Gardening AtoZ

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Thinning And Transplanting Seedlings

 

Thinning seedlings- (a young plant), allows the plants left in the soil to develop and mature into their natural shape and habit and it is also an essential process for good plant health. You can transplant thinned seedlings into bare areas, or special seedbeds (which are used more often) or crops are grown under glass and then the whole batch of seedlings are transplanted into their final destination in the garden.
The reasons you need to thin seedlings is it helps to counteract problems, like plants growing to close to each other which not only compete for space but also for light,water and essential nutrients. Also they become prone to a variety of fungal diseases, because the air is not able to move around them.

To start thinning, water the dry ground the night before you intend to thin. Using a measuring stick marked off by the appropriate crop distance- (how far away from each other the plants need to be), Remove all the plants between each of the markers, selecting the healthiest plant at or near each mark on the stick. At a marked point where there is no plant, just transplant one of the seedlings from another area that there was an excess of. When you are removing any excess plants, place a finger on either side of the seedling that is being kept.This will protect it from root disturbance. After you have finished, water the remaining seedlings with a fine mist of water to re-firm the soil around the plants. 

The most common way of transplanting seedlings involves planting container grown plants into the open ground. another method is to raise seedlings in open ground near to where they are to be planted out. The best time for transplanting outdoor seedlings is during damp overcast weather because this helps to prevent the seedlings roots from drying out, and just as in when thinning the plants, the seedlings will need watering the night before. Dig up only a few plants at a time, discard any plants that are weak,damaged or appear to be sick, and place the seedlings in a plastic bag to maintain humidity while they are out of the ground, before you transplant them. Using a garden line and a measuring stick the position of the plants can be determined. Plant the seedlings using a thin trowel and firming lightly around the base of the plant before moving onto the next transplant. Once a row is completed, it is essential that you water the plants in.

Here are some common planting distances Asparagus 30- 38 cm (12-15 in), Broccoli 60 cm (24 in), Brussels Sprouts 50-75 cm (20-30 in), Cabbages 30-50 cm (12-20 in), Celery 23-30 cm (9-12 in), Cucumbers 60 cm(24 in), Garlic 15 cm (6 in), Peppers 45-60 cm(18-24 in), Potatoes 30-38 cm (12-15 in), Rhubarb 75-90 cm (30-36 in), Runner Beans 25-30 cm (10-12 in), Tomatoes 60 cm (24 in).

For more tips go to Gardening tips

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posted by CJAffiliates @ 6:22 PM 0 Comments

Friday, February 12, 2010

Plant Diseases

 


Being able to recognize and careful vigilance is the key to controlling plant disease. When you see things like a leaf or stem wilting or a sudden wilting of a section or even a whole plant, you will need to carefully inspect the leaves,stems, roots, flowers and fruits. In some cases you may find you will need to cut open a branch or stem to look inside for problems such as discoloration of the tissue, which could explain why the plant is wilting. 

You will need to know what a plant should look like, in order to recognize any abnormalities, and you can do this by reading up or going online and finding out about the species of plant that you are growing so you can make a more accurate diagnosis. What you need to remember there is no single cause of a disease infestation, and just as there is no single cause there is no single symptom.  When you are trying to establish the cause of a plants illness, always inspect the symptoms that appear on the parts of the plant that are still alive or partially alive. Dead plants are often invaded by secondary infestations, which may hide the original problem. 

Where a serious disease is suspected, it would be advisable to avoid growing that species of plant all together or in the case of vegetables and fruits use crop rotation as part of a regular  cycle. What I do is I keep a garden journal  that to make notes of when and what type of disease occurred in the garden, what the weather and environmental  conditions were like during that particular year. When I do this it enables me to anticipate what problems  are most likely to occur during the growing season, and allow me to stay ahead of them.

It is not hard to control problems with diseases, you just need to stand back and look at the overall picture. Observe the weather, soil, and environmental conditions and the stages of plant development and any pathogens (disease producing agent) present and the condition of other plants in the area All of this may help in diagnosing the problem with the plant. If you need more information go to Gardening Tips

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posted by CJAffiliates @ 11:25 AM 0 Comments

Plant Pests

 



Pests are creatures that can harm your garden plants, and if nothing is done about them it can quickly result in a great deal of damage. There is quite a number of these pests, although most gardeners will not encounter the majority of them. If you have a basic knowledge of the more common types and what needs to be done to protect your plants so that they have a successful health and growth will be all that you need.

Knowing if a pest is a problem or not will depend on the severity of damage that the pest has done to each individual garden. All organic gardeners must except a certain number of pests in their garden, as these form an intricate part of the food chain. Without this the natural balance of nature would be effected and could cause a potentially serious pest outbreak.

So you will need to be able to identify a pest that has been attacking your plants accurately. Being able to do this will enable you to take the appropriate action. Remember just because you see an insect walking across an effected plant, does not mean that it is the one causing the damage. In order to be able to control pests you will need to get to know them.  A number of pests develop characteristic symptoms that will enable you to diagnosis the cause with relative certainty. Close examination, possibly with  a hand lens and with careful observation and experience will allow you to keep one step ahead of the pests in your garden.

It is important to control the pests before they become a problem. That one little pest that lands on your plant at the beginning of the summer, could give rise to rise to quite a lot more if it is ignored. It takes just a few days for pests to cause a considerable amount of damage. As a organic gardener you must employ a full range of control measures to ensure that your plants will survive. Such as crop rotation, good hygiene and encouraging biodiversity. Physical controls like hand picking, traps, repellents and barriers and biological controls like using other animals that naturally eat pests. What is important to know that pests can be controlled by an incorporated strategy that uses a variety of techniques.

Everything has a place in nature with out pests there would be no predators and this would take away the interest and diversity that makes the organic garden most unique. To learn more about pests and organic gardening go to Gardening Tips    

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posted by CJAffiliates @ 10:29 AM 0 Comments