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25 Secrets every gardener should know - Part 1 |
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You can never have enough tips. Here are 25 that are really good!
Starting here we have Tip 1 thru Tip 13
1. Check for slugs at night. Because slugs and snails need constant moisture, they avoid direct sunlight and beome more active at night, when they feed on hostas and other plants. So scout in the dark and use a flashlight. Collect the pests by hand and drop them into a bucket of soapy water.
2. Shop for bargains on bleeding hearts when they normally go dormant in early summer.  Garden centers may lower the price on a plant that apprears to be dying - although it isn't. If you are bargain hunting for other perennials, slip the root ball out of the pot; healthy roots will be firm and colored white or tan. If you see dark brown, rotted or withered roots, don't buy them. Use your fingernail to lightly scratch the surface of a woodly plant, a light green color just under the bark means it's likely to be fine.
3. Start the entertainment. Butterflies are fascinating to watch - and so easy to lure into the garden. Simply include plants that attract female butterflies to lay thier eggs where the larvae and caterpillars can feed. Black swallowtails prefer dill, parsley, and carrots. Monarchs like milkweed and butterfly weed. Painted ladies lay eggs on daisies and hollyhocks. All these plants grow in full sun, which butterflies also need to warm their cold bodies. Also include a shallow saucer filled with a muddy puddle.
4. Wipe your hands of it. To distribute soil over seedbeds gently and evenly, rub your hands together to sift the soil. Using your hands helps break up large clods of soil and tops the seeds with just enough soil tohelp them germinate. The smaller and finer the seed, the finer the layer of soil needed.
5. Get new shrubs for free. Take a 6" cutting from easy-to-root plants, such as willow, poplar, privet, rose, redtwig, dogwood, English ivy and creeping juniper. Dip the cut end into a rooting hormome and push it into a pot of moist potting mix. Cover with a plastic bag punched with holes that allow the plant to breathe. Place the container in an area where it receives light but no direct sun. Keep moist but not drenched. Plants should root in about 6 weeks.
6. Help plants cope in heat. When the heat rises for extended periods of time, stop pruning and fertilizing everything but container plants. Plats cope with the heat by going into a virtual state of dormancy. Don't make it harder for them by fertilizing or pruning, both of which encourage fresh grown when plants can least afford to make the effort.
7. Clean salt off clay pots. Clay pots are notorious for ugly salt despoists and other debris that can harbor diseases or dehydrate stems resting on them. To clean off the salt, mix a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water. Let pots soak for 10 minutes, then place in a solution of dish detergent and water. Scrub with a wire bristle brush to remove mineral deposits and other debris. Rinse thoroughly and soak pots in a bucket of clean water till ready to use.
8. Recycle an old hose by making a soaker hose. Simply drill tiny holes 1 to 2 inches apart on one side. Attach one end to a water spigot and cap the other. Turn the water to a low flow for a half hour one or twice a week. Add a timer for auto watering. Keep the hose out of sight by covering it with mulch.
9. Wait before mulching. Allow soil to warm up and dry out a bit before mulching in spring. Fluff up existing mulch before adding more so it doesn't form a hard surface that deflects water. Avoid creating a volcano of mulch around plants. Strive instead for a donut effect, where the area closest to the trunk is free of mulch. Trees benefit from mulch spread to the drip line.
10. Ensure peony blooms. Peonies are among the easiest plants to grow but many gardeners miss out on the flowering. Plant peonies where they will receive at least 6 hrs of sunlight every day. Wait to cut peony foliage until after the first frost so leaves have the opportunity to return food reserves to the roots for next year's blooms.
11. Keep cucumbers sweet with regular watering. Most vine crops, such as cukes, melons,  squash, and gourds, need at least 1" fo water every week. But stop watering cantaloupes 8 to 10 days before you expect to harvest them. Dry soil causes the plant to develop the sugars that give melons their best flavor.
12. Time your tomatoes so you can either harvest them all at once or in continuous smaller batches.
13. Add offseason plants. When shoppping for plants in spring, add out-of-season stalwarts such as aster, chrysanthemum, and goldnrod. They may look boring in your cart at the checkout, but in a few months you'll be glad you have them to beef up yoru autumn landscape.
For tips 14 thru 25 refer to the next blog entry.
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By Pam Brooks
Post Last Updated: 1/14/2013 3:43:56 PM |
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