5. Gardening Tips
- Do you forget where you planted bulbs and slow to grow perennials? Use chopsticks as they will last several years and you can leave them in the ground. You can also use pieces of old mini-blinds. Put the permanent marker inked end in the soil so the information will not fade.
- If you are going to be away use a boot tray. Place potted plants and water in the tray - this will be good for the plants and will add humidity to the air and the plants.
- Cut back ornamental grasses in the Spring by wrapping duct tape around it in clumps before cutting, overlapping the ends of the tape securely thus making cleanup easier.
- Take annuals from six packs to high impact each year - the secret is in the fertilizer. Water in the morning as fertilizer can burn foliage when heated by the sun during the day.
- Science has proven what gardeners have known for years - flowers can make you happy. People who have a bouquet of flowers in their homes have elevated moods, feel more compassionate, less worried and less depressed.
- Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, which plants use to develop stronger root systems and to aid in the uptake of chlorophyll. When setting out your tomato plants sprinkle one teaspoon of Epsom salt in each planting hole. If squirrels dig up flowering bulbs a pinch of Epsom salt in each planting hole will deter squirrels.
- Vinegar can be used as a broad spectrum herbicide but be careful as it will kill plants as well as weeds. Mix one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid with one gallon of vinegar. Spray on the weeds being careful not to spray desirable plants. Vinegar is not absorbed down to the roots so a second application may be necessary for mature weeds.
- When wood chips are used as a mulch for evergreens, sprinkle with a little fertilizer to start the breakdown process.
- Packing "peanuts" make excellent drainage material for the bottom of pots. Plastic soda or milk bottles make good drainage for large planters.
- Most herbs like to be planted in a sandy soil.
- Almost any window is a candidate for a window box if the box can be secured to the sill and you can tend it easily from inside the house. Choose plants for appropriate sun exposure. Flowers are the stars in the spring and summer. Add other additions in the fall and create a display with cut branches and ornaments in winter.
- Water in which eggs have been boiled provides minerals for houseplants. Or you can add three to five crushed egg shells to a quart of water a day before you plan to water houseplants.
- When you transplant tomato plants, bury the plants deeper than they were in the pot, all the way up to a few top leaves. Remove the leaves closest to the soil. Tomatoes are able to develop roots all along their stems so you can either dig a deeper hole or simple dig a shallow trench and lay the plant sideways. The plant will straighten up and grow toward the sun within a few days.
- When growing plants in water-filled glass bowls, add 1/2 teaspoon of charcoal to the water to keep it clear.
- Put a layer of gravel on top of window boxes to prevent rain from splattering the dirt.
- Stale club soda is good for watering plants. Chemicals which remain add vigor and color to greenery.
- Dry cut flowers and herbs in a microwave oven. They will retain their flavor and color.
- In three months a toad can eat 10,000 insects in your garden. Place a shallow pan of water for the toad in your garden.