Plant Gardens 101

I planted my lettuce this year and it grew wonderfully, until I picked them and there were slugs insides. So I had to find a tried and true way to get rid of slugs in my garden naturally, without using harm chemicals and pesticides.

Slugs are those slimy creatures that come out at night and leave a trail of shiny slime behind them. Slugs will devour your vegetables, like my lettuce and they also like some plants.

There are some that like to keep slugs as pets, yes….well to each his own, right?

Getting rid of slugs can be as easy as crushing up egg shells and adding the crushed egg shells to your soil. Egg shells are also a great addition to help compost the soil. My mom used egg shells in all her house plants. (more…)

The next thing you will want to do is choose a site. Gardening must be done in an area that gets at least six hours of sunlight. Try and stay away from large trees that will take your plants water and nutrients, and at least three feet from any fences or buildings. In hot climates it is a good idea to choose a place that will have shade from a part of the intense afternoon sun. It is possible to have a healthy garden with even ten to twelve hours of sunlight, but the type of plants must be adaptable. While soil can always be improved, a site with good soil is a plus. Avoid areas that have rocky soil, steep slopes, or areas where water stands.

Now comes the fun part: start digging. Gardening is not a clean hobby; you’re going to have to get some dirt under your nails. First remove the rocks, debris, and any grass and weeds then dig the spot up about one foot deep. Level up the dirt and add compost or minerals if the needed. If your soil is too acidic, add lime; if it is too sandy, add peat moss. Plants will thrive in neutral to acidic soil with a little added fertilizer. (more…)

There are many new trends surfacing in gardening, and water gardening is one of the main new interests. Water gardening can be in the form of waterfalls, ponds, fountains, all of which can be enhanced by rock work combinations and lighting, plants, and fish. Water gardening doesn’t have to be a pond or natural water source either, it can consist of just a plastic tub, basically anything that can hold water.

The most important thing to consider in water gardening is probably the spot chosen. Since plants and fish both need plenty of sunlight, places in direct light away from trees and bushes is the best place. This will also help prevent leaves and debris from collecting in the water.

When planning for a water garden first decide the size you want. This will depend on how much money you are willing to spend because water gardening can get expensive if you opt for a large garden full of plants, rocks, fish, and lights. Also consider the size of our property, and the amount of time you want to spend with maintaining your water garden. (more…)

The thing to think of while gardening is to start small. A little plant layer, around 25 or 30 feet square is perfect, is good enough room for just about 30 plants. These will give you an opportunity to try out your green thumb and whenever you get that you enjoy your garden you may be all of the time expand and step-up your plantings.

The succeeding thing you’ll prefer to do is decide a site. Gardening must be set in an area that gets at least six hours of sunlight. Try and remain away from big trees that will take your plants water and foods, and at least three feet from any fencings or buildings. In hot climates it’s a good idea to select a place that will have shade from a part of the intense afternoon sunlight. It’s possible to get a healthy garden with even ten to twelve hours of sunlight, but the type of plants must be adjustable. As soil may always be improved, a place with fine soil is a advantageous. Avoid areas that have rough soil, steep slopes, or areas where water stands. (more…)

Orchids are a very unique family of flowers; they are the largest family of flowering plants. The orchid has evolved so successfully that there is only one continent in the world where they do not grow naturally – Antarctica. The evolutions of the orchids mean that they have learnt to adapt to each individual environment. During this process of adaptation the orchid has drawn on arachnids, insects, birds and butterflies to ensure its successful pollination. We all have an idea that orchids are a beautiful flower – some are not, however, their achievements of survival still make them worthy of admiration.

The orchid family divides into three sections, Firstly the sympodial; this has developed in dry climates and stores water in swollen stems a sort of ‘pseudo bulb’. The second type is a monopodial; this type of orchid has one upward growing stem, a rhizome, and continually produces new leaves from an apex. This type does not reproduce easily, but if the main stem is damaged it may produce a new young plant from the base. The third and least common type of orchid is the diapodial; it grows in a similar manner to the sympodials, but without the bulbs.

