Horticulture can be very useful, rewarding and fun. Regardless of what you grow, cultivating and caring for plants brings a special kind of satisfaction. This article can lend you a helping hand, and give you important pointers about gardening and growing things.
Create useful rulers from your tool handles. Tools with long handles, such as a shovel or rake, are absolutely perfect for this job, and make your workload a little bit smaller. Lay the tools down on the floor, then place a measuring tape along the handle. Use a bright permanent marker and label the distances. When you are gardening next, you’ll have a ruler beside you at all times.
Use biennials and annuals to add color to your flower beds. Fast-growing annuals and biennials can brighten up a flower bed, and allow you to change the look from season to season and year to year. In addition, they work well as gap fillers between other areas, as long as those areas receive plenty of sunlight. The most popular varieties to use include petunia, zinnia, cosmos, snapdragon, marigold, hollyhock, and sunflower.
Baking Soda
If powdery mildew appears on your plants, don’t purchase expensive chemical solutions. Combine a bit of liquid soap and some baking soda with water. Spray this onto your plants about once per week or until it subsides. Baking soda won’t harm your plants, and takes care of the mildew efficiently and gently.
The correct soil can make a big difference in how your garden grows. The soil that is already in your garden might need amending, depending on the particular plants that you want to grow. You could also isolate a certain area, and fill it with just one kind of soil.
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. Ask about this service at a local university or the county Cooperative Extension office to improve the soil and insure fruitful crops.
If you are growing vegetables in your garden, it is important that you have them in a spot where they can get at least six hours of sun a day. Most vegetables need at least that much sun exposure to grow properly. Some flowers also have the same needs.
If you want an organic way to weed your garden, try “boiling” them. Boiling water is an excellent, organic substance for use against weeds. Carefully pour boiling water right on the weeds, but be careful not to pour it on the plants you want. The roots of the weeds are damaged by the boiling water which, in turn, inhibits further growth.
Gardening is a hobby that is healthy for you and a hobby that is truly rewarding. The benefits of a garden are obvious and many, whether it be because of the fresh vegetables or the beautiful flowers grown. You can advance your horticulture skills greatly by just using the advice in this article.