Although organic horticulture holds great appeal to most people, many never really try it out for themselves. Many people mistakenly believe that they lack the ability to cultivate their own flowers, vegetables and houseplants. The following article will give you some techniques that can be used to help you start growing your own organic garden.
You will need to properly lay sod. Start by preparing your soil with care. Remove any weeds, and break the soil up into a fine tilth. Using a light but firm touch, compact the soil until it is flat. Now make sure the soil is thoroughly dampened. The sod should be laid in staggered rows, with the joints offset from one another. You want the sod to end up as a flat and even surface. If there are any gaps in between the sod pieces, then you can fill these in with some soil. After two weeks of daily watering, the sod should be rooted; at this time, it is now safe to walk on it.
Try to plan a variety of perennials that are slug-proof. Creatures like snails or slugs can destroy a plant in a single night. These pests are particularly fond of young perennials and those varieties with leaves that are tender, smooth, and thin. You can discourage snails and slugs from eating your perennials by choosing plants with tougher or distasteful foliage. Examples of these slug-proof plant varieties include achillea, euphorbia, and helleborus, to name a few.
Bulbs will give you wonderful flowers that you can enjoy in early spring and right through the summer. Bulbs are one of the easiest plants to grow and are hardy perennials that return each year. You can select bulbs that bloom at many different times, so with a little work, you could have flowers popping up all the way from the start of spring to the end of summer.
Do not mow your lawn too short. When the grass is a little longer, the roots will be stronger and the lawn becomes more resistant. If the grass is too short, it produces shallow roots and that leads to a lawn with brown spots and dried-out patches.
Boiling away unwanted weeds is an odd, but productive method used in many gardens. Water is cheaper than chemical herbicides, and less hazardous to humans and soil. All you need to do is apply boiling water right to the weeds you want to get rid of. Be careful not to get any on the plants you want to keep. The boiling water will damage the roots of the weeds and will usually prevent further growth.
It is best to aerate and dry your plants daily. Moisture can be a magnet for disease and parasites on your plants. In fact, fungi love a wet plant and can cause a great deal of damage. It is possible to get rid of fungi after it appears with anti-fungal sprays, but it’s better to spray at-risk areas before fungi appear.
Controlling pests in your vegetable garden can be extremely difficult to deal with. It’s likely you don’t want to spray pesticides around the vegetables you intend to eat. One way to control horticulture pests is to be vigilant. If you catch pests right away, the easiest way to eradicate them is to pick them off plants by hand.
Make sure that you take time to properly plant any seeds that you buy. First, you should loosen the soil, and ensure that it is sufficiently moist. Then you want to spread your seeds evenly while making sure that they have enough room to grow. The depth at which you bury them should be three times their size. Make sure you are not burying the seeds that need light to grow.
Be aware of spacing considerations when you are first planting your organic garden. You can easily underestimate how much space the plants need until they begin to grow. Space is vital for your plants not only due to their literal physical size requirements but also because of how much room your garden needs for air circulation. Make sure that you map out your garden layout beforehand and place your seeds with an adequate amount of space in between each.
The best feature of organics is that they are pesticide free. Even though you are providing a much healthier option for your family, it is important to recognize the increased need for insect inspection.
Annually rotate your garden layout or plan. If the types of plants that you grow are consistent from one year to the next, they may be more prone to diseases and plant fungus. The soil might contain fungus or diseases specific to one type of plant. Different plants have different immunities and vulnerabilities. Changing what you plant where will naturally stave off fungus and disease.
Plant your own garlic with organic methods. Cloves of garlic should be planted in well-drained soil with frequent watering in either the fall or spring. Set them four inches apart, approximately one to two inches deep into the soil, with their ends up. Green garlic shoots could be cut as it grows, and it can be used to substitute scallions or chives. Each bulb can be harvested when the top has begun to brown. Make sure you put the garlic in the direct sunlight for days so that the skin will harden. They could be stored in an area that is cold, tied or loose in bunches.
If you keep these various tips in mind, horticulture should not be so daunting. Follow the tips you have studied here, and your yard will soon be yielding a terrific amount of delicious wholesome food for your kitchen.