If you’re a certified gardening aficionado then a gardening forum is just the thing for you. Your family’s already probably tired of hearing minute details of the earth worm and its resourcefulness, not to mention hearing about the detailed structure of the foxglove and its place in the whole gardening circle of life. What a gardening forum will offer you will be the chance to talk to like minded people who don’t mind talking for hours on end about the vagaries of gardening, and who, in fact actively seek out kindred souls such as yourself, for the same reasons you did. But now you ask, how do I find a gardening forum, and how do I find one that’s right for me? It’s a perfectly valid question and you have nothing to feel ashamed about asking it. After all, you’re a gardener at heart, not a computer wizard. We’ll start with the basics, and move on from there. You could ask a friend, or a colleague, or even a family member, but the way I see it reading this article will be less time consuming, and potentially less hassle free as I won’t be ragging you on your computer non-know-how. We can’t all be computer savvy. Since right about now you’re probably feeling the urge to ’branch out’ on your own and find your very own set of gardening fanatics, all you need to do is type in the words “Gardening Forum” into your favorite search engine and press the search button. And, hey presto, you have access to your very first gardening forum. To participate in a forum of any kind you will generally be required to join and sign up as a member. Usually this shouldn’t entail anything more than providing a valid email address, a password, and a member name. A few personal details might also be asked to be supplied. There really should be no need to charge you for the membership, and if they are asking for a fee, I would suggest that you look around for a different gardening forum to join. Most are free, and won’t require you to shell out any cash. If you’re satisfied with the gardening forum that you’ve found, and you’ve filled in all the pertinent details, take a moment to read the Terms of Service Agreement, and Privacy Policy that will invariably be there. This is to protect both you, and the people holding the gardening forum. In this day and age you can’t be too careful. So, now that you’ve finally found the kindred souls you’ve been looking for most of your life, I say go ahead and make contact, after all, it’s not everyday that you get a chance to talk about gardening all day long. Or, at least it wasn’t everyday, but now that you’ve found that perfect gardening forum, who can tell? You might be found more on the computer now, than in your garden!

If you’re a certified gardening aficionado then a gardening forum is just the thing for you. Your family’s already probably tired of hearing minute details of the earth worm and its resourcefulness, not to mention hearing about the detailed structure of the foxglove and its place in the whole gardening circle of life.

What a gardening forum will offer you will be the chance to talk to like minded people who don’t mind talking for hours on end about the vagaries of gardening, and who, in fact actively seek out kindred souls such as yourself, for the same reasons you did.

But now you ask, how do I find a gardening forum, and how do I find one that’s right for me? It’s a perfectly valid question and you have nothing to feel ashamed about asking it. After all, you’re a gardener at heart, not a computer wizard.

We’ll start with the basics, and move on from there. You could ask a friend, or a colleague, or even a family member, but the way I see it reading this article will be less time consuming, and potentially less hassle free as I won’t be ragging you on your computer non-know-how. We can’t all be computer savvy.

Since right about now you’re probably feeling the urge to ’branch out’ on your own and find your very own set of gardening fanatics, all you need to do is type in the words “Gardening Forum” into your favorite search engine and press the search button. And, hey presto, you have access to your very first gardening forum.

To participate in a forum of any kind you will generally be required to join and sign up as a member. Usually this shouldn’t entail anything more than providing a valid email address, a password, and a member name. A few personal details might also be asked to be supplied. There really should be no need to charge you for the membership, and if they are asking for a fee, I would suggest that you look around for a different gardening forum to join. Most are free, and won’t require you to shell out any cash.

If you’re satisfied with the gardening forum that you’ve found, and you’ve filled in all the pertinent details, take a moment to read the Terms of Service Agreement, and Privacy Policy that will invariably be there. This is to protect both you, and the people holding the gardening forum. In this day and age you can’t be too careful.

So, now that you’ve finally found the kindred souls you’ve been looking for most of your life, I say go ahead and make contact, after all, it’s not everyday that you get a chance to talk about gardening all day long. Or, at least it wasn’t everyday, but now that you’ve found that perfect gardening forum, who can tell? You might be found more on the computer now, than in your garden!



