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Hi everyone
Welcome to this edition of your Gardening Weekly, today's edition is entitled:
Greenhouse for All Seasons
QUOTE: We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.
- Abraham Lincoln
In many climates growing plants in the winter months can become quite frustrating, and if you are finding that you are in that situation then it might be time to consider getting a greenhouse.
Greenhouses are available in many different sizes and there are some very compact versions that will suit most budgets. Having one of these greenhouses tucked away in a sunny corner of your garden will be a godsend when the weather dictates that you would normally have to stay inside rather than venture out into your garden.
Website Of Interest. Check out the following:
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com/gardencenter.html
With the added benefit of being able to control damage that might have been caused by birds, insects and the weather, greenhouses can also save you a lot of money in the long term.
They are excellent for growing seedlings and also for extending the season that you will be able to grow particular plants by controlling the climate.
You should always set your greenhouse in a position that gets the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day while allowing easy access to water and electricity.
If you have a particularly windy property make sure that the door to the greenhouse is facing away from the prevailing wind.
When deciding on the size of greenhouse that you need always try to get the biggest one possible as once you see the benefits of having a greenhouse you might find that you will be wanting more and more room.
That way you will be able to spread out your plants giving them more room to breathe and reducing the risk of disease.
Most good greenhouses come with in-built ventilation systems, which are essential to reduce the temperature when it begins to rise. If you decide to build your own greenhouse, ventilation is one of the most important factors that you need to consider.
Website Of Interest. Check out the following:
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com/gardencenter.html
Thanks,
Annie
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com
Sempervivum Also known on their common name as Houseleeks or Hens and Chicks, are succulent evergreen perennials that produce low, compact, evergreen, flower-like rosettes of…
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Question: My peonies always flop over. If I pinched the plants back early in the spring, would that help to keep them more compact, as it does with my mums and petunias? Would it affect the blossoming?
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By Steve Riches DON'T cut new turf until the grass is at least 3ins high. Keep clearing dead leaves or you'll encourage pests. NATURAL compost attracts more worms than bagged versions.
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Hi everyone
Welcome to this edition of your Gardening Weekly, today's edition is entitled:
Understanding Soil
QUOTE: All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.
- Indian Proverb
Understanding the role that soil plays in the garden is one of the best assets that you can have as a gardener.
It is this knowledge that will allow you to create a healthier environment for your plants and get the maximum benefits from them.
In doing so, you will also make your own life easier, as a garden that is well managed from the soil up, is a garden that is a lot easier to manage, from one day to the next.
A garden that has good soil that has been fed with good nutrition over time will make growing almost anything easy for even the least experienced gardener.
Website Of Interest. Check out the following:
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com/soil.html
So how to you get good soil?
First you need to consider how plants grow and how they get their nutrition and that is through their roots.
Therefore, in order for the plants to grow well, they need to be in soil that allows their roots to get to the nutrition.
Obviously compact ground with little water, little air and poor nutrition will not produce the best plants.
Plants need water and air and this requires soil that has spaces to hold this air and water.
Therefore soil that is aerated will generally produce a better garden. Once again it is all about balance, as soil that is too crumbly might not hold the nutrients as well, where the water might wash them away. The soil also needs to be firm enough to support the growth of the plant otherwise it will topple over at the first sign of a wind.
The soil needs to have suitable nutrients and if any of these nutrients are out of balance, the pH scale that measures whether the soil is acidic or alkaline, will show why they are having difficulty absorbing the nutrients.
Website Of Interest. Check out the following:
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com/soil.html
Thanks,
Annie
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com
Hi everyone
Welcome to this edition of your Gardening Weekly, today's edition is entitled:
Plants From Cuttings
QUOTE: The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing something better than they have ever done before
- Vita Sackville-West
One of the most cost effective ways of getting plants for your garden is from cuttings off other plants.
Many people avoid trying to grow plants from cuttings assuming it is too difficult. If you know what to do it isn't quite as hard as many people believe.
When you take a cutting off the plant that you want to grow, make sure it is approximately the length of a pencil.
You will then need to remove all but the top two leaves on the cutting. If the cutting is from a large leaf plant you should also consider removing another leaf from the top to ensure there isn't too much leaf for the cutting.
