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Monday 14 November 2016

Tips for Controlling Weeds and Keeping Your Garden Beautiful

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The problem with weeds is that you never know your lawn has them until there's a vigorous overgrowth that threatens your turf and your plants.  Most lawn owners just don’t pay attention to an innocent, scrawny stem with tiny leaves until it turns into a monster.  And when it does, that's often the time when it's next to impossible to get rid of the weed.  If you want to manage and maintain your lawn, learn the effective ways of controlling weeds.

What is a weed?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a weed is a plant that people don't value and has a tendency to overpower other plants, specifically those we consider desirable.  This is a tricky definition, considering that one man's weed is another man's wild flower.  In order to decide whether or not to destroy a certain growth, it's best to ask yourself whether you want that plant in your garden or not.  If the answer is no, then it's time to get rid of it.

Why you should control weeds
Weeds are notorious for being fast growers, able to outgrow other garden plants.  Because they will overpower and probably destroy these plants, we find them annoying, especially since most of them don’t have any apparent use.  Furthermore, most weeds don’t have the aesthetic appeal that other plants have.

Is there any reason why I should not be so harsh on weeds?
Weeds do have their advantage.  They are the favorite residence of many pest and bug-killing insects such as ladybugs and bees.  If you have these insects in your garden, you can even control the incidents of pest infestation in your turf.  However, if pests aren't a problem, you probably have no use for weeds and should control their growth.

Controlling weeds the old way
There are three kinds of weeds – the perennials, biennials and the annuals.  Perennial weeds are the type of weeds that recur over the seasons and often produce seeds every year.  Weeds such as milkweed, dandelions and blackberries are considered perennial weeds.

Biennial weeds are the type that survive for two years.  During the last year, these weeds flower and develop seeds.  Annual weeds, such as thistles, chickweed and crabgrass, maintain a yearly life cycle.  Unlike perennial weeds, they are easier to control.

If you don't want to use chemicals and if the weeds in your lawn are still manageable, try to control their growth by simply uprooting the weeds.  The best way to do this is to cultivate the soil by breaking up the surface.  This aerates the soil and makes it soft, so weeds are easier to pull out.  Do this when the weeds are still young to ensure that no flower or seed is propagated or spread.  Perform this task regularly to make sure that any growth within a season is controlled.

An old garden practice called mulching is also an effective way to keep weeds under control.  This process helps control weeds by using a thick layer of materials such as leaves, bark, grass clippings and other organic matter and spreading the mixture over your lawn.  Not only does this organic material keep your soil rich and healthy, it also prevents sunlight from reaching the seeds of the weeds.  Since they can't grow and establish so the weeds die.

If you use these natural methods of controlling weeds, you will have to be vigilant and patient.  Pulling out leaves and preventing seeds from growing doesn't guarantee they won't sprout again.  However, you can keep controlling them until they are either minimized or eliminated.

Using herbicides
Weeds are tough and flexible.  In fact, there is no all-in-one weed killing product on the market today that is capable of destroying all kinds of weeds.  If you want an effective way of controlling them, first learn how to recognize them.  If you know which weeds are found in your lawn, you'll be able to find the right product to use.

There are two kinds of herbicides – the systemic type and the contact type.  The systemic herbicide is absorbed by the weeds through the leaves and the root system.  These kill the weeds from the inside out.  Contact herbicides, as their name implies, kill from the outside in.  They prevent the weeds from using photosynthesis to survive.

Both these herbicides come as either selective or nonselective varieties.  Selective herbicides are those that are chemically capable of killing only certain weeds without affecting other plants in your lawn.  Nonselectives, however, will kill regardless of what they come in contact with.

The best way to use these chemicals for controlling weeds is to follow the manufacturer's directions.  This is also the safest method, considering that much of the failure (and danger) associated with the use of herbicides is due to inaccurate or incorrect application.  Use during early spring in order to attack weeds when they are at their weakest.

Wednesday 2 November 2016

GARDENING'S MOST VALUABLE ADVICE

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Many people may not be aware that gardening can actually harm the environment.  A large amount of carbon dioxide can be released through tilling the soil.  This contributes to global warming.  When you cultivating and compacting the soil, destroys good fungi.  Fertilizers like nitrogen and manure often leach out of the soil and pollute the water you drink.

