Backyard Gardening Tips

Featured Articles

Moving Plants Around Your Backyard Garden

11:19 am by webmann in backyard garden, garden

We have a few plants and shrubs that will be right in our garden if we don’t move them.

While winter is the ideal time to move plants they can be successfully moved at any time throughout the year provided care is taken. I kinda like that as winter is just not the time for me to go outside. I would rather be south sipping drinks while my neighbours enjoy all the ice and snow.

Smaller plants, under three feet high, are the easiest to move.

• The first step is to trim the plant by about one third.
• The next step is to dig the plant out ensuring that the root ball is approximately the same diameter as the plant.
• The plant can then be transplanted in the new position in the garden and the soil around it firmed.

The procedure with bigger plants in the 3-foot to 5-foot range is much the same but will take a little more time.

• Once you have dug around the plant to a depth of approximately 1 to 1 1/2 feet, you should leave it for a week before finishing the removal.
• After a week ease the plant out by digging under the roots and trim off long or damaged roots before transplanting.

For bigger plants and trees the procedure gets a little more involved.

• The first step is to dig down deeply on two sides of the plant, through the roots at the drip line.
• The plant should then be left for a week or two before the same procedure is repeated on the other two sides of the plant.

As with the smaller plants you will need to trim the plant back by about one third before starting. After having dug around all sides of the plant you should wait another couple of weeks before digging under the roots. Again, you will need to trim off long or damaged roots in preparation for the transplant.

Let another week or two pass before removing the plant and wrapping the root ball with Hessian to protect the roots.

You should have already prepared a new hole that will be slightly bigger than the root ball of the plant you are replacing. Add compost, mix and slow release fertilizer before transplanting the plant.
Top up the soil and water it well. Provided you have taken good care along the way the plant should settle in to its new location without any problems.

Comments (0)

How Natural Is Natural Insecticide?

11:01 am by webmann in backyard gardening, garden, garden pests

There have been many advances in the field of natural insecticide. Some would say that some of the advancements are not for the better. This is because the natural insecticide is not exactly in the state that nature gave it to us in. So, how natural is natural insecticide?

Some of the people who grapple with this issue are those who seek to do their part in keeping the natural world in balance. They believe that the earth is an ecological system in which every living entity has a part to play. They have a strict idea of what natural insecticide is.

They don’t have faith in a system where, as they believe, the balance is upset by one species. They believe that man’s emphasis on technological progress is damaging to the planet by its very nature. These people are extremely uncomfortable with biotechnology and its changing of natural insecticide.

Then, there are those who don’t agree that there is balance or harmony in nature. They see the world as a constantly changing system where new developments are always coming along. Advancements in natural insecticide are only one of them. Also, while the first group of people attributes good will to the “Mother Earth,” the second group sees no morality to earth, good or bad.

The people who see the world as ever-changing, the naturalists, are more likely to recognize the destructiveness of nature. They recognize that hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes, are devastating occurrences. Famine and disease can also be caused by nature.

For this reason, naturalists see the world as something to be explored and understood. They may enjoy a beautiful waterfall, but they feel no reverence for it. They believe that a human being has intelligence in order to do a part in advancing the health of the planet. Part of this is in further development of natural insecticide.

These naturalists, unlike those who believe in the Mother Nature idea, believe that biotechnology can produce products as natural as any other natural insecticide. They don’t see the difference in using biotechnology for agriculture and using laboratory science to make pharmaceuticals, for instance. They see biotechnology for natural insecticide as a good thing.

Naturalists are more likely to see the similarities between biotechnology and the cross-breeding of plants and animals that has been done for centuries. We have always used this method, if not this particular technique. Now it is being used with a natural insecticide.

At issue are bioengineered crops such as Bt corn. Bacillus thurengiensis is a natural insecticide that has been used for many years. Now, it is being put into the genetic structure of corn. This makes the corn resistant to insects.

However, many say that, now that the Bt is in the corn, it is no longer a natural insecticide. Those with a Gaia world view, that is those who believe in Mother Nature, are likely to believe this. The naturalists believe that Bt corn is a normal advancement.

This argument carries over into all the biotechnological advancements in natural insecticide. The naturalists just believe they are using their God-given intelligence to make the world a better place. Those with a Gaia world view think they are over-stepping.

