicals can leech into the food crops and soil. If your existing garden structure contains treated wood, at least take the time to make a plastic lining beneath the soil.

TIP! Adding too much water could be harmful to the plants, because excess water will hinder the roots ability to get the nutrients they need from the soil. Always be sure to check the weather and keep a tight watering schedule.

Drowning your plants with water can kill them! It will stop your plant’s roots from being able to obtain any nutritional goodness out of its surrounding soil Don’t go ahead and water your garden if the weather report predicts rain that day. If a downpour is coming, you may want to forgo watering your plants that day.

TIP! Any gardening can connect you with Mother Nature, but particularly if you employ organic gardening techniques. Organic gardening is an excellent lesson in the plant life cycle and how to get the most from the planting process.

One of the most wonderful things about buying food that is organic is that they don’t contain pesticides. Though this is certainly a great thing for the health of your loved ones, it is important to watch for additional pests and insects that may be present.

TIP! When organic gardening, it is important to know how properly make an ideal bed for your plants. To begin this process, cut under the turf and leave a space open.

Gardening can not only be an excellent hobby for consuming time, but is great for saving money and aiding a healthy diet. Organic gardening is an excellent lesson in the plant life cycle and how to get the most from the planting process.

TIP! You should know how to water your plants. Purchasing a soaker hose would be a worthwhile expenditure.

Every year, rotate your organic garden. Repeatedly planting the same greenery in the same place can cause fungus and disease. The fungus and bacteria will stay in the ground a whole year and attack your plants when the time is right. If you mix things up, by planting in different spots, you will have enlisted a natural method of keeping fungus and diseases at bay.

TIP! You can be a bit more environmentally friendly by doing things like saving rainwater. Use barrels or buckets to catch water for your garden.

Grow garlic. Cloves should be planted whole during the fall or early spring months. Garlic grows best in soil that retains moisture but drains well. Place them about one or two inches deep into the soil pointed upwards and four inches apart. Green garlic shoots, which can be cut while growing, can substitute nicely for scallions or chives. You will know when to harvest the garlic, because the tops will gradually turn brown. Allow the skin to harden by letting your bulbs sit out in the sun. You should store your garlic cloves in a cooler area and tie them in some bunches.

TIP! Draw up a planting calendar to plan your gardening efforts. This calendar should have the dates when each type of plant will go in the garden.

As you now know, the taste and quality of your produce can be greatly enhanced from utilizing the method of organic gardening. It takes a lot of work and tons of patience, but it is all worth it in the end to have a successful organic garden.