FIGHTING PLANT ENEMIES.

The devices and implements used for fighting plant enemies are of two sorts:



(1) those used to afford mechanical protection to the plants;



(2) those used to apply insecticides and fungicides.



Of the first the most useful is the covered frame. It consists usually of a wooden box, some eighteen inches to two feet square and about eight high, covered with glass, protecting cloth, mosquito netting or mosquito wire. The first two coverings have, of course, the additional advantage of retaining heat and protecting from cold, making it possible by their use to plant earlier than is otherwise safe. They are used extensively in getting an extra early and safe start with cucumbers, melons and the other vine vegetables.



Simpler devices for protecting newly-set plants, such as tomatoes or cabbage, from the cut-worm, are stiff, tin, cardboard or tar paper collars, which are made several inches high and large enough to be put around the stem and penetrate an inch or so into the soil.



For applying poison powders, the home gardener should supply himself with a powder gun. If one must be restricted to a single implement, however, it will be best to get one of the hand-power, compressed-air sprayers. These are used for applying wet sprays, and should be supplied with one of the several forms of mist-making nozzles, the non-cloggable automatic type being the best. For more extensive work a barrel pump, mounted on wheels, will be desirable, but one of the above will do a great deal of work in little time. Extension rods for use in spraying trees and vines may be obtained for either. For operations on a very small scale a good hand-syringe may be used, but as a general thing it will be best to invest a few dollars more and get a small tank sprayer, as this throws a continuous stream or spray and holds a much larger amount of the spraying solution. Whatever type is procured, get a brass machine it will out-wear three or four of those made of cheaper metal, which succumbs very quickly to the, corroding action of the strong poisons and chemicals used in them.



Of implements for harvesting, beside the spade, prong-hoe and spading- fork, very few are used in the small garden, as most of them need not only long rows to be economically used, but horse- power also. The onion harvester attachment for the double wheel hoe, may be used with advantage in loosening onions, beets, turnips, etc., from the soil or for cutting spinach. Running the hand- plow close on either side of carrots, parsnips and other deep-growing vegetables will aid materially in getting them out. For fruit picking, with tall trees, the wire-fingered fruit-picker, secured to the end of a long handle, will be of great assistance, but with the modern method of using low-headed trees it will not be needed.



Another class of garden implements are those used in pruning but where this is attended to properly from the start, a good sharp jack-knife and a pair of pruning shears will easily handle all the work of the kind necessary.



Still another sort of garden device is that used for supporting the plants; such as stakes, trellises, wires, etc. Altogether too little attention usually is given these, as with proper care in storing over winter they will not only last for years, but add greatly to the convenience of cultivation and to the neat appearance of the garden.



As a final word to the intending purchaser of garden tools, I would say: first thoroughly investigate the different sorts available, and when buying, do not forget that a good tool or a well-made machine will be giving you satisfactory use long, long after the price is forgotten, while a poor one is a constant source of discomfort. Get good tools, and take good care of them. And let me repeat that a few dollars a year, judiciously spent, for tools afterward well cared for, will soon give you a very complete set, and add to your garden profit and pleasure.

EASY TIPS ON HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR PLANTS

Many people worry a lot when it comes to caring for their plants. When talking about house plants, there is no need to worry. There are just a few things you need to consider.



1. Watering

Overwatering kills most houseplants. Looks can be deceptive, so to see if your soil is dry enough to water, try the finger test. Insert your index finger up to the first joint into the soil. If the soil is damp, don't water it.



2. Feeding

Foliage plants usually have high nitrogen needs, while flowering plants, K2O is needed. Slow release fertilizers can be mixed with the compost. However, certain plants like cacti and orchids need special fertilizer. Feed plants during their most active growth period.



3. Lighting

Plants like Sanseveria and Aspidistra require no sun. They can be placed away from a window. Spider plants need semi-shade. You can put plants like these near a window that does or does not get sunlight. Check the label to see what your plant needs.



4. Temperature

Houseplants can survive in cool or warm temperatures, but drastic fluctuations of temperature may not be good for them. One thing that most plants cannot survive is gas heating. If you have a plant that likes warm conditions, don't put it near an air conditioner in the summer.



5. Humidity

Some houseplants require a humid environment. One tip to maximize humidity is to put the pot inside a larger pot and fill in the gaps with stones or compost to keep in the moisture. Grouping plants together often creates a microclimate that they will benefit from. If you want, you can spray them with water once or twice a day depending on the temperature.