Global warming

Did you know that the earth's soil gives out carbon dioxide in the atmosphere 10 times more than all human activity?  This comes from the pill bugs, microbes, fungi and worms when they breathe, digest food and then die. Although in the past plants have been capable of absorbing carbon dioxide caused by small-scale tillages, this isn't the case nowadays.
The increase of the globe's average temperature is because of the carbon dioxide the soil emits when tilled. The good news is that tilling can be minimized by mulching or sheet composting.

Good Fungi

In untilled soil, there is beneficial fungi known as the vesicular-arbuscular-mycorrhizae or VAM for short. VAM actually forms a symbiotic relationship with plants.  Their filaments increase root hairs and provide nutrients to the plant.  They give out zinc, copper, potassium and phosphorus.  Plants provide carbohydrates for the fungi in return.  It is possible to grow a garden without tilling the sooiil at all by mulching heavily until the soil is soft and friable.

Surplus Nitrogen

Many gardeners waste nitrogen and manures; farmers do otherwise. Farmers only need a quarter to a third of nitrogen to mix with an inch of compost, horse, or cow manure.  Kate Burroughs of Sebastopol California, uses the same rule for her home-grown lettuce and sweet corns. When it comes to broccoli and pear trees, farmers only need a small amount.  Notice that gardeners apply larger amounts of compost and manure than farmers. Obviously, they are not only wasting their fertilizer but also their money.

The best gardening advice that can be given to those concerned is to do all things with moderation. Keep in mind that too little and too much of something is not healthy. This is the most valuable advice one can have in gardening.

Tuesday 25 October 2016

Hydroponics Gardening



Hydroponics was derived from the Greek word hydro, which means "water" and ponos, which means "labor or water-working". Hydroponics gardening involves growing plants with their roots in other nutrient solutions and without soil.

Hydroponics gardening is as simple as ordinary gardening. Both of them necessitate sufficient light, water, temperature, light, and humidity. But with hydroponics, no soil is used. Instead a soil substitute holds the roots while nutrients are carried by the water. Indoor hydroponic gardening is not that hard and plants respond well to this method of growing.

This is one of the major considerations in hydroponics gardening since it sustains the plants. One has to make sure that this nutrient solution maintains a pH level of 5 to 6 after dilution. In hydroponics gardening, the plants should be watered more than three times a day. this is usually done using a pump and timer.

If your hydroponics garden is located indoors, the most suitable temperature is between 71 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, this temperature may change depending on the different types of plant you are working on, e.g. tropical plants.

Place your plants somewhere they can receive ample amount of light. Otherwise artificial light must be used. High pressure Sodium lights or bulbs are a suitable substitute for natural light.

Humidity is good. When the room’s temperature rises, the air will be able to hold the sufficient amount of moisture your plants will need.

A hydroponics system can be fully automated. Since it is water-based, the gardener has no soil to dig or weeds to pull. Also, the water can be re-used to prevent wastage.

With hydroponics, an excellent yield of quality plants can be easily achieved. Home hydroponics systems and DIY kits are are readily available in most hardware stores.

Friday 21 October 2016

A Few Tips For The Indoor Gardener

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While all plants are quite apt to prosper indoors, they do need more or less the same conditions to grow as outdoor plants do. These conditions are a good supply of fresh air, proper sunlight, water and nutrients such as plant food commonly known as  fertilizer .

We will include here a few tips that are sure to make your indoor plants grow healthier and add beauty to your surroundings.

Ever notice how plants will face the source of sunlight? This is because the sun is the main source of their nutrition. Plant leaves change water and nutrition from the soil to food through a process called  photosynthesis .

A couple of hours of sunlight is a must for your indoor plants. If you do not have a place where you can have adequate sunlight, and cannot move the plants you should consider purchasing a couple of indoor gardening lights.

Ordinary lights will not do. Indoor gardening lights provide enough of ultraviolet light to nourish the plants.

