Are you jealous of how other gardens look? It’s possible in your mind’s eye that the neighbor is doing something unique. The reality is that many people know how to get a lovely garden. All it takes is knowledge on how to take care of your plants properly. Start learning about horticulture by taking in this article.
Measuring Sticks
Your tool handles can double as measuring sticks. You can use shovels or rakes as measuring sticks. Place the handles on the floor, then set a measuring tape alongside them. A permanent marker can be used to label distances. Now, every time you work in your garden, you are going to have a powerful ruler at the touch of your fingertips.
Cover the fences and walls with climbers. You can hide an unsightly wall or fence, in as little as one growing season, with the right selection of climbing plant. They may grow up through some existing shrubs and trees, and can even be worked to grow around an arbor. Some need to be tied to a support, whereas certain climbers attach themselves to a surface with tendrils or twining stems. Excellent varieties include honeysuckle, wisteria, jasmine, climbing roses and clematis.
In the cold winter months, you can salvage certain plants by bringing them into the house. Maybe you’d like to save the most expensive plants you have or the most resistant. Always be careful when digging around the roots, and put the plant in a suitable pot.
Pick the correct soil to get the best results. You may need to alter the kind of soil you use based on the types of plants you intend to grow. It can happen where one artificial area is designated to have just one type of soil.
Stink Bugs
If you’re planning on gardening, carefully watch for stink bugs! You should be particularly careful during Autumn. Stink bugs like to reside in tomatoes, beans, and pepper plants, as well as many fruits. Proper measures should be taken in order to ensure minimal damage to your crops.
Apply organic mulch generously around your vegetable plants. Mulch will keep soil moist for longer. It also prevents weed growth. This could save you lots of weed-pulling time.
Beneficial Insects
Do not use broad-spectrum pesticides within your garden. These types of pesticides also kill the beneficial insects that eat the pests. Beneficial insects are more susceptible to toxic pesticides than their annoying counterparts, so a broad-spectrum pesticide could kill all of the good bugs first, allowing the population of bad pests to multiply. This may then lead to using even more pesticides to eliminate this new problem.
Choose plants that will provide color in autumn. However, you can still maintain your horticulture hobby throughout the fall months. In the fall, the foliage displays every color of the rainbow. Many trees display a range of the vivid colors of fall, from bright yellow to rich crimson, including maple, beech, and dogwood. Also, when considering shrubs, try using cotoneaster, hydrangea, or barberry.
Be smart about how you water your garden. You can save time by using soaker hoses when watering plants. By doing this, you won’t need to water your plants individually. Keep the soaker’s water pressure at a low level, so that your tender plants will not be harmed. Letting the soaker hose do the work frees you up to turn your attention elsewhere.
Scent the grass around your garden with old perfume or discarded aftershave to prevent your dog from wandering into your garden. This kind of scent is going to mask the scents your dog is attracted to. If your dog has no interesting smell to follow, the garden will not be a tempting place.
The techniques discussed here have been pretty straight-forward and easy to follow. You just have to glean the knowledge and implement what you’ve learned. Pay close attention to your plants and how they react to your methods. If something does not work, try something else. Be patient and your garden will eventually be envied by your neighbors.
Originally posted 2013-06-19 07:05:40.