6. Re-potting

Some plants require re-potting for optimum growth but there are others that resent having their roots disturbed. Or their roots system may be small enough that they don't require re-potting. One way to check if your plant needs re-potting is to turn it upside down. Tap the pot to release the plant and check its roots. If roots are all you see, then re-pot. Sometimes the roots will come out of the pot. You should either cut them off or re-pot the plant.



You just need to have a little care for your plants and in turn, you'll reap the benefits. Indoor plants not only add to the beauty of your dйcor, but also give much pleasure to the indoor gardener.

Dealing with Garden Pests

While tending to my own garden, I have found that one of the most

frustrating things that can happen to a gardener is to walk outside to

check on your plants. It’s just a routine walk to make sure that your

garden is thriving, but you end up finding holes in all of your plants

that looked fine only hours before. The explanations for some of these

plant-destroying holes are garden pests. Some of the main garden pests are

slugs, worms, caterpillars, birds, snails, and the occasional gopher.

Although you can never wipe out these pests entirely, after all your hard

work in the garden you have to do something.



Insects are one of the worst things to have in your garden; they can live

under the soil, in old weeds or piles of leaves, or in a number of other

places. In order to help keep insects away, always try and eliminate

places in your garden and near your garden that these insects and other

plant diseases could be living. Remove old leaves, weeds, or any other

decaying matter that insects and diseases could be living in from your

yard. Also, regularly turn over your garden soil and break apart any

clumps of dirt so that you can eliminate the living spaces any insects

that might be hiding underground.



Another way to rid your garden of the pests is to use dormant spray, which

is used to keep destructive insects and diseases under control. It is best

that you use dormant spray when your plants are dormant, usually around

February or early March. I have used dormant spray many times on my garden

and it has worked wonders on keeping insects out. But as I learned from

experience, dormant spray is only effective if you follow the correct

instructions. When I first decided to use some on my garden, I just dumped

it everywhere in hopes of killing everything harmful. Unfortunately I

ended up killing my entire garden along with my neighbors. Some insects

can be beneficial to your garden though, so be sure to find out which

insects help your garden.



Another pest problem I've had besides insects has been birds. Whenever I

see birds in my garden I run outside a chase them away, but as soon as I

step inside they come right back. The solution that I've come up with to

keep the birds away from my garden is to put a bird feeder in my yard.

Instead of costing me time and money by eating my garden, the birds eat at

the bird feeder. In the long run it’ll save you money. Not only can a bird

feeder help keep birds away from your garden, but they can also be a new

part of your yard decoration. Although not completely eliminating my bird

problem, my bird feeder has made the problem smaller. Getting a dog has

also helped.



If you start seeing mounds of dirt around your yard, and your plants keep

unexplainably dieing, you can assume that you have a gopher problem.

Thankfully, this is one of the few garden pasts that I haven't had.

However my friend has struggled with a tremendous gopher infestation, so I

decided to research it. Gophers are rodents that are five to fourteen

inches long. Their fur can be black, light brown, or white, and they have

small tails. One method of getting rid of these root-eating pests is to

set traps. The key to successfully capturing a gopher using a trap is to

successfully locate the gopher's tunnels and set the trap correctly.

Another way to get rid of them is to use smoke bombs, which you place into

the tunnel and the smoke spreads through out it and hopefully reaches the

gopher.



If you suspect that your gardens are being pillaged by any of the pests I

mentioned, I encourage you to try your hardest to eliminate the problem as

soon as possible. The longer you let the species stay, the more

established it will become.

Creating Microclimates to Facilitate Growth

Many gardeners live in areas where almost anything can grow effortlessly.

Just plant the seeds and water it for a few weeks, and you’ve got a

beautifully lush plant. But if you live in somewhere like Colorado, you’ll

understand what its like to have a slim selection of plants that naturally

grow. It can be quite a challenge to facilitate the growth of a large

variety of plants, especially when the very world you live in seems to be

rooting against you.



Some people solve this problem by loading up their plants with every type

of chemical and fertilizer known to man. This usually works, but to me it

seems kind of unnatural to rely on man made materials to keep your plants

alive. Also, if I’m growing fruits or vegetables, I don’t feel very

comfortable eating something that is entirely composed of chemicals.



A gardening theory that I have relied on in the past to grow many types of

plants is that of creating a “microclimate” for each type of plant. This

is when you regulate the sunlight, shade, moisture, and wind factors for

each separate plant. It sounds like a challenge, and it is. But you can

regulate these factors in such a way that the plant feels just like it is

in the ideal growing conditions. This can be achieved by the use of wind

barriers, shading umbrellas, extra water, or different types or amounts of

compost.



