photo credit: Ryan Somma

Below is a list of advantages to hydroponic indoor gardening when compared to traditional soil based gardening:

1. Once you have made your initial set-up costs, hydroponic gardening is around 20% less expensive to run.

2. You can plant more hydroponic plants in a smaller area. This is because the roots do not need to grow as large as they have easier access to nutrients. This is despite your plants actually growing larger too!

3. Maintenance time is greatly reduced! There is of course no need to water hydroponic plants and weeding doesn’t exist either! All you’ll ever need to do is pick the plants once they are ready!

4. The yield is year round and permanent as you have full control over growing conditions and you will have made them optimum for whatever you are growing. This is great for when it’s off season as you can sell them for higher prices.

5. You can grow them anywhere; basement, living room, bedroom, corridor, attic, greenhouse, garage or rooftop.

6. Your hydroponic indoor gardening will result in a crop that is on average 40% larger. This is because you have created the ideal environment for them and they have constant access to nutrients.

7. As you will not be watering them, there is no danger of them being over or under watered. This is a common mistake with many novice gardeners.

8. For the reasons listed above, your plants will grow up to 50% faster. This is great if you have a large family to feed or you’re planning on selling them.

9. There is no need to have a garden for hydroponic indoor gardening. So if you live in the arctic or the desert you’re fine! More realistically, if you live in a high rise apartment block you can still do it!

Hydroponic Indoor Gardening is a fun and exciting hobby which you can realistically make a lot of money from! If you’re interested then you should learn more about Hydroponic Indoor Gardening!

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For example, planting a sun lover like hibiscus in the shade will result in a slow growth and decline, which will usually lead to disease and insect problems, followed by its demise. Planting a giant shrub like a viburnum against the foundation of your house will result in you clipping the shrub several times each year to keep it somewhat under control.

I usually research my shrub online or from a garden book and choose my location before I buy the plant. This way I can dig a hole and be ready to plant the shrub as soon as I get home. If I have pre-dug the hole I water the hole the night before I get the shrub.

If I find a shrub and bring it home, I water the shrub well and sit it in the shade, dig a hole, water the hole and plant the shrub the next day.

Why water a hole? It lets me see if the location drains well and I also make sure the surrounding water is damp and moist. This will help the shrub adapt to its new surrounding faster.

Other tips for planting a shrub

• Plant your container grown or balled shrubs in early spring or fall, while temperatures are mild. Bare root shrubs should be planted in early spring, so they have the rest of the growing season to get established.
• Dig a hole approximately 1 ½ times the size of the root ball. Amend the soil minimally. I use compost in the bottom of the hole and mix a small amount of compost in the soil that I have removed for the shrub. When roots encounter overly rich soil surrounded by a wall of clay, they tend to grow back into the amended area, producing a root-bound effect. Since my soil tens to be heavy clay this step is important for me.
• Tamp the soil back into the hole with your foot, eliminating air pockets. Air pockets cause poor drainage and the roots of the shrub will not breath properly leading to a sickly shrub that grows slowly.
• Water the shrub with a trickle from the hose, drip irrigation or with plastic milk jugs until the area is saturated. Continue providing one inch of water per week during the growing season.
• It’s best to reduce competition from weeds by installing a weed mat or 2 to 3 inches of mulch. Your shrub will grow better and you will have less work. You could also plant a shallow-rooted ground cover around the base of the shrub. Periwinkle is a good choice for a ground cover.
• When planting shrubs, plant in a group of three to five. Repetition and odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye and have a more natural look. If you consider your shrub to be a stand-alone specimen, plant some smaller shrubs in front of it to give a layered look. The addition of perennial flowers in the group will also add to the planting.

Shrubs add to the beauty and relaxation of your yard. They also make a great backdrop for flowers and soften the edges of your home and garden areas.

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The best chance a gourmet has of getting delicious fruits and vegetables is to raise them himself and this is the best chance he has of keeping in good health too.
photo credit: Sistak

Good home-grown vegetables are both aesthetically better and more practical in terms of use. These are the reasons people who want to raise vegetables they cannot buy and then cook them in ways that will bring out priceless flavor.

