Gardening is a fun and interesting hobby that has the potential to improve the life of you, your family, or your business. You can determine what you need, so that you don’t waste time and money on equipment you don’t need, or the wrong kinds of seeds.
You do not need store-bought chemical treatments for plant mildew. Mix a bit of liquid soap and some baking soda into water. Spray this onto your plants about once per week or until it subsides. This method is not going to cause any damages to your plants and the mildew will go away slowly.
Grow some wheat grass or cat grass next to the plants your cat seems to prefer. You could also place something that will cause your cat to go away from your plants, such as citrus peels or mothballs.
Do not mow your lawn too short. When the grass is a little longer, the roots will be stronger and the lawn becomes more resistant. Short grass tends to have shallow roots, which can cause dried out, brown patches to occur.
If you find that you have soil that has high amounts of alkaline, mix used coffee grounds throughout the soil. This is a great and cheap way to increase the acid levels in your dirt. The plants will be healthier, leading to more delicious home-grown veggies.
Interested in using Mother Nature to keep pests at bay the natural way? A border of onions or marigolds around a vegetable garden can repel slug. Using wood ash as mulch around the base of trees and shrub seedlings will also help keep away insect pests. These methods remove the need for harsh chemical pesticides.
Think about starting your peas indoors rather than planting them directly in the garden. By initially planting them indoors, the seeds tend to germinate better. Seedlings will grow stronger, and withstand attacks from pests and diseases a lot better. Once your seedlings are sturdy, you can then move them outside.
Spectrum Pesticides
Broad-spectrum pesticides should be avoided in your garden. Broad-spectrum pesticides will kill insects that are helpful to your garden as well as the harmful ones. Beneficial insects are more susceptible to strong pesticides than the insects you are actually trying to get rid of. This will lead you to end up killing off the good bugs in your garden, leaving the field wide open for the harmful ones. This ends up becoming a vicious cycle of increasing pesticide use.
You need to be smart when it comes to watering your garden. A soaker hose is a great way to water all of the plants at once, and will save you a lot of time. Be sure to keep the pressure of the water on low so that the hose does not damage the tender plants. Let it water the plants for a while as you do other things.
Avoid damage from the sun by dressing correctly when you garden. Try wearing a large sunhat and sunglasses to protect your face and eyes, and use sunscreen on any exposed skin. Wearing sun protection will prevent your skin from burning and by extension will reduce your risk of developing skin cancer.
Pine Needles
Pine needles should not be overlooked as a great source for mulch. Some plants like acidic soil because they have high acidity. For these types of plants, pine needles are wonderful for mulching. Simply add a layer of pine needles a couple of inches deep to the plant beds. The needles will decompose over time and provide the soil with acidity.
A little bit of research will go a long way, especially when you pair it with patience. When you see your garden flourish, you will feel a satisfying sense of accomplishment.