Orchids grow and gather their food and moisture by different means as well. Most orchids attach themselves to trees or twigs, some to rock while the third place themselves more conventionally in soil.

The needs of an orchid are much less than many plants, this has been key to its survival. As with all plants the roots are the means of nourishing the orchid, however, with an orchid the roots have another function, they are the means of the orchid anchoring them self. It is the roots of the epiphytic orchid which holds it to the tree or rock with out which the orchid may perish. These exposed roots will absorb from the atmosphere the necessary moisture for survival; an orchid which is anchored to a tree may also absorb nourishment from the bird droppings or moulds on the bark of the tree.

The orchid is recognized as an exotic plant and has become the obsession of many an avid gardener. The wide variety of orchid plants means that there is a plant to suit almost every environment and if desired anyone can nurture an orchid. The range of orchids is constantly growing and a record of the different types is kept at the Royal Horticultural Society in London. This record contains all the recognized naturally occurring orchids as well as the hybrid orchids. Some orchids are now so rare that they are classified as endangered and protected by law. In the US there are certain orchids which are so rare that if you are caught picking or damaging one it is punishable under both federal and state law!

Orchid hybrids are naturally occurring as well and bred by enthusiasts. The ability of the orchid to evolve means that it is continually changing, it is possible that there are orchid hybrids formed and lost faster than man can record them. This is why the orchid has appealed to so many people; the survival of the orchid captures the imagination and then the sight of its delicate flowers draw people in to its world of wonders.

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About Jon Kelly

Jon Kelly is a published author who writes articles, that includes information on gardening and Orchids. Learning about the orchids history,charm and mysticism will make it an even more addictive hobby.To find out more please visit: http://www.theorchidguide.com

THE BASICS OF HYDROPONICS.

What Do Your Plants Need?

All plants need the correct conditions in order to grow to their full potential. Plants grown using hydroponics systems are no exception to this basic rule. Like their soil grown cousins they need sufficient light of the correct wavelengths, a suitable temperature, an adequate water supply, enough oxygen, mineral nutrients and support for their structures.

• Sufficient light of the correct wavelengths, used by the plant at the growth stage it has reached, is essential for its survival. Plants use lots of light, at least 8 to 12 hours each day, in order to make carbohydrates from CO2 and water. Chlorophyll, the green colour in plants, absorbs the sunlight and uses its energy to synthesise these carbohydrates. This process is known as photosynthesis and is the basis for sustaining life in all plants. Because animals and humans get their food by eating plants, it can also be said to be the source of our life. Artificial lighting is generally a poor substitute for sunshine, because most indoor lights provide insufficient intensity to produce a mature crop. High intensity lamps such as high-pressure sodium lamps can provide more than 1,000 foot-candles of light. The hydroponic gardener can use these lamps very successfully in areas where sunlight is inadequate. The fixtures and lamps, however, are usually too expensive to be viable for a small commercial operation. It is important to allow adequate spacing between plants as this will ensure that each plant receives sufficient light in the grow-room. For example, tomato plants, pruned to a single stem, should be planted so as to give 4 square feet per plant, while European seedless cucumbers should be allowed 7 to 9 square feet and seeded cucumbers about 7 square feet. Lettuce plants need to be spaced 7 to 9 inches apart within the row and 9 inches between rows. Most other vegetables and flowers should be grown at the same spacing as recommended for a conventional garden.

(more…)

The Basics of Hydroponics Gardening.

What is hydroponics gardening?

Derived from the Latin Hydro, meaning water and Geoponics, meaning the study of agriculture, hydroponics is the science of growing plants using a solution of suitable nutrients instead of soil. Most types of plant can be grown very successfully using hydroponics.

In conventional gardening the plants are grown in soil and take their nourishment from the chemical compounds contained within that soil. The hydroponic gardener replaces the soil with a balanced, nutrient rich, solution that the plant can absorb with ease. Because the plant does not have to work so hard to absorb the available nutrients it saves energy which can then be utilised for stronger growth.