It goes without saying that, just as the most brilliant cook can do only so much with stale and tasteless vegetables, so the most delicious vegetables any man ever grew can be quickly spoiled by bad, or even by merely unimaginative, cooking.

The usual fate of the stale vegetables we now buy is to be overcooked. In short, they never had much life, they lost in shipping most of the life they had, and the cook then cooks all the life out of them.

Now Lets start with your garden

Remember that the spot where you plant must have plenty of sun. You can build your own soil if you have to. But you can, not supply sunlight, except maybe by cutting a branch off a tree to let sunlight through or by taking down a board fence. If you live in a small town or in the open country and have a choice of sites, a good piece of ground is one that slopes just enough to drain easily.

If it slopes south or, better still, southeast so much the better. Dig a hole a foot deep and see what kind of soil you have. Normally the top few inches will be much darker and much more crumbly than what lies below. This is your topsoil: it is dark because it contains “humus” decayed vegetable matter. The subsoil below it may contain minerals but it lacks humus.

Put an ounce or two of each in a small container and find out from your County Agricultural Agent or from the Department of Agriculture in your state capital where to send them for analysis.

The analysis you get will tell you whether you need the three elements plants need most, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

Results of the analysis can also show whether fertilizer and rain are significant factors in your garden.

Also it may be able to determine whether your soil is too acid and needs calcium. If it does, you should spread agricultural lime on it, not quicklime. Commercial lawn fertilizers and garden fertilizers are available which combine nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

If you can’t get your flower bed soil professionally tested, there are now on the market inexpensive “soil kits,” which are advertised in garden magazines and at Amazon.

Technorati Tags: container gardening, gardening, plant care, plants, vegetables

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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

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Creating a Harry Potter theme garden will depend on your growing climate, plants available and a little creativity on your part.

Hagrid, a popular character from the story, had a garden along with a charming cottage. The cottage would be somewhat difficult to copy but a fairie house would be a good replacement and fairie homes have that mystical feel to them.

Pumpkins also grew in Hagrid’s garden. In the current movie Hagrid grows huge orange pumpkins. Any pumpkin would fit in this theme garden including the miniature pumpkins, or the Lumina pumpkins (called ghost pumpkins by some), which are white on the outside and orange on the inside.

Hellebores, which grow in a multitude of colors varieties, grow well in many climates. They are mentioned many times in the Harry Potter series and are used for making potions. The Kingston cardinal is one example of a Hellebore.
photo credit: alice-palace

There are many magical plants mentioned in the Harry Potter movie but they are not real.

But with a little creativity you can substitute actual plants in your own Harry Potter theme garden creation.

For example,

• you could use  Balloon flowers or Chinese lanterns in place of puffapods.
• The money plant has a unique look and would fit into the garden well.
• Flowering cabbage or kale could be used to represent mandrakes.
• Bat plants, Venus flytrap and any evening flower such as a moonflower would add interest to the garden.
• And you will find many herbs would have a look that would fit into this them garden well. Ginger, sage, nettle and wormwood are a few examples.

You will learn more about all the magical plants in the world of Harry Potter by visiting  the plant section of the Harry Potter Lexicon website.

Night lights and garden art would add more interest too as would varying heights in the garden. And any garden seems to benefit from mini pond or rustic fountain.

This is a project your children may really enjoy and lead them to years of gardening. And any theme garden add fun to your garden and backyard

Technorati Tags: plants, theme garden, Theme Gardens

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A great, low maintenance way to decorate your garden is with the use of vines, since they look good on almost anything. If You’ve got a fence that stands out in your lush green garden, growing a vine over it can be a quick and beautiful solution. Depending on what look you want, there are many vines that can meet your needs.
photo credit: DominusVobiscum

Trying to find an alternative to grass? Ground vines are a great way to easily cover ground, and since they are so easily directed, you can use them to make a border around your garden, or even have them weave throughout your plants. Some varieties of the ground vine are resilient enough to survive being stepped on, and even survive dogs!

Along with ground vines, “twining” vines are vines that make their way up a lattice or any equally porous surface by sending out small tendrils that latch on and loop onto whatever is close enough to reach in their search for the sun. While they require a lot of direction at first, once these vines have grown a bit, they require almost no care.

