Natural Gardening » sunlight

Soil Maintenance in the Garden

lj726 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:37:56 +0000

Soil is the main source of a fertile garden, wealthy yield and healthy life. Maintaining the fertility of the soil is a bit difficult work and can be taken as a challenge for the gardeners and agriculturalists.
Fertile, deep, friable, well-drained soil is necessary for a successful garden. The soil which is well drained and well supplied with organic matter gives a good yield. The soil retentive of moisture and reasonably free of stones is what the garden is exactly in need of.
The soil that is properly prepared becomes a desirable medium for growth and development of root. This would help the roots for better and rapid absorption of water and air. Preparing the garden for planting depend on the type and the location of soil. In general, garden soils should be cover-cropped during the winter to control erosion and to add organic matter.
Good soil for growing vegetables must be protected by proper cultivation, use of organic matter, maintenance of soil fertility, and control of plant pests. Properly prepared soil provides a desirable medium for root development, absorbs water and air rapidly, and usually does not crust badly.
Tillage is required to control weeds, mix mulch or crop residues into the soil. It alters soil structure. Avoiding unnecessary tillage is recommended as it increases crusting on the soil surface and compact the soil.
Fertility requirements differ between long and short growing seasons and among soil types. In almost every State, the Extension Service will test soils and provide fertilizer recommendations. Crops that are resistant to the pests can be planted in the area.
Fencing the garden is also recommended for good yield. Moreover it is useful for the plants that need support. This serves as a trellis for beans, peas, tomatoes, and other crops. It prevents the plants from dogs, rabbits and other animals.
The garden exposed to sufficient sunlight gets much production. Providing fertilizers and organic matters to the garden adds good profit.

Bonsai Tree Maintenance

lj726 — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:48:01 +0000

Most sources on the history of bonsai trees note that a bonsai tree is literally a “plant in a pot” in Chinese. As far as bonsai tree maintenance is concerned, once your tree has been trained into the desired style, the maintenance part is easy.

Outdoor bonsai position:

Generally try to keep the bonsai out of a position of direct sunlight, where they receive good air circulation, relative humidity, and are in a place where they are easily accessible to you for maintenance.

Water frequently:

Generally if you keep your trees outside where rain can water them, you don’t need to worry much in the winter except in times of hot weather or little rain. In the summer you should endeavour to water your plants several times a week, and daily in very hot periods – where you should move the trees into the shade.

Fertilizers:

The most common is pellet-form (such as ‘Osmocote’). This is a slow-release fertilizer which will take care of feeding requirements for several weeks at a time and is probably the type of fertilizer most used by bonsai enthusiasts. Soluble powder and liquid feeds are also used for rapid effect over short-term periods. These are applied to the soil with a watering can and are used up relatively quickly.

Best types of plants to use for bonsai:

Trees/shrubs which are used more commonly for bonsai – and adapt quite well are evergreens such as Pine, Cypress, Camelia, Azalea, Pomegranate, Holly, Serissa, Fig (Rainforest and Mediterranean) and Cedar. Deciduous trees such as Cherry, Maple (Japanese and Trident), Zelkova and Beech are also prime candidates.

Source: http://www.bonsaisite.com/mainten1.html

Tips to Improve Gardening

lj726 — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:48:51 +0000

Gardening can be one of the most relaxing and enjoyable pastimes. Whether you have done it by your own hand or by hired professional to create your garden. The following information should provide some useful gardening tips.

• Place walkways or steeping stones in the garden for easy access and to keep your shoes clean and dry. Cover the soil with a board to kneel while planting. This is to avoid walking on wet clay soil. The footprints compress the soil particles tightly and squeezing out vital oxygen. It’s better to build a hedge, if the path is three feet or more wide.

• Spade compost into lightly moist soil before planting a new garden. Remove weed over the area as you go. Remove its root to prevent the weed from growing back. Just trimming and cutting will give only temporary result. Then break up the soil into small pieces.

• For deep rooted plants like roses need double dig garden to make high performance garden.

• Some places can be highlighted by making a rockery. It’s for the plants which require less water. Cactus is excellent choice for rock garden.

• Grasses like Blue Grass, Fescue, and Rye should be mowed as high as possible. The best is around 2 to 3 inches and no higher. If it’s taller than that, the grass can flop over and if it’s too short, then the grass is more susceptible to weeds

• Plant tress at the corner of the garden to avoid too much sunlight. This will keep plants away from direct sunlight.

Article Source: http://home.howstuffworks.com/garden-soil-tips4.htm
http://www.floraskolkata.com/tips.html