Garden Secrets


   May 22

Garden Secrets

By admin

Which Are The Best Plants For Your Garden ?

Many times we buy plants on impulse then find there is nowhere in the garden that really suits them. Before buying plants carefully examine your garden to see how much sun and shade it gets, whether the soil is well drained or waterlogged and whether your aspect is sheltered or windswept.

You’ll then be equipped to go and buy the best plants for your situation; shade-loving plants for the sheltered areas, sun-lovers for the warm spots, drought-resistant plants for the parched areas which may be either sunny or shaded, and swamp plants for the poorly-drained parts.

But wait! Test your soil first, to determine the pH level of your soil and what kind of nutrients you need to add, if any. Is the soil acid or alkaline? Most plants prefer soil that is slightly acidic, but there are some that must have alkaline soil to grow. You can alter the soil’s pH level, but it’s much easier to simply plant for the soil you have.

Now you are ready to plant. Well – almost. Will you plant in groups or singly? If you buy ‘one of everything’ your garden may seem rather spotty. Group plantings are organized, harmonious and you can vary the color for interest.

Before planting out, place your chosen plants around the garden bed in their pots to see how they will look. Re-arrange them until you are satisfied. Grouping plants in sets of threes or fives usually looks better than planting in groups of even numbers. Be sure that you have an interesting combination of colors and textures of plants. Tall plants should go to the back, or the center if your garden will be viewed equally from all sides. Try to keep your plants away from trees. The roots of trees are fiercely competitive and will steal all the nutrients and moisture meant for your flowers.

It is essential to have a good harmony of colors in the garden. Consider what the flowers will be like when they bloom in relation to the plant next door. There may be color clashes which can be avoided if blossoming is at a different time . When not in flower plants can have attractive foliage, perhaps silver, gray or purple, that can add value to the appearance of the bed.

The Soil And Plant Needs

Despite the fact that they grow to great lengths and cover large areas, the majority of vines in soil of average fertility do not need especially frequent or heavy applications of fertilizer.

In fact, too much food may cause growth so vigorous you can’t keep the vine under control, and may even stimulate development of stems and foliage at the expense of flowers. The type of fertilizer depends on the vine itself, on the results of a soil test, or on available kinds and brands.

Fertilizers are organic (composed entirely of animal or vegetable matter), inorganic (chemical, or “commercial”), or a combination. They may be soluble (can be held in suspension in water) or not. “Balanced” or “complete” fertilizers, containing all the elements known to be needed for plant growth and health, are good for general use. Always follow package directions on quantities and frequency of application.

Occasionally a vine or a soil analysis will indicate the need for some deficient element, and you will select a fertilizer accordingly just like in lawn fertilizing, you need to know lawn fertilizer numbers to choose the right one. Nitrogen may be needed to encourage the development of shoots and leaves; phosphorus to boost flowering and fruiting; potash to strengthen stems and increase resistance to disease. Relative proportions of these three main elements are indicated on fertilizer packages and bags by a series of three figures, like 5-10-5, indicating the ratio of pounds per ton of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash in that order. The statement that minor or trace elements are present may also be included.

An established vine may be fertilized once – or at the most, twice – a year, during the season of active growth. Don’t feed plants immediately after flowering, or when dormancy is approaching. Dry fertilizers are sprinkled over the soil, scratched in, and carried down to the roots by rain and watering. Soluble fertilizers can be applied at the same time the vine is watered, or used for foliar feeding and sprayed on the leaves in recommended amounts.

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   May 23

Choosing A Garden That Is Excellent For You

By admin

If you’re thinking about starting a garden, the first thing you need to consider is what type of garden you will have. There are many different choices and often it can be hard to pick just one, but hopefully you can narrow it down. But by narrowing it down, you’ll make the gardening experience easier on yourself and the plants. If all your plants are similar, then it shouldn’t be very hard to care for them all. So here are some of the main garden ideas for you to choose from.

If you are just attempting to find something to look nice in your yard, you may need a flower garden. These are often stuffed with perennial flower. Evergreen flowers are flowers which keep healthy all year. They are essentially weeds due to their hardiness, only good looking. Different areas and climates have different flowers which are thought to be evergreens.

If you do a fast net search for your area, you can very likely find a listing of flowers which is going to bring your flower garden to life. These generally only require work in the planting stage – after that, the flower look after themselves. The only downside to this is that you don’t have any product to show for it.

Another choice for your garden is to have a vegetable garden. These typically need a bit more work and research than a flower garden, but can be much more rewarding. No matter what time of the year it is, you can mostly find one vegetable that’s still thriving. That way you may have your garden give you produce almost everyday of the year! When beginning a vegetable garden, you must build it with the idea in mind that you’ll be adding more types of vegetables in later.

This could help your expandability. Once all of your current crops are out of season, you will not be stuck with just about nowhere to put the new crops. A plant garden is perfect for somebody who wants some produce, but does not want to commit each waking hour to perfecting their garden ( see later on).

One of the more difficult types of gardens to manage is a fruit garden. It’s definitely the most high-maintenance. When growing fruits, many more pests will be attracted due to the sweetness. You not only have to deal with having just the right dirt and fertilizer, you have to deal with choosing a pesticide that won’t kill whoever eats the fruits.

Your fruit garden will most likely not produce all year. The soil must be perfect for the plants to grow, and putting in another crop during its off-season might be terrible to its expansion process. If you are ready to put lots of work into maintaining a garden, then a fruit garden might be a good selection for you.

So now that I’ve outlined some of the main garden types that people choose, I hope you can make a good decision. Basically, the garden type comes down to what kind of product you want, and how much work you want to put into it. If you’re looking for no product with no work, go with a flower garden. If you want lots of delicious product, but you are willing to spend hours in your garden each day, then go for a fruit garden. Just make sure you don’t get into something you can’t handle!

Growing Plants From Cuttings

Growing plants from cuttings is the most popular method of increasing stock of most types of plants, vines included. Of the many different kinds of cuttings, there is usually at least one by which each variety will propagate readily. As far as possible, these are indicated with the varietal descriptions in Part Two.

Some general principles apply, in varying degrees, to all kinds of cuttings. A clean, sharp knife or razor blade is preferable to scissors that sometimes squeeze and bruise stem cells. Hormone preparations, used according to package directions, usually speed the formation of roots. Most cuttings root best in good light, but not strong sunlight; in a medium kept constantly moist, but not soggy wet; in air that is humid and free from drafts. Bottom heat speeds rooting and works best when regulated to keep the propagating medium 5 to 10 degrees warmer than the air above it.

At any odds, avoid overcrowding cuttings. Space them far enough apart so that each gets its fair share of air, to ward off damp-off and rot. Don’t thrust stem ends roughly into a packed propagating medium. Make a hole or trench, and hold the stem upright in it while you pack the medium firmly enough to eliminate air pockets, but not . so firmly air is excluded entirely. How firmly you pack depends upon the medium.

Except for succulents and some few other types of plants, cuttings require extra humidity while the rooting process is going on.

Here’s what happens. Since there are no roots to supply water and food to leaves, the leaves must support the plant and keep it alive While roots are being formed. The more leaf surface kept on the cutting, the faster the rooting. But during the process, leaves give off moisture, and there are no roots to provide a new supply. Extra humidity is needed to keep the leaves firm, fresh, and healthy. When new growth appears on the cutting, that is usually a sign that roots have formed and are ready to support the plant.

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