Horticulture can be therapeutic and stress relieving. A lot of gardeners ask questions like what kind of equipment they should buy, what kind of soil should they purchase, or when they should plant seeds. The tips you will find below will guide you through those questions and more.
Learn about plant varieties so you can choose the ones with the best yields. In many cases, a disease-resistant or cold-tolerant hybrid will produce a higher yield than a traditional variety.
Use your tool handles as rulers in the garden. Larger handled tools like rakes, hoes, and shovels make great measuring sticks. Lay the handles on the floor, then run the measuring tape down next to them. Paying close attention to the measurements, use a black marker to establish each interval along the handle’s side in a clearly visible manner. Now, the next time you’re down in the garden, you’ll have a handy ruler without needing to look anywhere else.
Prepare your seeds by soaking them in a dark environment. You then want to place a small amount of seeds in a container that’s smaller and then fill it up with water to the top. This will give your seeds a good start by making sure they have plenty of water, which they need to sprout. The seeds will now have a greater chance of maturing and surviving.
Plant a little catnip or wheatgrass in the area surrounding the plants that your cat is devouring. Additionally, use your cat’s keen sense of smell to your advantage. Citrus fruit peels and mothballs both smell horrible to cats, so put them on the soil near the plants your cat likes to eat.
Start your garden off right with seeds, not plants. Not only is this more of an effective method for horticulture, but it’s also more environmentally-friendly. Very few nurseries recycle the plastics that they use as containers for their plants, so the majority of these containers are thrown away and dumped in landfills. Therefore, it is better for the environment to plant a garden with seeds or to find a nursery that packages its plants using organic materials.
Surround your vegetable plants with organic mulch, a few inches worth. The mulch will add beneficial moisture to your soil. It will also prevent weeds from popping up around your plants. You’ll save a ton of time if you don’t have to constantly pull out weeds.
If you want to get children in on the fun, plant a few strawberries, everbearing if possible. Children love to snap up these sweet juicy fruits for themselves and will be much more willing to eat other foods you’ve planted as well.
If you have recently suffered a cut, discontinue horticulture until the cut has healed completely. A cut will likely become infected if it is exposed to dirt when horticulture. However, there are bandages available that will seal the cut completely. Using these should protect the cut from any infection while horticulture.
Put an organic material, such as mulch two or three inches deep, in your flower beds. Mulch discourages weeds and helps retain moisture while adding nutrients to your flower bed. It also adds a uniform and cohesive look to the garden.
Get more value out of your property. You can get a very high return from improving your home through landscaping. You can raise your home value up to 20 percent! Be sure to choose plants that will thrive in your yard, taking into account soil and climate conditions.
Grow some garlic that is organic. Plant single garlic cloves during the spring or fall seasons in soil that is moist and well-drained. Plant them approximately 4 inches apart at a depth of 1 or 2 inches beneath the surface of the soil with the pointed end facing upward. Green garlic shoots could be cut as it grows, and it can be used to substitute scallions or chives. You know your bulbs are ready when they turn brown on their tops. Dry the bulbs well in the sun for several days to harden the skin. Store the garlic in an area that’s cool, either tied up in bunches or loose.
When choosing plants, dig a little deeper. Oftentimes, tomato seedlings that show verdant green starts have poor roots. The reason is because these particular starts will stay on the seedlings for weeks, which will not allow the seedlings to grow until these starts are gone.
Consider using botanical pesticides to keep the pest that plague your garden under control. Natural insecticides can sometimes kill pests more powerfully than synthetic pesticides. Natural insecticide are more environmentally friendly, in part, because they decay quickly and become harmless.
As said previously, horticulture can be rewarding if you are knowledgeable about the subject. With the right advice and proper planning, you’ll soon have a thriving garden. Apply some of the tips you just read and, in no time, you’ll be amazed at what you can with your garden.