Organic gardening can be a very enjoyable hobby. It involves particular growing techniques, along with the gardener's choice of equipment and seeds. This vast world has so many different kinds of seeds, equipment, and techniques that it can seem a bit confusing as to where you need to begin. These tips can help you make sense of the confusion.
When you are organic gardening in a humid environment, water your plants in the early morning hours. This will help you prevent mildew. Watering in the morning also prohibits fungal growth that can occur in humid climates. You do not want mildew or fungal diseases to spread, it can lead to poor growth and unhealthy soil.
A great trick for organic gardeners and a neat way to reuse plastic milk jugs are to use them as a form of self irrigation for your garden. All you need to do is poke little holes into the bottom of plastic 1 gallon jugs, bury the jugs next to your plants and make sure to leave an opening. Fill the jugs allowing the water to seep slowly into the ground.
When starting your own organic garden, you should make sure you choose the right medium for growing your plants. Different plants need different mediums. Many of your seedlings should be replotted into a larger container before you put them in your garden. However, some plants, such as melons and cucumbers, must go from their original containers directly into your garden.
Water your plants during the morning to avoid having fungal growth that generally prefers moisture and darkness. By watering your plants during the day they are best able to take advantage of the sun, and utilize the suns anti-bacterial effects. Some bacteria or fungi are light sensitive, so by watering during the day you benefit the plant by reducing the growth potential of its competitors.
Using coffee grounds as part of your soil mixture in your garden is often advised for healthy plants. Coffee has a lot of essential nutrients that plants need. Nitrogen is generally a way to make your plants grow bigger, better and faster.
The best way to weed your organic garden is the old-fashioned way, pulling the weeds out by hand. Even though organic herbicides sold at the store are tempting, they aren't nearly as effective as getting on your hands and knees and pulling the weeds out by hand. It's also very invigorating to do it yourself. It gives you a sense of accomplishment.
In order to offer your organic gardening the most success, mulch it with 3 inches of organic material. By mulching your organic garden you will conserve water, add nutrients to the soil and stop weeds from growing. As an added bonus, mulching also gives your organic garden a bit of beauty.
For indoor organic gardening, temperature control is very important during the early phases. Seventy degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for most seeds to start growing. You can achieve this temperature relatively easily by installing heaters and placing the seeds near the vents. You can also purchase heat mats to place under your plant containers.
Feed your roses naturally. You don't need to use chemical fertilizer to feed roses. Bury banana skins and crushed eggshells near the roots of rose bushes to supply them with extra vitamins and minerals. 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts dissolved in 1 pint of water is a marvelous pick-me-up for roses, and if you grow garlic around your rose bushes, it will help to keep them free of greenfly.
Grow basil successfully. Basil is an annual warm-season herb, very susceptible to cold and frost. Sow seed in spring at a depth of about 1/2 inch in full sun. Keep the soil evenly moist. When the basil reaches about 6 inches, pinch out the top to encourage bushy growth. Pick continuously before any flower buds open. Pick leaves in the morning after dew has dried, and don't over wash leaves, as you will lose the aromatic oils.
Stay out of your garden after it has rained or whenever it is wet. Diseases and bacteria thrive and spread more easily in damp environments. Bacteria can easily attach to your shoes as you walk through the wet garden and be transferred from plant to plant. Instead, wait until the soil is dry to enter your garden.
Get rid of nematodes such as roundworm or eelworm. These pests can cause malformed plants with stunted, yellowing leaves. In the worst cases, leaves will wilt in a single day and the roots will become infected. The best option is to plant resistant varieties of apple, bean, carrot, celery, cucumber or onion. Otherwise, increase the organic matter in your soil. Compost contains predacious fungi and fatty acids that are toxic to nematodes. Remember to disinfect any tools that you have used in infected soil.
The ability to discourage common garden pests like grasshoppers, weevils, and aphids without using pesticides is very important to maintain your organic garden. The best way to achieve this is to maintain the health and quality of your garden soil. Healthy soil leads to healthy plants, which are better able to withstand pests and illnesses.
A great tip that can help you with organic gardening is to make sure you pick the right containers for your plants. Ideally you should pick containers that are large enough so that the roots have plenty of room to grow. You should also make sure there are holes in the bottom to provide drainage.
Always choose plants for your organic garden that are natural to the habitat, can flourish in the landscape, and require minimal care. Those that aren't adapted to your area are going to require greater efforts to grow, which could mean more fertilizer. When it comes to maintaining an organic garden, the less care needed means less opportunity for the need for chemicals of any kind.
While organic gardening can be a personal hobby for everyone, it does share the main goal of wanting to grow healthy and happy organic plants. As you have seen in these tips, there are various approaches, but they all share the goal of being a successful organic gardener.
Orignal From: For The Love Of Gardening: Organic Gardening Advice
No comments:
Post a Comment