Ivy is a vine that nearly everyone is used to seeing. It is this way because Ivy is one of the most adaptable and resilient types of vines growing, and it can grow pretty much anywhere. Ivy is great to use for ground cover, and it will also grow up any wall you put it near. Over the years, however, people have found that buildings covered in Ivy have been deteriorating because of it.

If you are looking for a natural way to improve the architecture of your home, or simply want to go green, vines are the way to go! A great way is with Virginia Creeper, a “twining” vine that can grow up a wall of any home in a matter of months. Make sure to keep your eye on it, though; while it looks great when its where you want it, it can very easily take over your home.

So no matter what you want to do with a vine, you should have no problem getting it to grow. You should always do your research beforehand and find out about any negative qualities the vine has (such as its ability to destroy buildings, as is the case with Ivy) and researching how fast the vine will grow, especially if you plan on using it on your home.

Technorati Tags: container gardening, creative gardening, decorating, Exterior Design, flowers, gardening, Home and Gardening, home improvement, landscaping, lawn care, plants, thegardenersrake.com, Yard Care

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March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers, so runs the old saying. A little hard work helps, too, and if the first two arrive on schedule the spring work will be well under way.
photo credit: Allie_Caulfield

It also takes good soil to produce flowers but what to add and what not to add to make it good is often a problem. Should it be manure, bone meal or lime?

Every garden needs fertilizer in some form in the spring and when the second crops go into the soil in summer the plant foods need to be replenished. Farmyard manure, particularly cow manure, is still considered an ideal fertilizer by many gardeners.

For flower and vegetable gardens it should be fresh manure, not rotted. A good organic dry fertilizer is favored by many in preference to chemical fertilizers.

Dry fertilizers are best used in combination with liberal amounts of rotted compost. Theyre available everywhere, and frequently are specially prepared for various kinds of plants and flowers as well as vegetables.

Lime is often beneficial and sometimes necessary but it is usually not needed every year. Low lying, heavy wet soils are likely to need it every second year. Average soil requires lime once each three or four years.

However, outside of the lime belt it might be needed more frequently. When in doubt about the needs of your soil your state experiment station or local farm bureau will test it for you or you can purchase a simple home soil testing kit that will provide all the needed information.

Superphosphate

Superphosphate should be added to the soil when cow manure is used, since the latter generally lacks phosphates or at least enough for best results.

Perennial Borders

Perennial borders need a little extra nourishment in the spring as soon as there is sufficient growth to show where all the plants are. Manure and bone meal or dry fertilizer should be dug in. Perennial borders properly fed and cared for will grow along for years.

Large clumps of perennials can be separated now unless they are the spring blooming kind but fall is the better time for this job if there are many plants to be divided.
photo credit: audreyjm529

Gall on Spruce Trees

Spruce tree gall is caused by a midge that lays its eggs on the young tips of the spruce tree, and the developing young within the plant cause the formation of galls or burrs. Affected trees should be sprayed with a miscible oil spray that has been diluted according to instructions for use on evergreens.

Shaded Corner Garden

A shaded corner in the garden or a northern exposure is ideal for tuberous begonias. Start them in flats in an enclosed porch or in the greenhouse in equal quantities of sand, leafmold or peatmoss and soil.

Plant with the rounded end down and about one-third of the tuber exposed. When they have made an inch or two of growth and there is no danger of frost they can be planted out into well-prepared soil in the shade. They can also be potted into 4 or 5-inch pots and put outdoors later on. (This is safer where there is danger of a late frost.)

Gladiolus

Plant gladiolus as soon as the ground is ready. To do their best gladiolus should have rich soil. Plant about 4 inches deep and for a longer season put in succession plantings up to July 15. To control thrips spray the plants every two weeks with malathion. Do not plant gladiolus in the same spot two years in succession.

Planting A Strawberry

Strawberry plants should be planted this month to bear fruit next year. To be sure of a good crop of berries prepare the bed with liberal quantities of manure or compost and dry fertilizer and water well in dry weather. Either young plants from an old bed or purchased plants may be set out. It does not pay to keep a bed past its second fruiting year.

