Archive for the ‘Gardening’ Category
Jump-start the Spring Growing Season
March 22nd, 2009
(ARA) – If you invest a bit of time now, you can ensure a bountiful harvest and a beautiful landscape to make this your best gardening season yet. Preparing a strong spring foundation means new plantings are better able to survive the heat, drought and pest attacks of summer.
“Start your garden off right by adding several inches of organic matter to the top 6- to 12- inches of soil,” recommends horticulture expert and author Melinda Myers. “Peat moss, compost, aged manure and other organic materials improve drainage in heavy clay soil and increase the water holding capacity of sandy soils.”
Incorporate a slow-release, low-nitrogen fertilizer like Milorganite before planting flowers and vegetables. “I like Milorganite’s low nitrogen formulation” says Myers. “This makes it goof proof so you will not harm young tender plants no matter what your gardening skill. Its slow-release nitrogen encourages overall growth without preventing flowering and fruit production that can occur when too much nitrogen is applied.”
Reduce weed problems and increase the health and vigor of your lawn by properly mowing, watering and fertilizing. “Mow high to encourage deep roots that are more pest- and drought-resistant,” Myers suggests. “Taller grass is better able to fend off weeds.” Mow often and leave the short clippings on the lawn to add nutrients, organic matter and moisture to the soil. Use a sharp blade for quicker recovery and a better-looking lawn.
Water thoroughly but less frequently to encourage deep roots. Water your lawn early in the morning to minimize water loss. If you allow your lawn to go dormant during drought, leave it dormant until temperatures cool, rains return and nature brings it back to life.
Use a low-nitrogen, slow-release fertilizer for your spring feeding. An organic nitrogen type fertilizer will not promote lush growth that is more susceptible to disease and requires more mowing. Plus if you stop watering or your community institutes a watering ban, it won’t damage the lawn. In fact, the fertilizer will stay in the soil until the weather improves and your lawn starts to grow.
Improve the health of trees and shrubs with proper watering and mulch. Water new plantings whenever the top few inches of soil are dry. Don’t forget about established plants. These need a helping hand during extended periods of drought. Always water thoroughly to encourage deep drought-resistant roots.
Maintain a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch around trees and shrubs. Woodchips, shredded bark and other organic materials help conserve moisture, suppress weeds and improve the soil as they decompose. Keep mulch away from the trunk of trees and crowns of other plants to reduce the risk of disease.
Myers suggests you create or expand existing mulch rings without the use of chemicals. She says it’s simple, “Just edge the mulch bed, cut the existing grass short, spread a layer of newspaper or cardboard over the area and cover with woodchips or shredded bark. The paper provides an extra weed barrier and eventually breaks down adding organic matter to the soil.”
Use an all-purpose fertilizer to give existing trees, shrubs and perennials a nutrient boost. A low-nitrogen, slow-release formula encourages moderate growth that needs less pruning and is less susceptible to certain pests.
And don’t forget to take a moment to enjoy the beauty of spring while preparing your landscape for the season ahead.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Tags: Add new tag, Gardening, mulching, Planting, plants, spring planting, Tips
Posted in Gardening, Landscaping, lawn care | Comments (0)
It’s raining again!
February 6th, 2009
I love the rain!! I especially know how beneficial it is for us here in California. We are in another terrible drought, and so I know that every drop is important; but I was hoping to put out my walls of water and plant some tomatoes and peppers. I love getting plants out early.
I always cover up a part of my garden with a tarp so that it won’t be as wet as the rest of the garden during the rainy time. I then have a chance to go and work the soil and plant radishes, and peas and lettuce at the end of February.
I grew up in the Colorado, where spring didn’t come until May. We never could plant anything until May and then we had to have it covered because frost would come, sometimes even in June. Now that I am in the Sierra Nevada foothills, I love to plant early and even bring tomatoes to my parents when I visit them in June.
Tags: spring planting
Posted in Gardening, Uncategorized | Comments (1)
Passing the Buck . . . and the Doe and the Fawn
January 18th, 2009
(ARA) – Sipping coffee on your back deck on a beautiful fall morning, you look up and gasp — there in your suburban oasis stands a small herd of deer. For a moment you pause, enchanted. An instant later, as the deer begin to munch on your landscape, you realize they’re just not as awestruck by the encounter as you are.
