Learning about horticulture can be very overwhelming, but just like anything else, it can also be very easily researched, taught, and learned. These tips will almost certainly give you the information you need to upgrade your gardening strategies and improve as a gardener.
Think about starting plants in pots, and then placing the seedlings in the garden later. This raises the chances of the plants growing until adulthood. This is also a good way to tighten up your planting schedule. Once you remove the most recent mature plants from your garden, the seedlings are immediately ready to be planted.
Transform the handles of your tools into convenient measuring devices. Tools that can be used for more than one task are quite handy to own. Simply lay the handles out on the floor and run a measuring tape next to them. A permanent marker can be used to label distances. The next time you find yourself in your garden, you will have one large ruler right at your fingertips.
Baking Soda
If powdery mildew appears on your plants, don’t purchase expensive chemical solutions. Mix some baking soda and a very small amount of liquid soap into water. Spray the mixture on the plants once every seven days or so until you no longer see the mildew. Baking soda treats the mildew effectively and gently and it won’t damage your plants.
When the fall season approaches, you must prepare to plant your favorite fall veggies and other edibles. If you’d like to change things up a bit this season, put away your standard clay pots and plant your lettuce and kale inside of a pumpkin instead! After cutting an opening and removing the meat and seeds from inside the pumpkin, use Wilt-Pruf, sprayed throughout the inside and cut edges, and prevent rot from occurring. Once you’ve done that, you can plant!
Prepare your seeds by soaking them in a dark environment. Soak the seeds by placing them in a container where they are covered with water. This will give your seeds a healthy head start in the growth process. This improves the chances of successful plant development.
Get some gardening knee pads if you find yourself kneeling on the ground a lot to do your horticulture. Without pads, you may have pain in your knees from spending too much time kneeling on the hard ground. A set of quality knee pads designed for gardening can be a world of relief for your central leg joints.
Be sure to split the irises. Splitting up overgrown groups of irises will allow you to easily increase the number of irises in your garden. Uproot bulbous irises if the flowers have wilted. The bulbs will then split naturally in the palm of your hand and if they’re re-planted, they can flower next year. You should divide rhizomes using a knife. You can trim new pieces away from the outside of the bulbs and then simply throw the old center away. Be sure to retain a sturdy offshoot on every piece that you intend to plant. Replant immediately.
If you’re a new gardener, it is vital that you follow the instructions when it comes to your chemicals and tools. Some of the chemicals in these products can cause skin irritation, or worse, if you fail to take this simple precaution. Protect your plants and yourself by knowing how to correctly use all of your horticulture implements.
Try planting berry-bearing evergreens in your yard. The evergreens will add some color to your garden or yard, especially during the winter, when other plants have died or lost color. Some plants provide color during the winter like the Winterberry, and American Holly, the American Cranberrybush and the Common Snowberry.
Familiarize yourself with the optimum harvesting time of your vegetables. For the optimum flavor, be sure to follow the guidelines for planting and picking. For instance, zucchini and baby peas will taste a lot better if you pick them when they are young. Tomatoes, however, are best picked from the vine later when they are very ripe. Research the best time to pick your produce.
Keep your garden free from broad-spectrum pesticides. In addition, these pesticides destroy the good insects which eat pests. In fact, beneficial insects are more likely to die than pests if you spray these types of pesticides. As the population of “good” bugs dwindles, your garden may become overrun with pests. If this happens, you just fuel an expanding cycle of needing even more pesticides.
Not as tough as you were thinking, right? As any other skill, there is a great deal of information available to teach you about the subject of horticulture. Sometimes, you need a starting place. Hopefully, this article has provided you with just that.