By: Imran Khot

About the Author:

Buying flowers and vegetables in the garden centers or greenhouses is undoubtedly comfortable. However, starting his own seeds at home, a gardener has a chance to grow unusual and not those popular plants, many of which can rarely be found in the garden centers. To successfully start the seeds a grower should choose a southern exposure window with much sunlight. Still, it may be necessary to purchase cool-white fluorescent grow lights. Commercial mix may be the best variant of the medium, which is healthy and free from any insects.

One of the best-known mediums for starting seeds is Natural Beginnings Seed-Starting Mix from Gardens Alive, which gained several awards for its great performance. It gives better rates, as well as speed of seeds germination. It is reasonable to choose those seeds for indoor starting that are difficult to start in the garden; otherwise you would be able to just sow them in the garden.

To properly control seeds starting, it is necessary to know how many days it takes for them to germinate. This data can be found either on the packaging, or at www.savygardener.com. Web sites usually give information on many plants seeds and include the description of the best timing to sow seeds of this or than plant. Do not forget to gradually adjust the seedlings to the outside air. They are usually recommended to be planted in the garden after Memorial Day.

One more important thing to remember is that the smaller the seeds are the closer to the soil surface they should be planted. Besides light and air your seeds will also need warmth. It is thus beneficial to place a heating pad under the seeds tray or container. Hydrofarm Company offers its special product for starting seeds called the Germination Station. It consists of a 72-cell insert for the plants seeds and a humidity dome. The 10-inch by 20-inch tray is lined with a thin electric heating unit at the bottom. This allows to significantly increasing germination rates.

The detailed description of the correct seeds planting may seem a difficult task to complete. However, it is worth trying; and even if you start with only several seeds, you will definitely enjoy observing the starting of the new plant growth



By: The urban gardener

About the Author:

The warmth and light of the sun nurtures all of the living and growing things in a garden and while the sun shines the beauty of the flowers, shrubs, trees and structures can be easily seen and enjoyed. What about after dark? There are many ways to accentuate a garden’s beauty without the brilliant light of the midday sun, and this can be easily achieved through the use of solar powered garden lights.

Why solar powered garden lights? There are several major reasons for selecting a solar powered fixture over a traditional “hard wired” option. For instance, in order to use and operate a hard wired fixture a home or property owner may have to hire a professional electrician to install the proper exterior fixtures and wires. Then there is the need to mark the areas where wires are located in order to avoid accidentally severing them or disturbing them during normal garden maintenance. Of course this also means the use of electricity to operate the lights and any sensors or timers that they require, which means additional monthly expense. Finally, most hard wired fixtures will also require frequent light bulb replacement which can add up to a lot of money in a short period of time.

Solar garden lights however can be installed by almost anyone with only minimal tools and experience required. The fixtures themselves can be relocated whenever and wherever the gardener desires, without the need for any professional assistance or associated expenses. Additionally, the majority of modern solar lights use LED bulbs, which operate for exceedingly long periods of times, some for decades, before requiring replacement. Finally, they operate strictly on the energy received from the sun, which means they operate entirely for free!

What kind of outdoor solar lights are available? A gardener could easily, and at a relatively affordable cost, light their entire yard or garden. There are sets of lighting fixtures intended to line an entire sidewalk or pathway, and there are also lighting fixtures meant to be used as accent or solar spot lights to illuminate a particular area of the yard or a specimen tree or bush, and there are even lights intended to be attached to flag poles and properly light a flying flag during the hours of darkness.

One of the major benefits of using solar powered lighting fixtures for the yard or garden is that their cost free operation will almost immediately “repay” the owner the initial cost of investing in the lights. This means that a beautiful yard can be enjoyed both day and night thanks to the power of the sun!



By: Jonathan Gal

About the Author:

6 Ways to Control Weeds for vegetables and Flowers

Weeds are the major problems of home gardeners, as a small scale or a large scale gardening. It entails time, efforts, and money, and sometimes eats up most of your resources in maintaining your garden.

The use of commercial weed control method would also affects our environment by air pollution and besides it’s being costly, draining your budget.

Therefore, as a gardener, you should  plan properly how to control weeds before going into this venture to avoid further frustration resulting to great losses in your part.