Because of this energy saving, plants grown using hydroponic methods outperform conventionally produced plants in both growth and fruit production. Due to the consistent results and good profit margins, more and more commercial growers are turning to hydroponic production. Totally organic production is possible using specially designed organic nutrients, giving excellent, inexpensive, vegetables and herbs. (more…)

Gardening can be defined as a useful work of growing a bunch of useful plants or growing of ornamental plants that add beauty to your garden. The useful plants are plants such as spinach that can have medical values and can be consumed as food or in other words they have a useful thing for the humans. Some of the useful plants are vegetables and fruits.

The ornamental plants are the plants such as lily, hibiscus that yield beautiful flowers that add beauty to the garden. These plants improve the overall appearance of the garden. Gardening has a wide range of scale from short herbs to herbaceous plants. Gardening is a completely different thing from the forestry or farming.

Types of gardening

There are many types of gardening depending on the scale and location of it. Residential gardening is the type of gardening that takes place in the house campus or in the area near the house. The place where the gardening is done is called as garden. (more…)

Gardening is undergoing rapid changes and new forms are being introduced with amazing frequency. Today, one of the newest trends is water gardening. This type of gardening is done specifically in sources of water such as fountains, ponds and waterfalls. They can be enhanced with rocks and with fish and lighting. In fact, you can do your water gardening in a plastic tub too. There are really several options.

The area you select for your water garden is of first importance. Both your plants and the fish in the garden will want sunlight. It is best to keep your garden away from the trees and shrubs. This is ideal because it will keep the leafy debris from entering into your garden.

You will have to preplan the size too. Your decision about size will depend on what kind of budget you have for your garden. A large garden with lighting, fishes, rock arrangements and all will be too expensive. You will also need to see what the size of your overall property is, and how much time per day you can spend tending your water garden. Time investment is an important aspect to consider.

You can use a lot of aquatic plants for your garden, but make sure you don’t clutter your garden more than its halfway water level. You can use submerged or free floating plants; that depends on your preference. Some plants will spread good fragrance, some will provide a lot of oxygen to the surroundings and keep the ecosystem much healthier, and some will just spread their magical beauty. Fish will always make a great esthetic addition too, and they help by biodegrading the water garden by controlling the larva, insects and messy debris.

Algae management is an important aspect of water gardening. Too many nutrients into the garden (especially introduced through overfeeding the fish or over-fertilizing the plants) can cause bad algal growths. With optimum levels, you will have a way better alga-free garden.

Water gardens need perennial management throughout the year. You will have to also strike an optimum balance between the life in the garden and the decorative aspects of it. After some time, the garden will start taking care of itself, and you will only need to lightly look after its management.

Algal management can be done by controlling the nutrients that are introduced into the water garden and by reducing the feeding and fertilizing. Do not put in more plants than you can afford and invest in a good filter system. You will also need to replace water periodically, depending on the size of the garden. Some copper compounds, when used appropriately can control algae without harming the plants and the fish.

In fact, water gardening does not take any more time than regular gardening does, but the maintenance required is much more intensive. On the other hand, it is seen that people who are poor at regular gardening do very well at water gardening. Water gardening is certainly an excellent option for making your homestead look much more beautiful.

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About Ryan Ginster
Learn how to design your ideal garden at: Gardening Articles

There are many types of organic gardening, from organic vegetable gardening to organic flower gardening. Many people have no idea what organic gardening really is. Organic Gardening refers to growing plants, vegetables, etc. without using pesticides or other harmful chemicals.

Many people believe that organic gardening offers many health benefits and that organically grown food is much better for the human body than food grown with pesticides and chemicals. With such health concerns in place, it only makes sense to grow your fruits and vegetables organically in your very own organic home garden.

