Learning about horticulture can be very overwhelming, but just like anything else, it can also be very easily researched, taught, and learned. With the tips you have just read through you should now have a better idea and feel a little more confident when you think about horticulture. Work your way through them and before you know it you’ll be a great gardener.
Make sure you protect any tender deciduous shrubs. If you have some tender shrubs that are in planters, you need to protect them from cold weather. Fasten the tops of the canes together, and cover this wigwam loosely with a cloth. This method works better than covering your bushes in plastic, allowing air to circulate and preventing rotting.
Protect Yourself
Protect yourself from sun overexposure while horticulture by wearing the proper clothing. Wear sunscreen, wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses. When you protect yourself against the sun’s rays, you are more likely to avoid both skin cancer and sunburn.
Prior to planting a garden, think through what you want to do. This is a good way to remember which plants have been planted in each area before they grow. With a plan, you will also be less likely to lose track of small groups or individual plants within a large and ambitious garden.
Don’t cut your grass down by the soil when you run the mower. If you let your grass grow, the roots will go deeper and make your lawn more resistant to dryness. The shorter the grass is, the shorter the roots are, which leads to a dry lawn.
If you are going for a British feel with your garden, then vary the heights of your plants. If you use plants that grow vertically at the same rate, you will end up with some flat, boring, uniform looking beds.
Irrigate your garden efficiently. A soaker hose can save valuable time by watering all of your plants simultaneously, removing the need for hauling a watering can or hose around to each plant. Make sure that your water pressure is set to low, so that no harm will come to any tender plants. Let your soaker hose run for a few hours while you do other things.
Healthy Plants
Keeping your garden soil rich and healthy is the best way to discourage garden pests. If you create healthy plants, they are going to be stronger and therefore, less likely to succumb to diseases and insects. You want to cultivate quality soil with adequate salt levels, which leads to healthy plants.
The quick and drastic change in the weather conditions can shock your plants and cause them to die. It’s important that you gradually change temperate conditions over time, so that your plants can adjust. Put them outdoors in the sun for no more than two hours the first day. As time goes by, slowly increase the time they spent outdoors. When the week is done, your plants will be ready for the big move without any problems.
To keep pests away, you can use plants in the garden or other natural materials. Planting marigolds or onions around the border of your vegetable garden will help repel slugs. Wood ash can be used as mulch, and if put on the base of shrub and tree seedlings, will keep insects away. Natural materials and plants can be just as effective as chemical pesticides at keeping unwanted visitors out of your garden!
Learn the proper way to lay sod. Before laying sod, you have to make sure the soil is accurately prepared. Get rid of weeds and tilth the soil finely. Using a light but firm touch, compact the soil until it is flat. Thoroughly moisten the soil. Be sure to stagger the rows of sod. The joints should be offset like bricks in a wall. Firm the sod down to form a flat, even surface, and fill in any gaps between the sod with a little soil. Sod has to be watered daily for two weeks, and then it can be rooted.
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. This will mask any scents that might attract your dog and make your garden less interesting to him.
That’s not so bad, right? There is all kinds of information available to the avid gardener. It is easy to become overwhelmed. Sometimes, it helps to have a place to start! Hopefully, you received that from the above tips.