6 Ways  to Control Weed Occurence

1)   Prevention is better than cure

The best defense against  weed occurrence is prevention .  It is much cheaper and easier to prevent weeds to grow than to kill them after they appear on the ground.

2)    Wise Planning is still the best

When planning your garden, see to it that you’ll eliminate weeds in the growing area prior to planting.  Be sure to remove the entire plant as well as the seeds as much as possible to avoid after growth.



3)   Exposure the Soil for Solarization



In the field of agriculture cultural management aspects, this is a very effective means of preventing weed growth without chemicals.  In soil solarization, it  involves removing all plants and weeds and retiling the soil.  After the soil has been moistened, cleared and raked to remove any roots, rocks, and sharp objects, it is covered with a clear polyethylene sheet stretched tightly in place for 4-6 weeks during the peak sunlight of early summer.  (You can use rocks or cinderblocks to hold the plastic in place.)  The sun will totally heat or cook the soil killing any unsprouted seeds or remaining weeds.

4)  Application of Mulching Materials

With the use of plastic mulch, placed on top of the soil, it  helps to suppress weed growth by blocking sunlight to the soil preventing germination. 



5)  Biodynamic Gardening or Close Planting

Biodynamic or French Intensive Gardening is generally grown in raised beds.  The soil is double dug to a depth of two feet which allows plants to more easily send their roots deeper down to access water and nutrients.  The plants are planted close to each other so that the foliage of each adult plant will touch the foliage of another plant.  This creates a leafy cover known as a living mulch.  This will minimize weed growth as well as stabilizing soil temperature and moisture retention by the soil.  You also get a higher yield from a smaller space by planting closer together. 



6) Use of  Natural Herbicides

Application with Vinegar. Vinegar solution is sprayed on full strength to kill weeds.  You can use it between bricks or paver stones to kill weeds and grasses. Spreading Salt. When applied directly to the soil, salt will also kill grass and weeds between bricks and will deter regrowth.

__________________

Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. You can get a copy of his latest ebook “How to get started in Flower Gardening”and  “Vegetable Gardening made Easy” and lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com





By: Cris Ramasasa

About the Author:

If you are a gardener, then you might be familiar with net pots.  Net pots are plant containers that have holes in the bottom and sides, and are similar in appearance to a kitchen strainer.  Netting is used inside the container, and this allows the plant’s roots to easily grow through the netting and out the holes on the bottoms and sides of the container.  Net pots are used for hydroponic gardening systems as well as for aeroponic gardening.  

It is easy to use net pots for hydroponics.  One of the benefits of using net pots for hydroponics is that the netting keeps your growing medium in place, and thus it allows you to use any type of grow medium that you prefer.  The hydroponics system that you choose for indoor gardening allows for flexibility on the amount of space that you have to devote to indoor gardening, as well as the types of equipment you will need to get started.  Essentially, all hydroponics system solutions consist of plants grown in a soilless medium.  Hydroponic nutrient solution is regularly applied to the plant roots.  The type of hydroponic nutrient that your plants will need varies according to the plants and their stage of growth; you will find specific formulations for any indoor gardening need readily available.

Other indoor gardening supplies that you will need for hydroponic gardening include some type of reservoir, a tray, and a pump and aerator.  The reservoir holds the nutrient solution, and the tray holds the plants.  A pump is one of the key indoor gardening supplies used to get the nutrient to the tray in a variety of ways, and the aerator helps to keep the solution oxygenated, because plants need oxygen for good growth and development.  Other indoor gardening supplies that you will need include the nutrients for your plants.  These are dissolved in water to form a solution that is taken up by the plant roots.

Net pots are also used for aeroponic gardening.  The pot with the netting inside it holds the crown of the plant together, allowing the roots to dangle in the air.  Misters spray the roots with nutrient solution, thereby feeding the plants.  The plants in this type of gardening setup also benefit from the great oxygenation that the entire plant enjoys, allowing the plants to grow quickly to maturity without the common pests and diseases wreaking havoc, as they often do in soil gardening situations.

Net pots for hydroponics, as well as hydroponic and aeroponic gardening system kits, are available from online hydroponic gardening merchants.



By: Susan Slobac

About the Author:

You’ve decided to plant a garden but you need basic gardening tips for beginners, this is the place to be. Gardening has become a delightful hobby for people all over the world.