If you would like to learn how to have your own organic garden but are unsure of where to start, you are in luck. I have compiled a few easy organic gardening tips for you to follow to get you started off on the right foot. (more…)

Many people are into vegetable gardening nowadays, and they are even getting their supply of vegetables from their gardens. Of course, this makes the vegetables much cheaper, and in addition the vegetables taste much better too. Actually, vegetable gardening is quite similar to gardening for shrubs and herbs. With just a little care, these plants can produce excellent vegetables for consumption.

The size of the garden needs to be decided beforehand. Select a place where the drainage is good, there is good supply of air and healthy soil. Sunlight is most important. One more thing to do is to fence your garden, because there will be several animals trying to get a bite or more at your vegetables. For mice, moles and other rodents, you will need to use a trap somewhere in the garden. (more…)

A lot of negative publicity has hounded rose gardening, mostly criticism about the difficulty in growing and keeping them. However, this should not deter you. You can easily get accustomed to rose gardening, and the rewards are quite fragrant and beautiful, to say the least.

Deciding what type of rose to plant is the first step in rose gardening. It’s not just about the color; there are many other things to decide. You need to think which rose plant to take – bare-root, prepackaged, container-grown, etc. The bare-root rose plants are available from winter to early spring. They are meant to be sown after the frost thaws over and the ground can be used for planting. Prepackaged rose plants are similar to bare-root rose plants, but they are sold in a box with sawdust or similar material so that the roots can keep some moisture. Then there are rose plants available in containers too, in the early spring season. These rose plants are generally budding and ready to bloom. (more…)

Gardening is definitely one of the most enjoyable hobbies in the world. A lot of people take it up because of the joy and sense of accomplishment that is brought about by a beautiful and well-tended garden. However, reaching this goal is not as simple as planting any type of seed wherever one might like. It’s actually quite a complicated process that involves a lot of crucial factors such as soil type, geographic location, water availability, the climate, and so on. Described below are the three basic types of gardens and a quick description of each that will hopefully be of assistance for first-time gardeners in deciding what kind of garden they’d like to have.

Colorful Blossoms

A lot of folks desire gardens that possess high aesthetic value and that are full of color and character. For these type of gardeners, the best option would be flower gardens. Perennial flowering shrubs are a great choice for those who want their gardens to blossoms all year round. However, it is necessary to do some research first before selecting the type of flowers as different types of perennial plants will require varying living conditions. Some will only grow in certain climates while others will not flourish unless their planted in a specific type of soil. However, the good part about perennial flowers is that they require minimum care and one will only need to prepare that beds and the soil during the planting stage. (more…)

Floods can be hazardous to human and animal lives and cause extensive, costly damage to land and property. As delightful as it to think that flooding at least rids us of unwanted pests in and around our homes, the opposite is true.

There are many pests that breed and thrive in flooded areas. They often use the excessive moisture provided by flooding along the banks of rivers and lakes and small pools of standing water to lay eggs in, and to incubate large colonies of larvae until they hatch.

Some pests don’t like living in flooded areas, but they are quite resilient, and even intelligent in their ability to mobilize in rapid fashion and move away from threats such as flooding. Ants for example can relocate a whole colony to a dryer area in mere hours. They are especially adept at making themselves at home- inside your home. (more…)

You visit the local farmer’s market on a whim, stroll past vegetable stands, herb bunches, and flower bouquets. Finally, your eyes fixate on a huge tomato that’s bigger than both of your hands put together. It pulls you toward it; you lift it in your palms up to your nose and inhale all the sweetness of a thousand harvests. You are ruined in an instant and vow never again to be seen buying little mushy pre-ripened red water balloons that the local grocers label as the same fruit.

The “real” thing is always better than a fake, lacquered, forced vegetable. If you’ve ever wished you could grow your own crops, you’re not alone. Hundreds of thousands of people have realized the taste and nutritional benefits of producing their own food. Not every body has a large patch of ground in which to sow their seeds. But anyone anywhere can grow their own food. (more…)

The term organic gardening means gardening without using any synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Apart from that, everything else is the same. Not using synthetic materials does make controlling pests, insects, weeds and even some diseases different from the usual methods. Also, special care needs to be taken to keep the soil healthy and meet nutritional requirements.