For best results dig one old bed under each year after taking the young runner plants from it. Then start a new bed with them. Start the new bed in a spot that has not had strawberries in it for at least two years.

Vegetables

Vegetables to sow. Seeds suggested for March sewing, if not already in, can still be sown new. In late April or early May put in succession planings of lettuce, beets, carrots and radishes, and the first sewing of green beans. Even a first sewing of corn could go in if the garden is in a favored spot and you wish to take a chance.

Small frequent succession sewings assure a constant supply of first class vegetables. Also in late April plant out all hardy vegetables – broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and cauliflower. Do not put out tender plants till after May 15 to 25.

Annuals

Start annuals now including marigolds, zinnias, cosmos and asters, all fast-growing plants. These if can be sewn indoors or outdoors late in April and May in the locations where they are to flower. After germination thin out the seedlings. These annuals often flower best when sewn outdoors directly but these sewn indoors and then set out flower earlier.

Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemum cuttings for fall flowering may be taken in April and May. Take the tops of strong, healthy growth and root in sand. Use a rooting hormone. It is also a good time to divide outdoor patio plants with several stems, taking a small piece of root with each part. Such a division is called an “Irishmans cutting” and can be started in a soil mixture in pets or flats. This is particularly good for outdoor chrysanthemums or where there is no greenhouse.

Outdoor chrysanthemums should be lifted each spring, broken up in this manner, and then started off again as separate plants. They will need to be pinched several times to make them branch. Plants net divided become thin, weak and flower poorly.

Harden off plants before setting out. Seedlings started in a greenhouse, hotbed or perch are tender and must be hardened off before planting out time. Even such hardy types as lettuce and cabbage freeze easily if taken from the warm indoors and immediately planted into the garden.

Place the plants on a cool porch or in a cold frame for about 10 days, allowing the temperature to become quite low and give plenty of ventilation. On extremely cold nights they need covering to keep out frost.

Technorati Tags: backyard garden, container gardening, creative gardening, fertilizer, garden, plants

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This last summer I went to an auction at a greenhouse and picked up eight different varieties of ground covers. I placed them in a holding garden until I would be able to use them this spring. The weather is finally improving in my zone 5 growing climate so next week I should be able to divide the ground cover and start re-designing the backyard and garden areas.

I have a terraced bank I will use some of the plants in and empty spaces along a storm pathway. I will also be using some under the row of trees in the front yard. These trees have roots that want to pop out of the ground making mowing dangerous so I plant to mulch the area and add mostly round covers and a few shade loving perennials for added color and as focal points.

Ground Cover tips

• Ground covers work well near the house in front of shrubs and bushes, and in areas you do not want to mow.  And if you choose a tight-growing ground cover it will help to suppress weeds.
• If you plan to use ground cover to suppress grass or weeds make sure the ground is grass and weed free first. This will help the ground cover to grow and acclimate to its new home faster plus the plants will form a cover to help keep weeds and grass choked out for years to come with little work
• When choosing ground cover make sure to find plants that grow in you climate and check to see what lighting requirements they have.
• Ground covers come in low growing varieties that don’t need mowed and taller varieties. They may or may not have flowers. The only precaution I know of is that some ground covers will spread, so again check growing instructions or ask your nursery for information on the plant.
  photo credit: D G Brown

One of my favorite ground covers is thyme. I like the fragrance it emits when you walk on it. There is also a pretty moss ground cover that looks wonderful in rock gardens and on stone walls.And by adding flowering bulbs or a few annual flowers in the ground cover you will create a inviting look with very little work or care needed.

Ground covers will add to the beauty and ease of your backyard garden tasks. You may want to consider adding them to your garden design.

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Here is a list of some of the more popular shade plants

1. Begonias
2. Day Lilies
3. Ferns
4. Hostas (many colors and sizes available)
5. Impatiens (many colors available)
6. Lilies of the Valley
7. Violets

photo credit: ClatieK

Shade gardens have a more realistic look if you take the time to look around your yard and neighborhood to see what plants naturally grow in shade. Take a few suggestions from Mother Nature and you will notice a difference between the sun loving plants and shade plants.  You may even consider digging up a few found or foraged plants from the woods or roadsides.