If you’re ready to make an attempt at creating microclimates, you’ll need

to make a detailed plan in advanced. You should start by finding a large

shade providing bush or tree that will grow fast and naturally in your

area. Just look at some undeveloped plots of land and see what is there.

Most likely it grew on its own without any planting or care. This is what

you want to happen. Usually the growing of one plant can bring about the

growing of another more desirable plant.



If you have a fence in your backyard (you would be surprised at how many

people don’t) then you already have a good amount of shade to work with.

You can start the microclimate process using just the shade of the fence,

combined with (perhaps) a screen or large bush to shade your new plant for

the other half of the day that the fence doesn’t take care of. The fence

is also useful for shading against wind for very fragile plants.



Once you have established the shade, be it natural or unnatural, you have

created a slightly less harsh miniature environment. You must remember

this is a gradual process, and find a new plant to put in the shade of the

other one. Now your choices are a little more open. You don’t have to go

with a rugged plant like the one you did before; you can now choose a

plant that survives in cooler weather.



If the plant you are trying to grow next requires more moisture in the air

than your area provides, installing a fountain or small pond can fix this

problem due to the evaporation. You may think you don’t want to waste

water on a pond or fountain, but it’s all going toward the betterment of

your garden. It’s just like the watering process, only indirect. As an

added benefit, usually fountains are quite aesthetically attractive and a

great addition to your garden.



I can’t explain every stage of the process, because everyone’s goals and

setups are slightly different. But to reach your goal, you should do

research on every plant that you would like to have in your garden. Find

out everything you can about the zone that it flourishes in, and ask

yourself how you can emulate that zone within your own backyard. Almost

always you can take control of the environment and recreate whatever you

wish. Usually all it takes is some planning and strategy.

Creating a Raised Bed

If your current planting goals involve plants that require good water drainage, I am sure you know how frustrating it is to have a yard that just won’t cooperate. Some plants can handle the excess water that comes about from being in an area that doesn’t drain properly. In fact, it might just cause them to bloom more lushly. However, other plants don’t cope as well, and it will cause them to die a gruesome, bloated death. You should always find out about the drainage required for every plant you buy, and make sure that it won’t conflict with any of the areas you are considering planting it in.



In order to test how much water your designated patch of soil will retain, dig a hole approximately ten inches deep. Fill it with water, and come back in a day when all the water had disappeared. Fill it back up again. If the 2nd hole full of water isn’t gone in 10 hours, your soil has a low saturation point. This means that when water soaks into it, it will stick around for a long time before dissipating. This is unacceptable for almost any plant, and you are going to have to do something to remedy it if you want your plants to survive.



The usual method for improving drainage in your garden is to create a raised bed. This involves creating a border for a small bed, and adding enough soil and compost to it to raise it above the rest of the yard by at least 5 inches. You’ll be amazed at how much your water drainage will be improved by this small modification. If you’re planning to build a raised bed, your prospective area is either on grass or on dirt. For each of these situations, you should build it slightly differently.



If you want to start a raised garden in a non grassy area, you won’t have much trouble. Just find some sort of border to retain the dirt you will be adding. I’ve found that there is nothing that works quite as well as a few two by fours. After you’ve created the wall, you must put in the proper amount soil and steer manure. Depending on how long you plan to wait before planting, you will want to adjust the ratio to allow for any deteriorating that may occur.



If you’re trying to install a raised bed where sod already exists, you will have a slightly more difficult time. You will need to cut the sod around the perimeter of the garden, and flip it over. This may sound simple, but you will need something with a very sharp edge to slice the edges of the sod and get under it. Once you have turned it all upside down, it is best to add a layer of straw to discourage the grass from growing back up. After the layer of straw, simply add all the soil and steer manure that a normal garden would need.



Planting your plants in your new area shouldn’t pose much difficulty. It is essentially the same process as your usual planting session. Just be sure that the roots don’t extent too far into the original ground level. The whole point of creating the raised bed is to keep the roots out of the soil which saturates easily. Having long roots that extend that far completely destroys the point.



Once you have plants in your new bed, you’ll notice an almost immediate improvement. The added soil facilitates better root development. At the same time, evaporation is prevented and decomposition is discouraged. All of these things added together makes for an ideal environment for almost any plant to grow in. So don’t be intimidated by the thought of adjusting the very topography of your yard. It is a simple process as I’m sure you’ve realized, and the long term results are worth every bit of work.

