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Orchids are one of the most beautiful plants in the world and it is upsetting if they are not flourishing in your care.
photo credit: travlinman43

Below are three important areas of care for your orchid. Following these will not guarantee you perfect blooms, but it will keep your plant healthy so you can work on getting the flowers next.

1. Orchids And Water - It is very easy to over water an orchid, and your orchid will soon show that it is unhappy. An orchid does not need watering daily, once every five days will probably be sufficient, and they can survive for up to two weeks without water. Different orchids will however have different requirements, so make sure you know as much as possible about your plant.

When the days are shorter and darker your orchid will probably not need as much water, so expect to change your orchid care with the seasons.

2. The Sun Can Harm Your Orchid – Orchids need sun, but it’s easy for them to get too much direct sunlight. Direct sunlight may cause dark spots to appear on the leaves of the plant or it is possible that the leaf will still look healthy, but the deep green tone will start to fade.

Think bright sunlight rather than direct sunlight, the difference may seem slight to you, but to an orchid we are talking life or death.

3. Orchids And Infestations - Seeing your beautiful orchid covered in small insects is upsetting. Although they may seem to have appeared overnight the reality is that they have been around for some time. By taking good daily care of your orchid you should be able to avoid pests.

Dead leaves can be a cause of pests. The pests will breed in the leaves as they start to go damp on the soil. Maintenance of the environment of your orchid is important.
photo credit: FlowersByMeredith

Overall, if you can provide the correct environment for your orchid you will be able to help it to grow and flourish.

An orchid is like a child, once you have the right surroundings you will then be able to bring out the best in it.

Technorati Tags: flowers, gardening, gardening tips, Growing orchids indoors, orchids, plants

Everyone I talk to this year is battling strange summer weather conditions. It may be a drought, too much rain or cold weather. Weather that is abnormal or constantly changes will make for poor crops and plant diseases.
photo credit: aresauburn™

Rainfall every other day creates the perfect setup for foliar fungal diseases on vegetables.

Many fungal diseases thrive and spread in a humid climate where plants stay wet for long periods of time.

Other fungi prefer cooler wet weather.

Whichever situation you are facing in your area, these conditions will create plant disease unless extra steps are taken to help.

Good air circulation will help plants stay healthy. Remove any sickly leaves and keep weeds down.  You may also decide to plant disease resistant vegetable varieties as a precaution for humid or wet weather conditions.

Fungicides such as Daconil can be used to help combat these diseases. Always make sure you diagnosis the plants problem before spraying a fungicide.

Many fungal diseases appear first as leaf spots. Common plant diseases in the garden are early blight and late blight on tomatoes and Irish potatoes, rust on snap and pole beans, and powdery mildew on squash, cucumbers and watermelons.

Another weather condition that affects the vegetable garden is fluctuations in day and night temperatures.

Stunted growth and dieback may occur and about the only way to correct this is to replant the plants. It may seem drastic but unhealthy plants do not produce well and may spread disease to healthy plants

Deformed tomatoes or catfacing are common problems if the weather is cool and cloudy at the time of bloom. And tomatoes tend to crack during rainy periods when the temperature is relatively high. This happens more when rains follow a long, dry period.

Many of the cosmetic flaws found on fruit may be attributed to drastic changes in temperature and moisture levels during the flowering sage and even during the first stages of fruit developing.

Lack of pollination, petal drop, or no fruit in some vegetables may also be attributed to drastic changes in weather patterns or abnormal temperatures.

Sprays will help any disease from plants that are stressed from bad weather conditions but poor fruit or vegetable crops really cant be controlled unless you grow you crops in containers, which can be moved indoors or into a greenhouse or if you can cover your crops.

Poor weather conditions can affect any area and my NW Pennsylvania garden has seen a few too many unpredictable gardens seasons in the last few years.

For this reason I have learned to always grow a few tomato and pepper plants on the patio or in a greenhouse. I also grow strawberries year round in hanging baskets. I also keep row cover handy for covering my plants against rain and cooler nights.
photo credit: quinn.anya

If your garden is suffering from poor climate conditions these ideas may help and your weather may also improve.

Technorati Tags: gardening tips, plant diseases

I find gourds to be an amazing and interesting crop to grow.

Gourds can vary from the small decorative gourds most popular for fall decorations and to the dishrag gourds used for cleaning. And who can forget the larger gourds that are used for canteens or even tables or toy boxes.  
photo credit: timlewisnm

I have grown almost every variety of gourd there is and in my zone 5 climate this can be a challenge.  Many of the larger gourds can take 125 to 130 days to mature.

This year in my crafting garden I am growing the smaller decorative gourds, two other small gourd varieties and the dishrag gourd.

In my swing set garden I have nine gourd varieties growing and near the barn I have the bushel gourd and two rare gourds that are new to me this year. I separated them from my other gourds so they would not cross-pollinate and I would be able to save seeds.
photo credit: Otto Phokus

My swing set garden is exactly what I named it. I like to grow my gourds vertical so that insects do not bother them and so they grow evenly. Since they are very heavy I needed strong support so I use an old swing set.

By placing a heavy layer of rotted manure in the triangular section of the set, I create a barrier against weeds and also supply a source of nutrition for the gourds, which are heavy feeders.

I place heavy twine from the top of the swing set to stakes in the ground to supply support for the gourd to grow on.

I also include flowers and sunflowers mixed in with the gourds to help attract bees for the gourds pollination. The flowers also add color and interest to the garden area.

Growing gourds on a swing set has improved the quality and production. And later in the year I can cover the swing set with clear plastic if I need to extend the season for a week or two.
photo credit: Aunt Owwee

I use the gourds I grow for small furniture, gourd instruments, wall decorations, birdhouses and ornaments.

Gourds are a fun crop to grow because you never know exactly what you will get and the gourd has so many uses.

Technorati Tags: gardening tips, Gourds, growing gourds