Website Of Interest. Check out the following:
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com/plants.html
You will find where to cut the plant by looking at the stem. Where there is swelling on the stem, these are called nodes and this is where the growth of the plant occurs. You should always cut below a node when taking your cutting.
Once you have a good cutting you should treat it with a suitable hormone formulation. There are different types of hormone formulations specifically for the various types of plants and you will need to match the correct hormone with the plant cuttings you are growing. Your garden center can help with this.
Dip approximately 1/2 inch of the bottom of the stem into the correct hormone and then insert the stem into a suitable rooting medium. This rooting medium can be a mixture of pumice and sand for good results.
Compact the mix lightly around the stem to hold it in place.
If you cut the top off a clear plastic drink bottle it will act as a mini hot house once turned upside down and placed over the plant.
This will help raise the temperature inside and stimulate growth.
After about a month your cutting will have roots and you will be able to remove it and pot it as you would any other plant.
It really is quite simple once you know what to do.
Website Of Interest. Check out the following:
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com/plants.html
Thanks,
Annie
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com
Hi everyone
Welcome to this edition of your Gardening Weekly, today's edition is entitled:
Watering Your Plants
QUOTE: Don't count the days, make the days count
- Anonymous
Plants are approximately 90% water and therefore it is essential that they get enough water to survive. Gardening is all about balance and that applies to the amount of water your plants need to stay healthy.
Over watering can be as harmful as not giving them enough water. The soil that the plants are growing in is a big factor in the amount of water that you should be giving them. If the soil is heavy and doesn't drain well you will need to give them less water or they could get water logged and the roots can rot. If the soil is a lot freer draining then you might need to water a little more often.
Website Of Interest. Check out the following:
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Too much water can reduce the plants ability to draw oxygen and nutrients from the soil and this is as essential to their growth as the water.
Gentle watering is better than heavy watering with a hose as the higher pressure of the hose can cause the soil to turn to mud. Once the soil dries out again it will become solidified. This compacting of the soil after heavy watering makes it more difficult for the plants to grow.
Soakers are a good method of watering provided the flow of water is not too great.
Soakers are also excellent when using a timed irrigation system so that the plants get sufficient water when you are away and particularly in the hotter months of the year when the soil tends to dry out more often.
If you are using timed irrigation you will need to adjust the timing and the flow of water according to the seasons and always make changes when there have been unseasonal changes to the weather that will require extra care for the plants.
Once again, plants need the human touch to maintain that balance.
Website Of Interest. Check out the following:
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com/gardencenter.html
Thanks,
Annie
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com
Hi everyone
Welcome to this edition of your Gardening Weekly, today's edition is entitled:
Water Logging Your Plants
QUOTE: In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends.
- Kozuko Okakura
If you give your plants excess water or have poor drainage you will run the risk of water logging them
This will cause the leaves to go a yellow or brown color and they will usually drop off. When plants start getting waterlogged the leaves at the bottom of the plant will be affected first.
By the time the upper leaves of the plant start turning yellow and brown you have a real problem.
Website Of Interest. Check out the following:
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com/plants.html
The problem arises because of the fact that plants need air as well as water around their roots to survive and with excessive watering the air pockets in the soil are filled with water. Without this air the roots of the plant will begin to die and as the roots are needed to supply the plant with the necessary nutrients to survive, the plant begins to die from the bottom up. That is why you see the lower leaves getting affected first.
To remedy the situation you will need to allow the soil to dry out to reduce the water content. If the plant is in a container you will need to check to see whether there are sufficient drainage holes to allow excess water to escape.
If the soil has become compacted from all the water it is best to remove the plant and give it some new soil.
Often when plants begin to wilt they can appear to be lacking water when the opposite is the case so it is best to check the moisture content of the soil before assuming the plant needs more water.
When watering the plants allow the soil to dry out completely, or partially between watering to reduce the chance of them getting waterlogged. Try to improve the drainage of the soil for plants in the garden and even consider raising the garden for better water control.
Website Of Interest. Check out the following:
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com/plants.html
Thanks,
Annie
http://blog.mygardeninghome.com
When you build permanent garden beds and paths, you protect the soilstructure from compaction by foot traffic-an important step inmaintaining soil health. Any beginning gardener can follow this guide tocreating a permanent garden system …
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