Anyone can learn how to maintain an organic garden and enjoy it. A beginning organic gardener may find the prospect of getting started to be rather daunting. So, how does a novice learn more about horticulture? They should read this article, obviously!
Take the proper approach to laying sod. Start by preparing your soil with care. Weeds should be removed, and you should break up the soil into a tilth. When the soil is clean, pack it tightly and create a flat surface. Water the soil until it is saturated. Staggered rows with offset joints is the best way for the sod to be laid out. The sod should form a flat and firm surface. Fill in gaps with soil. Water the sod every day for a couple of weeks. Then it should be rooted well and ready for foot traffic.
Plant some wheat grass or cat grass near where you car tends to nibble in your garden. It may also work to add citrus peelings or mothballs to the soil of the plants, because the odor is unpleasant to cats.
Keep your plants dry and aerated daily. Excess moisture on a plant will invite unwanted parasites or diseases to the plant. Fungus infections are common in overly moist plants. 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.
Divide your irises. You can get more irises by dividing the overgrown clumps. After foliage is no longer alive, remove the flowers with bulbs. The bulbs often divide in your hand with no intervention on your part, and when you replant them, they will usually flower the following year. You can divide rhizomes with a knife. You can trim new pieces away from the outside of the bulbs and then simply throw the old center away. Each piece must have a minimum of one strong offshoot. Replant the new shoots right away.
You don’t have to plant just for spring and summer. Consider what are often beautiful colors in the fall. It doesn’t have to be that way! The autumn season can be one of the best growing seasons and is certainly the most colorful. There are many variations in leaf color with different varieties of Maple, Beech and Dogwood trees that can give you lively yellows and deep crimsons. When thinking about shrubs, consider barberry, hydrangea and cotoneaster.
Use a plant for a focal point. To create an attractive garden design, arrange a focal point to draw attention. More often than not, it is a plant that is distinctively different from its neighbors.
If you want your garden to be off-limits to your dog, spray a scented perimeter around it using things like old perfumes or aftershave. Your dog will be less attracted to your garden when these scents overpower compost scents and other smells dogs like.
In order to bring in good insects to your garden, you need to plant heather. Heather will attract bees early in the spring as well as other beneficial insects. Heather doesn’t usually require a lot of tending, so spiders, ground beetles and other good bugs like to call it home. If you do have to tend to your heather, wear gloves in case you accidentally annoy one of the residents!
Try to plant an English garden with a mix of plants with different heights, all within the same garden bed. By using plants which are all the same height your garden will appear flat and boring.
Planted flowers will benefit from organic materials that are built up to as much as three inches. This fights weeds, retains moisture, and gives your garden valuable nutrients. This will also give a nice, professional appearance to your garden all year.
When composting lawn clippings, leaves, and other materials, it is best to add the same amount of green, freshly-cut material as you do dried material. Garden wastes, such as grass clippings, are classified as green materials. Dried materials are things like hay, wood shavings, cardboard and paper. Avoid using ashes, charcoal, diseased plants and meat-eating animal manure.
Although organic horticulture is often much harder than using chemicals, the reward is much greater. Chemicals can be beneficial, but a chemical free organic garden will always produce the best results.
Your soil will be healthier if you add mulch. Mulch acts as a protective covering for the soil. The roots of your garden are less likely to become overheated on hot days. It greatly reduces water loss, keeping the soil moist with fewer waterings. Mulch also prevents the growth of weeds.
Research local botanical insecticides which can help keep any pest population down. Oftentimes, natural insecticides work better than synthetically produced pesticides. However, because botanical insecticides are biological, they often decay and disappear quickly.
It is easy to set up a perennial garden by following these simple instructions. Simply use a spade to cut under the ground where you want to place your garden, flip it over and cover with wood chips. Wait a few weeks and then plant your perennials into the brand new bed.
It is by now obvious how beneficial and enjoyable organic gardening can truly be when you know how to approach it. Gardening is not only a beautiful art but also a rewarding and relaxing way to spend your time. Using what you’ve learned here will help you sow your organic garden.