There are many rewards for the gardener, the visuals of his creation, the scent of the blooms, great fresh air and lots of exercise. Imagine a weekend spent in the yard with your feet up drinking in the spectacular gardens that you have created the fruits of your labor and love. If you are a beginner gardener, here are some basic gardening tips. No matter how much room you have, you can create a masterpiece garden.

The basic garden tips for beginners will help you create new gardens and make it a successful and joyful experience. In the beginning go slowly, start small but use your imagination. Choose a project that will not take a long time to complete. If it takes you weeks to finish a project you will get frustrated and start to hate the project you wanted to enjoy. Even if you have 75 or 100 square feet you will be amazed at how much you can plant.

If you are determined to have a larger project, then work in sections and turn your attention to one area at a time. This way as each section is finished you can enjoy that completed job. This will also build up your confidence as you go along making the next section not so daunting.

But for a beginner gardener a small scale garden is optimal. You are going to have to learn the basics of gardening, all about disease, the best way to control weeds and pests, the all important watering and when and how to fertilize. After your initial project you can enlarge the garden or plant one somewhere else in your yard with your new found confidence.

To cut down on the weeding of your garden, place mulch around the plants. This serves three purposes; it cuts down on weeding, as well as aiding in temperature control and water retention. Granted there are some gardeners that love to work the soil and weed the plants but it would be more rewarding to tending to the plants or just watching them grow. To maintain really healthy plants water for longer periods of time but less frequently. Do not let the plants dry out. Always water early in the morning so the plant leaves have time to dry out during the day which helps prevent fungal disease.

After planting, try to have your garden remain pesticide free. An especially good natural deterrent is as follows:

In a jar, combine 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake vigorously. In an empty spray bottle, combine 2 teaspoons of this mixture and 1 cup water. Use at ten-day intervals (or more often if needed) to rid plants of whiteflies, mites, aphids, scales, and other pests.

These are the basic gardening tips for beginners. Remember, that you can create lovely gardens in containers which you can move around as you please. There are hundreds of different plant combinations and containers that you can use for a container garden. So, if you are an apartment or condo dweller, you can plant lovely gardens on your balcony or patio. The basic tip here is that container gardens will dry out much faster than the plants in the ground so be vigilant about checking them for moisture.

Happy Gardening And Good Luck!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.



By: Mary Hanna

About the Author:

When is the best time to transplant roses? This is one of the most common questions asked by novice gardeners and one of the most popular topics discussed by dedicated Rosarians. There are no right or wrong answers and any experience gardener will have his or her own rules regarding this based on experience. There are general guidelines offering good advice for novices to follow, which can give successful results. However, it is a good idea to keep a record of the dates when you transplant your roses and observe their progress. This will give you a clear indication of which is the best time for you, to transplant your roses given the type of climate you live in.

For generally guidance, the best time to transplant roses is during a time when they are dormant. In northern climates this period falls at the end of the winter season. In a warmer climate transplanting can take place in late autumn or winter

Exposed roots can be transplanted any time as long as the temperature is above freezing level. Rose transplants will not survive if they are subjected to 10 degrees below 0 F. Container grown roses can be transplanted at any time of year but Spring is best, this will give the roots chance to spread and strengthen themselves before the winter sets in.

It is possible, although it goes against the general rule, for you to transplant roses before they become dormant. It isn’t always necessary to wait, if you don’t want to, you can transplant at any time during the growing season even during the height of summer.

If you cannot wait until the growing season to transplant your roses then you will need to put some safety measures into place to ensure your roses survive the ordeal. Before you transplant during the growing season, please follow these steps.

1) On the day before you plan to transplant your roses, give them plenty of water, making sure the roots are thoroughly wet; this will protect the roots and help them survive

2) Choose and prepare the ground before hand, making sure the area is in a sunny position. The soil needs to be enriched and nourished with plenty of peat and organic fertilizer.

3) Transplant your roses as soon as you take them from the ground. It is vital that the roots are not subjected to sunlight and dry air. If this isn’t possible, keep the roses in a cool dark place, never expose to sunlight or heat, as this will damage your roses irreparably.

