Understanding the Use of Fertilizer (home composting)
No commentsBy Mohammed Wilder
Commonly used to promote growth in plants, fertlizer is applied to the soil after being obtained naturally or through a chemical process. Due to the fact that natural products are generally more healthy than those that are manufactured, natural fertilizer is often the best type to use. Fertilizer, alone, is designed to provide three major plant nutrients in various proportions. Humans need nutrition in order to grow and thrive as do plants and it is important to make sure that crops receive the proper care and nutrition during their growth process.
Chemical fertilizer may lead to surface runoff if over applied, which is easier to do than with natural products. This can often lead to problems with growing and may even be dangerous to wildlife. While it is also possible to over apply natural fertilizer, their release rates are generally much less than with chemical products.
Depending on the fertilizer, various storage requirements must be met. If purchased commercially, it is best to carefully study the ingredients and storage instructions on the fertilizer packaging. Knowledge of the nutrient content and requirements will help to maintain a healthy crop, usable fertilizer and less pollution to the garden.
Fertilizer is commonly used in gardening, but it also used for growing flowers and plants. Commercial fertilizer is available at most home improvement stores or in the gardening department at most retailers. Because plants and gardens are not abundant during the winter months, most fertilizer products are sold just before spring as planting becomes seasonal. If planting is done too early, a late frost may eliminate the crops and will ultimately be a waste of planting and fertilizer. When the weather is ideal for planting, typically in the early spring, fertilizer will be widely available in stores.
Various climates and geographical locations will provide for different crop planting seasons. Some areas may have success with gardening during most of the year while other parts of the world are restricted to mainly spring and summer months. Extreme cold and inclement weather will reek havoc on crops, which is why it is important to know the optimal growing season for each individual location.
When purchasing fertilizer, it is recommended that individuals thoroughly read the care and usage instructions. In addition, any caution and/or warning labels should be read carefully before proceeding with use. These products should be kept out of children’s reach and may also prove harmful for animals.
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Your Source For Composting Instructions And Information
Featuring a Pond in Your Garden
By Mohammed Wilder
Want to be the envy of all the neighbours in the avenue then a water feature has to be placed into the garden. What ever fancy garden ornamentation that is to be - is entirely up to your own choosing. Because of the many designs and fixtures you may come up against problems in trying to decide what water garden feature to have.
The pond is a water feature found in most gardens today in all shapes and sizes and enhanced to the full with added extras to set the scene. Water lilies - bull rushes and reeds are just a few to mention. But it is the under water life that makes the pond more attractive (fish)
Remember when adding a water feature to the garden - take extra precautions in the safety measures where children are concerned.
Water garden features like the pond and the fish also need care and attention. Ponds have to be cleaned regular and fish need to be fed. Questions that crop up from many water garden owners is how to feed the fish - what type of feed should be used - how much and how often. Well the answer to that is there is no real fixed amount of fish food to give.
Of course there are some important issues on what to feed the fish. You have to take into account the fishs size its appetite and their delicate digestive system which can differ due to water temperature changes.
Beginning from early spring to late autumn you will find the fish very energetic so it will do no harm to feed them every day. If the fish are prepared to take more then so be it. Remember you are not force feeding them so if the fish dont want to bite then they wont. However, towards the colder months lessen the frequency of feed intake. Sometimes due to the fishs stillness at winter time then no feed is necessary
Try not to instigate problems for your fishs well being by denying them the right food.
While the fish are in the mood to dine it is best to serve up a dish that will help them to stay active and healthy. Nourishing fish food is highly recommended. Bread/biscuit meal and ants eggs are less nutritional and can cause problems to the digestive system. Floating pellets filled with high-protein are very nutritious. By feeding the fish this way you get to see more of them as they surface for feeding.
Once the garden is the way you have always dreamed of full of foliage -shrubs and sweet scented flowers and of course your water garden feature - then remember that all the surrounding plant growth will attract insects so feeding the fish at this time is not necessary. Natural food supply should start to continue again with pellets in the autumn, this will help perk the fish up in their preparation to face the winter. Repeat pellet feeding in spring it will help the fish recover more rapidly ready for breeding.