You should be able to find day lilies, ferns, violets, lambs ears, violets and many more wild plants. These perennials thrive in the shade and multiply with a little care. Collect a few of these kinds of plants for your space and then add other perennials and annuals to the collection.

Tips for arranging and planting shade plants .

• Silver leafed plants like lambs ears or the annual Dusty miller will add contrast to the dark green leaves of hostas.
• Textures like feathery ferns will lighten heavy canna leaves and add a feel of air and depth to a garden.
• Impatiens come in a variety of color and look great mixed in with mint.
• If you keep the colors muted it will add a calming affect. An example would be purples and blues and whites and pinks to contrast with the different shades of green.

To plant a shade theme garden first prepare the soil and get out weed and rocks. Place your bigger plants that add emphasis to the garden. Larger plants usually look better in the background of your garden where they will emphasis the small plants in front.

Once you have several plants down, mulch with a well ground root mulch. This will serve as a moisture retainer during dryer spells and add a polished look to the garden area. Do not use wood chips in a shade garden.

If you add rocks, driftwood, or garden art you give the area a touch of you own personality. Stepping-stones and hummingbird feeders will also help add to the charm of the garden area. These creative gardening ideas will  add fun and surprises to your yard

With proper planning, those shady areas of the yard that sometimes can be hard to manage turn into one of the most pleasing and restful places in the yard.

Tips: Herbs and edibles like kale and lettuce and also add color and interest into your shade garden

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photo credit: Zesmerelda

The Staghorn is a fern from the Platycerium genus. There are 18 fern species in the Polypod family. Ferns in this genus are widely known as Staghorn or Elkhorn fern because of their uniquely shaped fronds. This genus is epiphytic and is native to tropical areas of South America Africa Southeast Asia Australia and New Guinea. To grow them  in my Zone 5 it would be an indoor plant and I would have to have a humid tropical environment.

In your home, if you want it to grow successfully you need to create the environment it gets in the wild from trees. This makes it very different from other houseplants but if you get used to its requirements its not that hard to grow.

You will usually purchase a Staghorn fern that is ready to hang and grow but if you don’t you need to create an outdoor woody home for the fern. To do this wrap the root ball in a mixture of sphagnum moss and coarse peat moss.

Then you will need to tie the wrapped roots to a slab of bark with string. This will simulate the way Staghorn ferns grow in nature. This is the part I like best about the Staghorn fern. Choosing the bark it hangs from! I will spend a day in the woods finding a unique piece of bark with character.

Hang the fern and bark piece on a wall or from the ceiling. The Staghorn fern requires bright, but filtered light. If you hang the plant in front of a window, which receives direct sunlight you will need to place a transparent curtain over the window. The natural lighting from a window facing a south or east window is the best lighting for the
fern.

Water the Staghorn fern by dipping its bark and root ball in a bucket of water. Water only after the bark and root ball are completely dry or the fronds begin to droop. Let the root ball and bark soak up water for 15 minutes in the spring, summer and fall, but only for a few minutes in the winter. After this step I usually let it drip over a pan.

You may need to add additional bark as the roots fill up the first bark piece. You can do this by attaching new bark carefully to the old by nailing or tying it to the old bark. The roots will move into the new bark.

Additional growing tips

Staghorn ferns like temperatures of 65 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and will grow poorly in temperatures that are under 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mist the fronds once a week with a fine mist of soft water. This will wash away dirt and dust and keeps the humidity high around the plant. After you mist the plant gently wipe off any excess water left on the leaves.

The Staghorn ferns roots are naturally adapted for growing in bark and will grow best this way. They really do not do well in ordinary pots and just don’t have the natural artistic look in a pot.

Staghorn ferns do not usually require fertilizer. They will usually get the nutrients they needs from the bark.

When you spray or clean the fronds do not wipe them off with harsh materials like a sponge. Sponges will remove the fronds fuzzy exterior thus damaging the plant.

Technorati Tags: creative gardening, indoor plants, plants, staghorn fern

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