Orchids are very beautiful and delicate flowers, but they can be difficult to grow because they are temperamental by nature. Use a combination of any of the mediums you like, or use them individually.
And the scent! The heavenly scent of herbs is one of the many reasons I have chosen to pursue learning all I can about them.Well, it's an ambitious start, especially because most of this project will begin by planting herb seeds rather than by buying...
The reason for sampling several spots is that since soil is in continuous movement from gravity, moisture, root growth, shade, earthworms, microbes and more, the overall sample will be a better representation of my soil.
To increase acidity, you'll need to add elemental sulphur or peat moss . And if there's one thing that will keep your soil productive for many years to come, it's monitoring your soil pH.
If you have soils with high nitrogen content, adding sawdust will leach this nutrient from your soils. In fact, in some instances these additives have been shown to retard plant growth instead.
About the Author: Horticulturalist Jessica Walliser is the author of Good Bug, Bad Bug: Who's Who, What They Do and How to Manage Them Organically (St. Lynn's Press, 2008) and co-host of Pittsburgh's top-rated gardening radio program, The Organic Gardeners...
With no easy rule of thumb here, it is best to check with the testing agency for recommendations on how to navigate the CEC of your soil. For that reason, as you dig in, consider trying more comprehensive tests over time from private labs.
Wood ash was also one of the first commodities that the American colonies provided England. Since 2012, the folks at the Rich Earth Institute in Brattleboro, Vt., have recruited 170 volunteers for an experiment in pee-cycling .
These raw materials don't break down as fast, thus allowing for long-term availability in soil. Healthy garden soil is the key to a healthy crop—and a healthy you! With these five steps, you'll be on your way to growing a better garden this year.
If your area is just beginning to look for plant-based medicinals, perhaps you take just one cutting and dry it for this purpose. As a medicinal, alfalfa is sold dry, mainly for tea.
They need a balanced diet of elements drawn up from the soil through their roots. Some root systems, like the carrot , have a single thick taproot, while others, like grasses and sunflowers , have a fibrous network.
Below are some sample recipes that can guide your venture, but feel free to experiment with ingredients to suit the nutritional needs of your container garden. Soil-less Container Mix 1/2 cubic yard sphagnum peat moss 1/2 cubic yard vermiculite 10 pounds...
Later in the summer, the soil keeps the temperature in the crop canopy from rising too high during extreme heat, protecting the plants from stress. Soil—When Properly Tended—Allows Air We don't usually think of roots as having to breathe, but the...
Hulls/Shells A number of mulches on the market are made from the hulls or shells of various plants. In fact, digging or tilling in clay soil that is too wet actually compacts rather than aerates the soil.
If you leave the mulch there, it would eventually break down and become a part of the soil. Sometimes you'll even find instructions to extract them, whether it's using water and gypsum to leach sodium or sawdust to pull out nitrogen.
The leaves can be cut and used as mulch or fertilizer or added to compost. They're easy to grow from seed, pretty, and can be planted with any vegetables. The plant will grow back several times in a season.
But I'm always looking for other ways to use my spent potting soil. Here are four ways to breathe new life into old potting soil. Because these plants will find a permanent home in a garden, they won't be in the container long enough to notice the lack...
To clean up the dirt, I pass it through my big green sifter. Two of my favorite tools are my soil sifters. Me, I'll be busy today liberating another piece of my garden from the Rock and Stone troops.
Root crops, for example, tend to perform better when given a bit more phosphorus. Soil fertilizers, particularly organic fertilizers, are slower-acting than foliar feeds, so you'll need some patience and planning.
Put underlayment in the bed. This is often a complicated decision because of the many choices. Otherwise, you can sink metal stakes inside the walls and secure them with pipe clamps prior to filling.
There is so much to know about your soil that can help you grow a better, more productive garden. Choose 10 to 20 different sampling sites within the testing area. Soil tests are also available to test for contaminants , like lead and other heavy metals.
Most plants will do well if the pH range falls between 6.0 and 7.5.However certain plants will not thrive if the pH falls outside of the desirable range of that particular plant. I was quite shocked when I recently received the results of a soil test...
The sunshine reflecting on the bottles is attractive and although the plantings are still young and the garden will become better looking in a few years, it is already much nicer than the scrub trees and wild berry vines that used to choke the area.
Red soils, for example, are typically iron-rich, but often it is in the insoluble form of the mineral. Soils can have a lot of iron, but plants growing in them can still be iron-deficient.
Unfortunately, at this point, the overall growing-season outlook for 2013 isn't great, either. “As far as vegetation goes, [a warm year] shows advanced or very favorable conditions in place for the planting of crops, emergence and vegetative growth,...
Amounts less than 7 pounds can be applied in a single application. In addition to using amendments, build raised beds to encourage crop areas to drain faster. The key to good soil is good soil management.
This means that anytime dry matter—straw, leaves, wood chips, etc.—is added to a garden before it has been composted, it should be added at least four months prior to a crop planting, and at least six months before for wood chips.