Provide adequate water to your plants. Your indoor plants need  room temperature  water to survive. Do not over water the plants, most plants die due to a lack of water or a surplus of it than they do of any other reason.

Follow a rule of thumb, like you test a cake you should pierce a knitting needle into a plant container. If the needle goes in with ease the soil is just the right dampness, if not increase the quantity of water a bit.

Fertilizers are also important, once a fortnight add a scoop of indoor plant fertilizer to your plant pot. Used tealeaves are also a very good supply of nutrition to your plant.

Follow these simple tricks and you will see your indoor garden prospering very soon.

Wednesday 19 October 2016

A Summer Garden for All Seasons



One thing that is often overlooked when planning and creating a beautiful summer garden for homeowners to enjoy is the fact that the garden exists throughout the year. Unfortunately in the vast majority of summer gardens there is a huge hole in the garden for the vast majority of the year. Carefully planning in order to avoid this process and planting flowering plants that bloom during various seasons of the year as well as plants that provide beautiful foliage and greenery even when the flowers may not be blooming can prevent this absence of life within your summer garden from occurring.

Plant continuously and groom your garden consistently throughout the year. Obviously the winter months are not great months for planting in the earth but this doesn't mean that you cannot use flowerpots filled with seasonal offerings to fill the gaps of green within your garden. There are all kinds of flowers that thrive in winter weather that would make a beautiful addition to your winter garden without taking anything away from the beauty of your summer garden. In fact, the ability to incorporate these flowers and plants into your garden without necessarily planting may be an excellent incentive to keep your garden up to date even in seasons that aren't traditionally thought of as gardening seasons.

Add features to your garden that aren't plant related to bring splashes of color to your garden during winter months while preserving the space needed for planting your summer garden when the appropriate time comes. Flowerpots are a great example of this but so are lawn ornaments and statues that may be either moved to a different location during summer months or removed all together. Keep the earth warm for the summer garden to come during those long cold winter months.

Use the winter months to plan your summer garden. The spring is often spent in preparation and the fall months are spent harvesting. The winter months would be put to excellent use planning the new additions and possible movements that need to occur in the coming months. Working on your garden and improving your garden does not necessarily require working in your garden. Once you have those gaps filled in and a little bit of green and color in your garden for the winter months you can focus your undivided attention on making the coming summer garden even better and more spectacular than ever before.

Be careful not to plant all of your seeds in one garden spot so to speak while you are making your plans. By this I mean you need to keep a certain willingness to make adjustments and corrections as you go and learn more about the growing process and the specific gardening needs of your yard. Every growing season will bring a season of new lessons to learn take the time to reflect upon the lessons learned during previous seasons when making plans for the coming seasons and make the adjustments that present themselves along the way.

By learning from the mistakes of the past and always looking to and anticipating the needs of the future you are insuring greater success each year for your summer garden not only during the dog days of summer but throughout all the seasons of the year.



Building a Summer Garden with Kids



We love our children and we want to teach them to value the things that are important to us. These things include morals, integrity, ingenuity, and an appreciation for the things in life that we consider beautiful and worth expending our energy, time, and effort in order to create. One of those things that many of us love sharing with our children is our love of gardening. Whether you are creating a spectacular garden worthy of acclaim, fame, and blue ribbons everywhere or a simple garden that will hold pretty flowers and a few favorite vegetables there are many lessons that your children can learn from working the earth by your side.

The first, and perhaps best, lesson that most children learn when working in the garden is that life works in cycles. This is an important lesson for children, as it is a lesson that will be repeated often throughout the course of their lives. Of course this is only one of the many lessons that gardening will teach but gardening is one of the kindest ways I've ever seen this particular lesson learned and it helps ease children into those times when lessons about the cycle of life are not so kindly or gently presented.

The next lesson that gardening teaches children is that persistent effort often pays out with delightful results. Whether their gardening efforts yielded sweet peppers or pretty flowers, there is often a desired result that is achieved through gardening. If you really want to capture your children's attention when it comes to gardening choose a fast growing plant for their first gardening experience. The ability to see the fruits of their labor quickly appear is often one of the greatest gifts we can give our children.