4) When you have successfully transplanted your roses you must water them thoroughly. Roses need constant watering during the growing season especially if they are adapting to new ground. Never let the soil get too dry, especially in the height of Summer.

5) There is no need to add any further fertilizer until you see new growth. If you add fertilizer too soon, before the roots have settled, you risk damaging them. The fertilizer may be too strong for the roots at this time. Remember, your roses have just experienced a traumatic disturbance during transplantation.

If your roses are not at their best and are beginning to wilt do not replant them during the growing season, otherwise you risk damaging them further, and they will not survive.

Roses are one of the most beautiful and aromatic plants that you could have in your garden. To obtain the maximum from your roses make sure you choose their location carefully. A well-positioned rose, which receives at least six hours sunshine everyday, plenty of air circulation, is in a reasonable quality soil which is not too waterlogged can produce the most beautiful flowers. As long as they are protected from freezing temperatures, have plenty of space for root growth and not overshadowed by other plants they will continue to grow year after year and give you the most amazing results and beautiful roses.



By: K. Finch

About the Author:

For those who love the pleasures of gardening, it can really be a drag when winter approaches and puts a chilly end to your outdoor activities. Many people are realizing that they don’t have to stop gardening as the weather turns and are turning hydroponics gardening instead. With hydroponics gardening you grow plants in a mineral nutrient solution without soil using a hydroponics system. It is pretty easy to grow vegetables, fruits and flowers indoors even in the depth of a bitter winter when you choose hydroponics gardening as a hobby.

You might find it easiest to start in with this style of gardening by purchasing what you need in kits. All plants require adequate light in order for them to thrive and grow well, so grow lights are an important part of your hydroponics system. Grow light kits are available, including all the parts you will need, including the grow lights, digital ballast, and reflectors. Many gardening enthusiasts like to use LED grow lights, because they are small but don’t overheat. They also produce a tremendous amount of light efficiently in the light color spectrums you will need in order for your plants to flourish.

There are several different ways to go about hydroponics gardening. Static solution culture is one method used. The plants are grown in solution in some kind of container to hold the liquid, such as a jar, plastic tank, tub or bucket. You can cut a hole in the lid of the container to hold the plant out of the liquid, but allow the roots into the solution so they can take up the nutrients they need. Roots also need oxygen, which is why many gardeners use some type of aquarium aerator to get adequate oxygen to the plant roots. As solution is depleted by the plant roots, the gardener replenishes the supply on a regular basis.

Some methods of hydroponics require the use of a growing medium. This soilless product can be gravel, perlite, vermiculite, rockwool, or clay granules. Passive subirrigation allows plants to sit in the growing medium, which brings the nutrients and water to the roots from the bottom of the growing medium. Because the growing medium is coarse, oxygen also has easy access to the roots as well. The container that holds the plants can sit in nutrient solution or on top of a mat that is saturated with the solution. This easy method is fairly low maintenance, because you only need to occasionally refill the nutrient and wash out the system to get rid of salt buildup, which can kill plants.

There are many advantages to hydroponics, including no weeding. Diseases that lurk in the soil are not an issue in this soilless gardening form. This also means that you will not need to use a lot of pesticide to control diseases. Less water is used for hydroponic gardening than for crops grown in soil outdoors. So try a new winter hobby: hydroponics gardening.



By: Susan Slobac

About the Author:

For any gardener who enjoys working with their plants, a greenhouse is a welcome addition to expand their hobby.  Greenhouse gardening can be as intensive or as low-key as you want it to be, depending on how much gardening you do and how much money you want to invest in the hobby.  Serious gardeners wishing to expand their interest into greenhouse gardening may opt for a permanent structure in their backyard, possibly something that incorporates a cement foundation, integrated doors and windows, and an auto-venting system for temperature control.  On the other end of the spectrum, we have the beginning gardener or hobby horticulturist who wishes to cultivate plants indoors during the winter months or start seeds indoors in the spring for a head start on the summer growing season.  This more basic form of greenhouse gardening will be our focus for this article.

Basic greenhouse gardening usually begins indoors with a temporary structure that can be set up when it’s needed and taken down when it’s not.  An inexpensive shelving kit will work well for this purpose, provided you have space to set it up.  Other structures could be a tabletop that’s not in use or an old workbench.  If you are purchasing something new for the purpose of indoor gardening, look for a structure that’s lightweight and that can be easily disassembled for storage.  Consider buying plastic, if you have the option, so that you can easily wipe away any dirt or water that accumulates.

