Gardening is a relaxing hobby, and it does not cost a lot of money. Horticulture can also help bring families, friends, and neighborhoods together. Children usually take interest in seeing plants grow or by catching bugs. Horticulture can also help appreciate outdoor life and nature. This article is packed with tips you should use to improve your garden, perhaps with the help of the people you care about.
Pay attention to how you lay sod. Get your soil ready before you lay your sod. Pull out any weeds and break up the soil. The next step is compacting your soil and carefully leveling it. Thoroughly moisten the soil. Sod should be placed in rows that are staggered, where the joints connect to offset each other. Sod should be firm and have an even, flat surface without gaps. For the best results, you need to water the sod every day for a two week period. After this time the sod will have rooted into the soil and can be now walked on.
If you work with clay soil, you have probably found using a shovel very frustrating and exhausting. To make your digging project easier, apply a coat of automobile wax to your shovel first and then buff it lightly. The shovel will glide through the clay and as a bonus, your shovel will be resistant to rust.
Use biennials and annuals to add color to your flower beds. Using a variety of flowers allows your flower garden to have a different look each season. Sunny areas in the middle of shrubs and perennials can be filled in nicely with these plants. Some examples include sunflowers, marigolds, petunias, hollyhocks, cosmos, and rudbeckia.
Make sure you protect any tender deciduous shrubs. If you have a few potted shrubs, they should be shielded from the wintry weather. Tie the tops together, and loosely cover the wigwam with a blanket or sheet. This will work better than wrapping your plant with plastic, because air can still circulate, which will help to prevent rotting.
Interested in using Mother Nature to keep pests at bay the natural way? A good way to keep slugs away is to create a border with onions around a garden with vegetables. Marigolds would do this trick as well. Insects also avoid shrubs and trees that are mulched with wood ash. With these natural methods, there is no need to purchase expensive, harsh pesticides.
Buy a wheelbarrow and kneeling stool to work with in the garden. Working in the garden means you’ll be down on the ground a lot. This can cause knee pain, so if you have a stool, you’ll have an easier time. Horticulture also typically involves transporting bags of topsoil, fertilizer and other heavy items, so using a wheelbarrow to make these tasks easier is a sound investment for your garden, and your back.
To give them a helping hand, pour the water you obtain after steaming vegetables over your plants. Used teabags or grounds from coffee are a great way to add acid to the soil. If you are having problems with fungus, you may find that sprinkling Chamomile tea on the plant is effective.
You should protect the knees if you are kneeling in the garden. Many people can not bend over for long periods of time while they are standing up. Kneeling is a good way to reach plants without causing back stress. For extra comfort, purchase a knee pad for use as a cushion between your knees and the ground.
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You can use these hints whether you garden alone, or with family and friends. Bu following this article’s advice, you will find gardening to be enjoyable.