In the green horticulture world, it is important to take the best care of your organic garden that you can. A little extra gardening know-how doesn't hurt either. Nurturing your organic garden ensures that your veggies are bigger and your flowers are more beautiful. Keep reading for tips on how to transform your organic garden into the best that it can be.
Do not plant perennials that are prone to snail infestation. A plant can be completely demolished overnight by slugs and snails. These pests are particularly fond of young perennials and those varieties with leaves that are tender, smooth, and thin. There are perennials that slugs do not want to eat, the ones that they hate have hairy leaves, or are unappealing to their taste. Some of examples of these are achillea, heuchera, campanula, helleborus, and euphorbia.
Do not mow your lawn close to the bottom. By leaving your grass a little taller, you are allowing it to become stronger, as the roots grow stronger and deeper. Leaving the grass short makes it more prone to drying out, which leaves your lawn look really brown and yucky.
Coffee Grounds
If you find that you have soil that has high amounts of alkaline, mix used coffee grounds throughout the soil. Used coffee grounds will add acidity, helping to optimize the soil's pH. The greens and vegetables need the proper balance and will grow bigger and stronger with the right mix.
Don't over-water your plants, and keep the soil around them aerated. If your plants are moist, this can attract disease and parasites. Fungi is the most common parasite for plants. Fungus can be handled with sprays specifically formulated for fungi control, but you must treat the area with spray before seeing any kind of problems.
Avoid using broad-spectrum pesticides in your garden. Broad-spectrum pesticides will kill insects that are helpful to your garden as well as the harmful ones. The bugs you need are often more fragile than the ones you don't: a pesticide could actually kill the beneficial insects while leaving the pests unaffected. This might result in you having to use even more pesticides to get rid of the pests.
In order to bring in good insects to your garden, you need to plant heather. Bees like heather, and they get their nectar from it early in the spring. Beds of heather are largely undisturbed and make a perfect living space for spiders, beetles and a variety of other beneficial tenants. Always remember this, and wear your horticulture gloves if you prune your heather!
If you have plants inside, make sure the thermostat stays between 65 and 75 degrees. Warm temperatures encourage plant growth. If you are not willing to keep your house that warm during winter, you could always get the organic plants a heat lamp.
Increase your property value with landscaping. When you landscape, you can get one of the highest returns. Some plant investments can raise your resale value by 20% or more. Put plants in your front yard as well as your garden that need low moisture, and are ideal for the environmental conditions that you face.
One of the first things you need to learn about organic horticulture is how to properly prepare flower beds. To begin this process, cut under the turf and leave a space open. After that, flip it until it's upside down, then cover the area using three to four inches of some woods chips. Later, once the chips have decayed somewhat, you can begin to plant in the bed.
Open your mind to the diverse environments that can be created in your garden space. Increasing your plant variety will draw further variety in the wildlife around. Make your garden naturally inviting by planting many different kinds of plants. When you do this you and any guests you have can just sit back and appreciate all that you've done, and the diversity in your garden. Something you can feel satisfied with for years to come.
What plants are native to your area? When choosing plants for landscaping, stick to native flowers, shrubs, and grasses. Plants that are naturally suited to your environmental parameters are unlikely to require the degree of fertilization and chemical pest protection that would have to be expended on other plants. Plants that are native will work with a compost that is made of native ingredients.
If you're preparing to add a new shrub or tree to your organic garden, it's best that the hole you plant them in looks a bit off-balance. If you place a plant in a hole with glazed sides, the roots will not be able to penetrate the soil properly.
If you want to do some organic horticulture, plan ahead. Decide exactly which plants you're going to grow. Different varieties of a particular flower or vegetable require different types of environments. As an example, take the beautiful rose bush. There are hundreds of variances available and while some will do well in your garden, others won't. For this reason, make sure that the varieties of plants you choose will work in your environment.
By having an organic garden, you will be providing yourself with much fresher and more nutritious produce. It does take work and patience, but all is worth it come mealtimes that include your organic, homegrown produce.