Comments (0)

Backyard Gardening & Feeding Your Plants

2:45 pm by webmann in backyard gardening, garden

My brother’s second daughter wasn’t a very healthy kid but once it was discovered that she was lacking in iron the problem was solved. Well, just like people, plants have their own particular requirements and it is not the best policy to assume they all need the same feeding. Some plants need a lot of attention whereas others require very little.

You can actually harm the growth of your plants by feeding them too much. Once again there needs to be balance in the garden. If you feed your plants too much fertilizer that is high in nitrogen you might get a lot more foliage but a reduction in the fruit or flowers that the plant will produce.

This is because the plants will be using that nitrogen as energy to grow faster rather than produce more fruit or flowers.

Plants are always giving us signs of their food requirements or if they have been stressed. They will wilt, or they might change color, or their leaves might curl up and drop off. If there is something wrong with a plants nutrition it can often be seen quite easily. It is just a matter of reading these signs and knowing what is going on.

As all plants are different, to fully understand the requirements of the particular plants or trees that you are growing you need to get information specific to those plants.

If you find signs of stress in your plants you should take samples to the local nurseries of the leaves and any abnormalities that you might notice in the soil.

There might be signs of mold in the soil, which could suggest too much water, and the roots of your plants might be rotting.

If the leaves of your plants are turning yellow on the other hand they might be suffering from a shortage of water.

The three most important elements in the soil of plants are nitrogen; for the promotion of leaf and stem growth. Phosphorus; for the root growth and Potassium; which helps in the growth of flowers and fruits.

If you find there are any deficiencies in these areas then additional nutrients will need to be added to the soil.

Comments (0)

Choosing Plants that are Healthy

10:46 am by webmann in garden

When you are buying or receiving plants from someone there are a few things that you need to look at before deciding to plant them in your garden.

You will generally get a better quality plant from a garden center and it will be less likely to have disease or other problems that could spread to other plants in your garden.

There is still the possibility that the garden center plant might not be the healthy specimen that you might expect so you should still check it out before parting with your money.

The first thing you need to do is look at the plant and see whether it looks healthy. This might seem very obvious but we often assume that buying from a garden center will assure us of a healthy plant when in actual fact even garden centers can have problem plants and you don’t want to be the new owner of their problems.

Plants are very good at showing any signs of distress so a plant that doesn’t look healthy, generally isn’t.

Check the conditions of the leaves, stems and roots of the plant where possible. You should also look at the condition of the soil that it has been growing in, as this will have had an effect on its health.

If you are buying flowering plants it is always best to buy the ones that have yet to flower, as they will withstand the trauma of transport and transplanting better than those that already have flowers. If there is no alternative but to buy or receive plants that already have flowers then many people suggest that you should remove all the flowers to give the plant a better chance of survival. While you might be reluctant to do so, you will probably have a better plant that will produce more flowers in the future.

If there is anything on the plant that concerns you seek advice or decide against having that plant in your garden.

Comments (0)

Adding Interest to Your Garden

10:38 am by webmann in garden

There are many ways that you can add interest to a garden. Anything that becomes a focal point will add interest and that can range from garden sculptures to the types of plants you choose.

Adding block planting of a particular specimen can become a focal point in the garden. Even adding areas of variegated foliage can create a focal point in the garden.

Seats are another item that can add interest to the garden and additionally they can offer a nice place to rest and relax while you admire your work.

Mirrors that are strategically placed can enhance the garden in many ways. They can bring reflected light to dark corners of the garden. They can also give the impression that the garden is bigger or alternatively they can give the impression that the open space is bigger.

Placed at various angles, mirrors can add a lot of fun and interest to a garden and help to lead a visitor on to other areas.

Using hedges can also add interest to the garden while offering protection to the plants. Hedges are also an excellent way to gain privacy without feeling closed in.

Water features are a favorite for many people and the sound of running water in the corner of a garden can add an atmosphere of calm and relaxation.

Water features can also be good for the birds in the garden particularly in the summer months when they might find it difficult to find water lying around to suit their needs.

As with sculptures, stones, rocks and pebbles can add interest and offer areas where you can walk even when the surrounding ground might be too wet. Shells also make a good cover on the ground for paths that can remain dry in the wet season.

There are so many different things that you put in your garden to add interest. Everything from old cartwheels to wind chimes, aviaries or anything else you can imagine.

Comments (0)