Choosing and Planting Perennials

If you’ve been growing a vegetable garden for a while, you might be feeling slightly disgruntled at how plain it is to look at. I too began my gardening career with a vegetable garden, but I decided that it wasn’t quite as pleasing to look at as I would have liked. I heard from a friend that the use of perennial flowers could be a great way to liven up my garden without adding any extra work for me.



Perennial flowers are strong, local flowers that come back every year without having to replant or do any extra work. During their off seasons, the flowers and stems die back and you can hardly even tell the plant is there (rather than just dying and looking like hideous brown clumps in your garden). When it’s time to bloom, entirely new flowers shoot up where the old ones were.



Before deciding whether to put in perennials or not, you need to make sure that your soil has proper drainage. If the water stays saturated for long periods of time, you should build a raised bed. To test, dig a hole and fill it with water. Wait a day, and then fill it with water again. All traces of water should be gone within 10 hours. If the hole isn’t completely dry, you will need to build a raised bed.



Picking your perennials can be a complicated process. The goal should be to have them flowering as much as possible during the year, so you should create an outline of the year. Research the different types of flower you want, and create a timeline of flowering. If you plan it right, you can have a different type of flower blooming at any point in the year. Getting just the right mixture of seeds can give your yard a constantly changing array of colors.



When you go to buy the seeds from your local florist or nursery, you might be able to find a custom seed mixture for your area. This takes the really tough research part out of the job. Usually these blends are optimized for the local climate, and do great jobs of having flowers always grow in your yard. If one of these isn’t available, you can ask the employees what they think would be a good mixture. They should be happy to help you put something together which will be optimal for whatever you desire.



You should definitely use mulch when planting perennials. This will reduce the overall amount of work you have to do, by reducing the amount of weeds and increasing the water retention. Bark or pine needles work great, I have found, and depending on the rest of your yard you might have them on hand at no charge. As for fertilizer, you should use it sparingly once your plants start to come to life.



When you actually go to plant the seeds, you should put them in small, separate clumps according to the directions. This is because they tend to spread out, and if you have too many too close together then they will end up doing nothing but choking each other out. As you plant them, throw in a little bit of extremely weak fertilizer. In no time at all you should start to see flowers blooming up.

Wählen einen Garten, das perfekt für Sie ist

If you are thinking about the creation of a garden, the first, what you need

to consider is, what type of garden you have. There are many different

Choice and often difficult, can choose only one, but hopefully can you

narrow it down. But by narrowing have it, work

Experience easier on yourself and plants. If all of your plants

should be similar, then not very difficult to take care of them all. So, here is

some of the most important garden ideas, can you out.



If you look nice just in your garden, you will receive

You want a flower garden. These are filled with perennial flower.

Perennial flowers are flowers, which remains healthy throughout the year. You are

Basic Guide weeds because of their hardness, just beautiful. Various

Different flowers, which are considered perennials have areas and climates.

If you do a quick Internet search in your area, you will probably find one

List of flowers that will bring life to your garden. This rule

only require that work in the planting stage after, that the flower dress

of itself. The only downside to this is that you have no

To show product for them.



Another option is for your garden have a vegetable garden. These

Typically a little more work and research as a flower garden, but requires

can be much more rewarding. No matter what time of year you can

find a vegetable as a rule, that still waste. In this way, you have

the garden is producing almost every day of the year! If

start a vegetable garden, you should build it with the idea in mind

Want to add more types of vegetables in a later time. This will help

Their extensibility. If all your current cultures outside of the season, are you

does not correct the new plants will get with almost nowhere. Vegetables

Garden is ideal for someone, who wants some products but not

Map of watchful every hour to perfect their garden (see below).



An orchard is to manage difficult types of gardens.

It is certainly the complex. If more fruits grow much

Bugs will be attracted by the sweet. You must not only handle

with only the right dirt and fertilizer, you have to do

If you select a pesticide, not you kill those who eat fruit. Its fruits

throughout the year, the garden will probably not produce. The Earth must be the same.

the right for the plants to grow and in another crop during his

and low season could be devastating for the growth process. If you are ready

put much work into a garden maintain, then one could be an orchard

good choice for you.



So, now some of that most important garden writes that the people mentioned have

Choose, I hope that you can make a good decision. In fact type OASIS

come, what kind of product you want, and how much work you want to

put into it. If you are looking for no product without work, go with a

Flower garden. If you many delicious product, but you are ready

You can in the garden every day for hours on end, then go to an orchard. Only

Make sure that you not something get, that you can not handle!