If you want to guide your children towards the path of creating a summer garden without quite the fanfare or responsibility you may want to begin simply-perhaps with a potted plant or a hanging tomato plant or something similar that will yield visible and tasty results with much less effort, time, or attention being required in order to achieve quick and enthusiastic results.

Be sure to point out interesting facts about the different plants in your garden that may be exciting to children to learn. Remember your first gardening experiences and share them with your children. You may be surprised to find how much you have in common with your children when it comes to ideas and enthusiasm concerning summer gardens.

When planning a summer garden with kids you need to consider all of the things you would consider when planning other summer gardens but relate those things to pint sized hands and sponge-like minds. Kids soak up every ounce of information we provide them at an alarming rate. Be careful that you aren't teaching them incorrect logic when it comes to gardening and growing beautiful summer plants.

More importantly, you should make a concerted effort to insure that you are teaching your children the positive aspects of gardening so that this becomes an activity they look to for enjoyment and pleasure rather than approaching with dread. You should also take great pains to insure that you allow your children to grow the things they will like in your summer garden too. Strawberries and watermelon are popular favorites for younger hands to grow because little mouths enjoy eating these delicious fruits that can be grown in most gardens. They also like to grow flowers that they can tend and watch throughout the summer if flowers are your summer garden calling rather than food.

When gardening with children there are many lessons that you can teach your children along the way. Science, math, and meteorology all have roles in gardening but you should also be on the lookout for the valuable lessons that your children can teach you about gardening and life in general when you take them out to work with you in your summer garden.


A Simplified Look at Composting



That of course is the general idea behind this article. There’s a lot of materials out there about composting and compost and the last thing you need is another one that explains the technical aspect of the process and the scientific basis behind the importance of using composts.

Although, I’m not denying the fact that technical explanations such as those are necessary as well, but it would be nice to hear or read something more of layman’s approach on the subject. Well that’s something that this article would like to do, anyhow.

Compost is an organic substance that is added to the soil which functions more than just being a fertilizer. It is a mulch, a soil conditioner, and something that will help the soil give the best nutrients and minerals your plants need. With compost, the soil also is able to hold more water, which is also beneficial to your plants.

There are several composting methods which you can employ or use. The so called “no-turn” composting method seems to be the easiest. Like what the title of the method indicates, you don’t need to turn the pile of compost at least once every week to quicken the process of decomposition. In this “no-turn” technique, all you need to do is add a lot of coarse materials to your compost.

Adding a lot of straw would do just fine. What the straw does is to create air pockets and allow the pile to be aerated. You can expect your compost to be developed at the same rate as when you employ the traditional “turn-over” composting technique. When you use this composting technique, be sure to get your compost from the bottom of the pile. Just add new organic materials on the top keeping in mind adding coarse materials as well.

If the only available composting materials in your yard are piles and piles of leaves, then don’t worry. Creating composts from leaves alone can be done. You just need a couple of things, and some very simple techniques. Select a place where you will make your compost pile. For the leaves, the place ideal would be a well shaded area which will help keep the pile damp or moist. Also keep in mind that the pile should not be packed tightly. Keep it loose to allow the air to circulate.

In four or six months, the compost from leaves should be finished and ready to be applied to the soil. Take a mental note, however, that the compost created from the leaves does not contain enough nutrients and microorganism to function as a fertilizer. The finished compost, however, is great as soil conditioner.

When composting, you will need materials rich in carbon and nitrogen namely fruits and vegetable scraps and other table scraps except left over bones because they attract a number of pests and animals. Other products include eggshells, grass or shrub clippings, pine needles, seaweed and kelp, coffee grounds, wood ash, tea leaves, cardboard and shredded paper, corn stalks, wood chips, and sawdust.

To discourage fruit flies and other pests from grouping together on your pile, it would be best to cover the pile or add lime or calcium over the top or whenever you add new materials to your compost. The lime and calcium also help neutralize the odors from your pile.

I hope you were able to have a simplified view of the composting and got some useful and simple tips from the article. Just remember that composting is difficult only if you want it to be.