Next, you’ll need to look around your home and determine where the shelf or table will be placed.  If you have a sunny window that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily, this is ideal.  Warm, sunny bay windows facing the west or south will usually meet the criteria.  If you don’t have such a window, then you’ll need to consider using a grow light.  This will require a special light bulb that gives off a full spectrum of light similar to the sun’s rays.  While the light cast from these bulbs certainly won’t look like natural sunlight to your eyes, to the plants, it is virtually the same.  Grow lights can usually be purchased quite inexpensively from home improvement stores or garden centers, and can then be screwed into your own light fixture at home.

When setting up a grow light, it’s important to suspend the light as close as possible to the plants.  Particularly if you are using the light to start seeds, you’ll want to place the light within an inch or two of the seedlings themselves.  If you place the light too far away, the seedlings will grow tall and spindly instead of strong and stocky.

An indoor greenhouse can feature a vinyl cover to help retain heat or moisture, or you can simply use the indoor environment of your home as the greenhouse environment.  Ideal temperatures will range from 75 to 85 degrees, so choose a room of your house that is warmer than others.  If you’re using a grow light instead of a sunny window, you won’t be as limited to the possible locations you can choose from your plants.  If you’re using a grow light and trying to determine a warm location in your house, consider an upstairs room and/or a high up location in the room, vertically speaking, such as on top of a high shelf or a tall cabinet.  Heat rises, so the highest place in your home should also be the one with the highest temperature.

If you’re a beginning gardener interested in greenhouse gardening, don’t be intimidated to give it a try.  Getting started indoors is easy and doesn’t cost a lot of money.  With a little time and a minimal investment, you can expand your gardening hobby, grow more plants, and give your green thumb a workout during cooler months!



By: Ellen Bell

About the Author:

Right from the level of planting a couple of tomatoes in a large pot to the level of indulging in a large scale commercial plantation area dedicated to the gardening of a wide variety of plants like lettuce, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, tall beans etc, vegetable gardening is done on all scales.

Gardeners, while taking up vegetable gardening must be well aware about its significant aspects like the climatic conditions, proper soil analysis and the duration of growth seasons. It is true that the same vegetables that are cultivated in Florida can be produced in Alaska as well. However, both varieties will differ considerably in taste, sizes and duration of growth. The vegetables that are grown in Alaska may take shorter time due to the shorter and cooler growth season in Alaska as compared to Florida’s. With the advancement in cultivation science, it is possible to grow any vegetable in any part of the world with the assistance of methods like hot house effect etc. through which the climatic factors conducive to vegetables growth can be controlled effectively.

Owing to all these factors, unless the gardener is using very advanced and expensive methods of cultivation, he should be well aware of the seeds and plants that can be most easily grown in certain weather and soil conditions. This is where the importance of planning and general awareness comes into picture. Taking a small example, lets pick up a tomato. Tomatoes can be grown in a small pot in your backyard as well as in large array of fields dedicated to tomato cultivation. The difference will lie in the size and juice of the tomato. While the one that is grown in a small pot will be smaller in size, more apt for making dishes, the ones that are cultivated in fields, may find a place in McDonalds Hamburgers because of their large sizes and juicy nature. If one wants to grow large tomato at home, he will need equally large pots with each one dedicated to single tomato plant. Such option may not be very feasible sometimes due to space constraints and the proper care required.

Gardeners can be impatient too. Don’t believe it. We’ll tell you how. As explained earlier, vegetable gardening can be best done outdoors. However, in case, the gardener has had success with a certain plant on the mini level, and has tasted it to confirm as well, he would generally tend to go large scale with the same plant without giving much thought to the pertinent factors. In such case, too much may be attempted in one season and the eventual result can be as disastrous as the entire crop failure. A gardener venturing into vegetable gardening for the first time must consult the other gardeners in the vicinity. It may also pay off nicely to get friendly with the staff at the local garden center. They normally possess huge experience and can come handy in resolving lot of doubts of the starters.



By: Abhishek Agarwal

About the Author: