Some of the Best Gardening Tips

October 25, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Dale Martin asked:


It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned professional or the most novice of gardeners, you will quickly realize there are many people out there who will offer you their tips on how to plant and care for your garden. No matter what gardening problem you are facing, the solution to that problem is out there. You may even find that there is more than one suitable solution. Of the many gardening tips that you will find, there are a few in particular that stand out.

How to rid household Plants of Pests

A very common problem that many gardeners face is how to deal with pests and insects on their houseplants. You need to take caution here and choose a solution that will get rid of the pest but not harm the plants.

You will need to find a solution that will allow you to deal with the pests safely. One of your first steps should be to remove the insects from the plants. Daily cleaning of the plant will allow you to take physical control of the pests and also give you a chance to monitor the health of your plants to see how well any of your other efforts are working.

One way to clean the plant is to use an insecticidal soap. This process works by smothering or suffocating the insects as it comes in contact with the product. You will need to apply the soap liberally and frequently until you have rid the plant of all pests.

Another common method of ending an insect problem is by simply dusting your plants with a light chemical insecticide. Make sure to review the warnings on the product packaging so you don’t accidentally kill your plants. Follow the application instructions carefully.

When to Start Seeding

One of the often overlooked gardening tips by the novice gardener is not paying attention to the proper time to begin seed starting. One thing is for sure, you do not want to begin too early. If you plant too early in the year you risk having your plants killed by a frost. As a rule of thumb it is generally accepted good practice to begin most seedlings in mid-March.

Another technique is to start your plants indoors and then move them outdoors once they are healthy enough to survive outside. This technique involves a bit of math to get the timing just right but basically you will plant your seeds so that you can safely move them outdoors in about 6 weeks. Depending on your plants, this gives you about a week or two for germination and then about a month of growth before you can safely move it outdoors.

These are just a small portion of the thousands of gardening tips that are available. The more you can learn the more plentiful your garden will be. Gardening can be an extremely enjoyable activity when you follow a few basic steps. So if you are interested in gardening and you want to produce some beautiful plants you should try to learn as many gardening tips as you can to give you a garden you will be proud of.

And oh yeah, don’t forget to water.



Gardening Tips On How To Buy Healthy, Thriving House Plants

September 1, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Mary Hanna asked:


When buying house plants whether it is from Lowes, Home Depot or a local garden center there are several things to consider. Many people just pick up a house plant without giving any thought, especially if the cost is low. But think about this, every house plant you purchase can give you years of enjoyment if it is properly inspected before you buy. Take time to choose a perfect house plant. If you hastily buy a house plant, it has the potential of causing devastation to your other house plants. And one rule to always abide by is never buy plants when you are in a hurry, that’s a gardening tip everyone should heed.

Take the time to inspect the leaves on the house plant for pests. Aphids, spider mites and scale will not only wreck havoc on this house plant but on your others as well. And be sure to look under the leaves and at the nodes where many pests thrive. Here is what to look for on your potential house plant:

Aphids appear as small green or black insects, usually found on buds and new growth. These insects **** the juices out of house plants, and also secrete honeydew.

Spider mites are small insects, which appear as small white specks, usually on the undersides of leaves, or on flowers of the house plant. Spider mites will form webbing, like a spider’s web around infected house plants. The spider mites will be visible in the webbing as white specks.

Scale looks like tiny, brown, oval-shaped bumps visible on the house plants leaves and stem. The scale is actually a protective covering which protects the insect. Scales produce honeydew, a clear sticky substance which can be seen on affected house plants.

You may want to search the internet for other gardening tips on how to treat these pests if one happens to infect some of your house plants.

If the house plant seems too big for the container, pass it by, it is likely to be root bound. Remember bigger isn’t necessarily better. I always pull a house plant from it’s container to check the root ball; reputable stores should allow you to do this. If the house plant is already root bound you will have to open your wallet not only for the plant but for potting soil and a new container. Then YOU have to re pot it and hope it will continue to be healthy. If you don’t mind this, then by all means buy the house plant. If you are going to re pot you may want to look at the self watering containers that are available now. These are great for someone that travels and isn’t around everyday to check the soil.

Examine the container of the house plant for cracks. Be sure the container will harmonize with your existing house plants containers. Try to purchase plants by shape and height when using the house plant for groupings in and around your home. Keep the small tag that is attached to the plant in a notebook so you will always have the directions on the plants needs. This is a really good gardening tip!

Now you know the secrets of buying spectacular house plants.

Happy Gardening!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.



Best Gardening Tips: Pests on Houseplants

June 4, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Scott Goodman asked:


Whether you are a professional gardener or just getting started in gardening, you will quickly see that there is a multitude of gardening tips out there that you can use if you ever need any type of gardening help. No matter what your problem is there will be appropriate gardening tips to assist you and act as a solution, but of all these different tips there are a few in particular that you will find useful.

Dealing With Pests on Houseplants

One of the most common problems that gardeners experience is dealing with pests on their houseplants. You really have to be careful, because although of course you want to kill the pests, you need to make sure that you are not going to be doing any damage to the plants.

Therefore one of the best gardening tips has to do with how you can deal with pests on houseplants safely. The first step is to clean up to remove the insects. Cleaning is not only a good physical control and good place for you to get started, but as well it will help greatly by allowing you to monitor how well your other controls are working, because they actually may not be working at all.

Insecticidal soap works quite well for pests on houseplants, and works by killing them by smothering or suffocating. Insect contact with the product is essential and so you are going to need to make sure that you apply the soap frequently enough that all the pests will be taken care of.

Seed Starting

Another of the most important gardening tips involves seed starting. Timing is essential here, and more than anything you do not want to begin too early. With the exception of plants such as peppers and tomatoes, most seedlings do best when they are started in mid-March, so don’t get too anxious and start too early before this.

These are just a couple of the thousands upon thousands of gardening tips that are out there. Even if you are a seasoned gardener, you are really going to benefit by learning about as many of these tips as you can, because then if you ever do have any problems you will already be prepared and know what to do, rather than being clueless and having to take time to look up a solution.

Gardening can be an extremely enjoyable activity and not only that but produce beautiful plants for you, and so if it is not something that you are interested in, it is definitely something worth trying out.