The first aspect of organic gardening is the soil. Organic matter is added frequently to the soil to maintain its nutritional quality. Compost is largely used, because it keeps the plants quite healthy. Compost is prepared from organic remnants such as dead leaves and flowers, peels of the fruits, shorn grasses, etc. Soil that is healthy will have a deep color and a sweet odor. It will also be teeming with earthworms. Some other organically permitted additives for soil are greensand, rock phosphates and bone meal. These can be added after checking the pH of the soil. (more…)

Most gardening fanatics suffer from the biggest problem that can nip their hobby in the bud – lack of space. However, what most people do not know is that they can easily practice gardening in whatever little space they have. Gardening can be done in a balcony, on a patio, or even on a windowsill where there is adequate sunlight. Such home gardening is not just for pleasure; it can be your source of several vegetables. Welcome to the world of container gardening!

Gardening in the years gone by required a lot of space. Now, gardens have sprung up even in apartments without much lack of glory. Container gardening has made this happen. In simple words, container gardening means growing plants in containers, what are commonly known as potted plants. This enables people to grow seasonal plants as well as perennial plants, shrubs as well as little trees within their homes. The great advantage is that no mowing is required in container gardening. (more…)

Japanese gardening is a cultural form of gardening that is meant to produce a scene that mimics nature as much as possible by using trees, shrubs, rocks, sand, artificial hills, ponds, and flowing water as art-forms. The Zen and Shinto traditions are both a large part of Japanese gardening and, because of this; the gardens have a contemplative and reflective state of mind. Japanese gardening is much different than the Western style and most would say it is far more meditational and soul soothing.

In Japanese gardening there are three basic methods for scenery. The first of these is reduced scale. Reduced scale is the art of taking an actual scene from nature, mountains, rivers, trees, and all, and reproducing it on a smaller scale. Symbolization involves generalization and abstraction. An example of this would be using white sand to suggest the ocean. Borrowed views refers to artists that would use something like an ocean a forest as a background, but it would end up becoming an important part of the scene. (more…)

The only thing that distinguishes a kitchen vegetable garden from any other sort is that the garden plants are specifically selected to be eaten. Given that, the primary consideration in choosing your plants is what you will use, either for your own consumption or as trade items at a local farmer’s market. (Of course the climate in your area and the length of the growing season are also major factors.)

Your primary goals are to save money, to provide yourself with a healthy source of fresh food, and to have some fun in the process. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as seeing something you’ve grown with your own hands on your dinner table. But how to start?

Where to Plant Your Garden

Obviously you can only use the land available to you, if there is any, or you can augment what space you have with containers. Figure out how much room your plug plants will need and plan accordingly. Tomatoes and peppers grow to a large size and do quite well in containers with cages for stabilization. Carrots and lettuce, on the other hand, do well planted in rows. (more…)

Gardening is a wonderful hobby, which kind of grows on you. Often people stumble upon this hobby when they are depressed, or find themselves aimless with too much free time on their hands. Sometimes, gardening is taken up as a therapy to unwind from a tough routine or over-stressful life. Whatever is the reason for you to take up gardening, you will find that it makes a wonderful hobby – one that not only relaxes you like no other leisure occupation, but also fills you with an extraordinary satisfaction.

Gardening for beginners – The Starting Point
When you decide to take up gardening, you will need a few basics both in knowledge and in equipment. For knowledge, you can use the Internet which has an almost inexhaustible amount of information on this subject; and for implements you go to the closest gardening shop and ask for a kit for gardening for beginners. For more details visit to www.sales-letter-secret.com .This kit will have all that you need for that first time contact with the earth. Some of the must-haves that the gardening for beginners kit would consist of are seed trays or pots with adequate drain holes, plastic bags, multi-purpose compost mixture (you could also use vermiculite, which is much lighter than the compost and easier to use), labels for your plants and plant seedlings, and a medium sized watering can with a fine rosette. (more…)