You don’t have to be a wildlife expert to know that after generations of dwelling in close proximity to humans, modern deer aren’t afraid of us anymore. What’s more, they no longer fear many of the traditional repellents some homeowners still use to protect shrubs, trees and landscaping. So when cool weather comes along and the natural landscape dies, deer have to start foraging for food sources. And they aren’t afraid to walk right into your yard and help themselves to your well-watered, well-established evergreens. 
Even just a few deer can cause significant damage to your landscaping. “A single whitetail deer can consume, on average, 8 to 12 pounds of foliage a day,” says James Messina of Messina Wildlife Management. “In many areas of the country, deer overpopulation is a serious problem. With nowhere to go and not much left to eat in the dead of winter, deer can wreak havoc on shrubs, trees and gardens, and destroy new buds and leaves before they have a chance to grow, ruining your prospects for any spring growth.”
Tags: deer, foliage, winter
Posted in Gardening, Landscaping, Outdoor, Pests | Comments (2)
Garden Superstars for Spring 2009
January 6th, 2009
New Plants and Accessories Star in Outdoor Scenes this Spring
“People want shrubs and plants that look great, are easy to grow, are good for the environment and perform well in their gardens,” says Susan McCoy, garden writer and trend spotter. “That’s just what the new products this spring promise to deliver.”
McCoy reveals a few of her favorite garden superstars for spring 2009 to help scratch that itch to get out in the garden after a long winter.
Let the Sun Shine
McCoy loves “Sunny Knock Out,” the newest addition to the Knock Out Rose (www.TheKnockOutRose.com) family. It lives up to the Knock Out reputation for blooming continuously with little to no effort, and is naturally resistant to rust, mildew, blackspot, Japanese beetles and rose midge, making it easy to avoid harsh chemicals. It is bright yellow, the latest trendy color, and has a mild, sweet fragrance. From Canada to the Gulf states, you can expect the same profusion of sunny blooms on this compact shrub that grows up to 4.5 feet tall, making it perfect to mix in flower beds, for mass plantings or as a specimen plant Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Gardening, Outdoor | Comments (0)
Top Ten 2009 Gardening Trends
December 30th, 2008
“It’s a resurgence of gardening for the greater good — for the earth and our wallets,” says Susan McCoy, trend spotter and president of the Garden Media Group (GMG). “The most exciting movement seems to be that gardening is popular again, particularly among younger homeowners,” she adds.
GMG’s gardening trends for 2009 reveal a resurgence in perennials, growing native plants, creating “blended” gardens using vegetables and herbs in flower beds, cultivating with best practices, planting to attract wildlife and going local. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Gardening, Indoor, Landscaping | Comments (0)
6 Indoor Plants That Love The Dark: Tips From The Garden Center
December 28th, 2008
It was a long search that took me more than ten years. But finally I found it – the indoor house plant that will brighten up the end of a corridor 5 meters from my front door. The Aspidistra, commonly known as the Cast Iron plant, has graced the drawing rooms of many an otherwise drab Victorian English manor, and now graces my suburban Sydney brick home.
Many gardening experts describe the Aspidistra as one of the toughest and most adaptable house plants. Its long blades of slender dark green or variegated dark green and white leaves shoot straight out from the soil but in clumps and up to 75 cm in height and 15 cm wide. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Gardening, Indoor, Planting, plants
Posted in Gardening, Indoor | Comments (2)
Don’t Drown Your Plants, Nurture Them with Micro/Drip Irrigation
December 27th, 2008
When you shop for house plants, trees or vegetables at a nursery, you’re greeted by row after row of great looking plants; but if you’re like most people, you have a hard time keeping them looking that way when you get them home. So what do nursery workers know that you don’t?
“The secret is in the way you water the plants,” says Susan Thayer, who is an expert in landscape irrigation. Thayer owns and operates the Southern Citrus Nursery in Dundee, Fla., as well as Mister Landscaper, a company that specializes in low-volume landscape irrigation.
“When my family started in the citrus business 95 years ago, we relied on hand watering and rain. Then came overhead sprinklers, but they presented problems. They not only use more water than needed, they tend to water undesirable areas, promoting weed growth in the orchards and groves,” she says. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Drip Irrigation, Gardening, Planting
Posted in Gardening | Comments (0)
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