
Gardening is a relaxing, rewarding pastime for many and offers a long list of benefits. No matter whether you keep a garden for food or merely for decoration, the sense of accomplishment you get from taking care of plants is like nothing else. Read this article to learn some important tips about gardening, and taking care of your growing plants.
Do not improperly lay your new sod. Before you use sod, you need to prepare the soil. Pull any weeds and break up any clods of soil. Lightly, but firmly pack the soil down, and make sure that it is flat. Dampen the soil completely. Avoid laying your sod in straight rows with all of the seams lining up. Instead, stagger the rows for a more pleasing visual effect. Pat down the sod and fill any gaps with soil. For the best results, you need to water the sod every day for a two week period. After this time the sod will have rooted into the soil and can be now walked on.
Try planting seeds in pots, and then transferring the seedlings to your garden. Your plants will be more likely to survive if you do this. This also enables you to close gaps between planting cycles. The seedlings are ready to go, once you remove the mature plants.
Transform your gardening tool handles into clever measurement rulers. Tools that have long handles such as rakes, hoes and shovels can be used in place of a measuring stick. Lay the handles on the floor, then run the measuring tape down 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.
Before you plant anything in your garden, have the soil checked. Have a soil report done. It is cost effective and you can make necessary adjustments, based on the report, to your soil so it is correctly enriched to encourage plant growth. You can often find Cooperative Extension offices that provide this service, which can help to make your garden flourish.
Be sure to do some weeding on a regular basis. Weeds can turn a beautiful garden into an eyesore. White vinegar has been known to kill weeds quickly. White vinegar will definitely kill the weeds! A spray solution is much easier to apply than to rid your garden of weeds by hand.
Split up your irises. Try increasing your stock by dividing your overgrown clumps of plants. After foliage is no longer alive, remove the flowers with bulbs. They will literally split in your hand, flowering the next year after replanting. Divide rhizomes with a knife. Cut new pieces from the outside and discard the old center. At the least, each piece will need to have one strong offshoot. All that is left to do is immediately replant the pieces you have created and let the cycle begin anew.
As has been noted above, there are many rewards inherent in horticulture. Whether you enjoy a vegetable or flower garden, the rewards are beneficial. By using a few of the recommendations presented above, you can turn your garden into a mini paradise on earth and impress your friends with your new-found horticultural knowledge.