Water features and creatures go hand in hand in adding beauty to the garden. Expect toads - newts and frogs to hang out in the pond area. Your water garden has not only given you a garden ornament that the neighbours would die for - it is the thought of giving a home to natures aquatic water life.
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Not Found in Your Local Greenhouse
By Abel Jones
Do you scour your seed catalogs or look at all the new varieties that have come out in your gardening magazines? You can’t wait to go to your local greenhouse and purchase them for your garden or flower bed. But when you get there, you find they don’t carry that variety.
Why not start them yourself?
So how do you start? First of all make a list of the varieties that look interesting to you. If you are a newbie at seed starting, try and pick some plants that would be easy to grow. There is no use getting discouraged with finicky plants your first time at it. Also keep your list to a minimum. You don’t want to overload yourself in the beginning.
Purchase seeds early enough in the season so that you can give them a good start if they need extra time. If seed companies haven’t been sending you catalogs, then go on the internet and search for seed catalogs and I’m sure you can find some sites that will be happy to send you a catalog.
Some plants need a long growing season, so you will need to start them early in the house if you live in the northern areas of the country. Vegetable plants like tomatoes and peppers or flowers such as impatiens and pansies.
What do you need if you are going to start your own seeds? Clean containers, good soilless seed starting mix, fertilizer, warmth, and plenty of light. You can buy special containers, re-use some from plants you have purchased, or some type of container you have around the house. I use empty milk cartons plenty of times. You can also use the milk cartons for making labels so you remember what seeds are in the container.
Do you happen to have some old seeds from past projects that were never used? See if they are still viable by pre-sprouting. Dampen paper towels, spread out the seeds, and put the folded towel in a bag. Place in a warm area and check every few days. If they haven’t sprouted in 10-14 days, I would give up and throw them out. You can also do this to speed up the germination of new seeds before you plant. Just handle very carefully when planting so you don’t damage the root. This is not good to do with very small seeds.
You are now ready to plant. If you are re-using cell packs or flats, wash first with a mild dish detergent and then dip in a mix of 1 part bleach to 9 parts hot water, let dry. In cell packs, place 2 seeds in each cell to be sure of getting at least one sprouted seed. If two sprout, snip out the weaker of the two with scissors. Very fine seeds could be spread onto a flat filled to the brim for good air flow.
Start at the right time. If started too early, seedlings will get weak and spindly without good lighting. If you don’t have a really good sunny windowsill you will need a special grow light to be sure of good growth.
When it is time to put your plants in the ground, you will want to harden them off for a few days to prepare them for the outdoor environment. One way is to hold off on the water a little and also place them outside for just a few hours a day, increasing the time gradually. In a week they should be able to handle the outside world without transplant shock.
Do you have a little experience starting your own seeds? Maybe you want to try something a little more challenging. How about tree, shrubs, or wildflower seeds? Generally, these seeds need stratification to germinate. That is, they need to go through some cold and moist temperatures plus warmth to break dormancy. Some will want darkness and some light. You need to know the specifics of the plant you want to start.
To stratify your seeds try this method. Sow seeds in moist soilless mix in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid or plastic wrap to hold the moisture and prevent spills. You don’t need a large amount of mix to get them to sprout. Place in the refrigerator for one week and then remove to let them warm up for a day or two. Place in the freezer for one week and then remove to let them warm up again. Alternate this method at least twice before keeping them in a warm environment to allow them to germinate.
If you have some really hard seeds, then you can try scarification by rubbing the seed with sandpaper or an emery board. You can also nick the seed with a knife but be sure not to damage the embryo.
Learning to start seeds can be fun and rewarding but it can also be frustrating if you don’t take time to learn the basics before moving on to the harder to start varieties.
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Thursday, March 25th, 2010 at 4:00 pm and is filed under gardening. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
