ORGANIC GARDENING TIPS
Below are some of our favorite gardening tips & tricks, many of which have been written for our e-newsletter. If you would like to contribute a tip, please send us an e-mail to info@planetnatural.com. We will be continually adding to this section and your input is always welcome. |
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| 1. Organic pest control begins with healthy soil. It produces healthy plants, which are better able to withstand disease and insect damage. |
| 2. Organic fertilizers are safer than chemicals. Chemical fertilizers may, in time, build up salts. |
| 3. Apply compost to your garden about two to four weeks before you plant, giving the compost time to integrate and stabilize within the soil. |
| 4. Do not over-fertilize garlic or it will become leafy. Use a high phosphorus fertilizer (the middle number) to promote bulb formation. |
| 5. New beds need soil amendments and double digging for that extra starting kick. |
| 6. Soak finished compost in water to "brew" compost "tea," a nutrient-rich liquid that can be used for foliar feeding or for watering plants in your garden, backyard, or houseplants. |
| 7. Specimen plants which need a warmer climate zone than you have do well in sheltered, south-facing walls. The wall acts as a solar collector, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night, creating a small zone that is warmer than the rest of the garden. |
| 8. Begin deep watering your trees and shrubs in the spring if you don't get a soaking rain every 10 - 14 days. |
| 9. When planting trees, don't give them too much organic matter in the hole they're going in. If the hole is filled with rich organic matter and compost but the surrounding soil is hard and compact or less nutritious, the roots are less likely to spread out into the soil. When the tree isn't anchored well by large roots, it is more likely to be blown over and be less healthy and less able to resist drought. |
| 10. Outdoors potted plants and baskets are the only plants that need daily water on the hottest, driest days of the summer. |
| 11. Once a seed sprouts it must be kept watered. If it dries out, it dies. If seeds are lightly covered with soil, they may need to be gently sprinkled with water once or twice a day to keep them moist. |
| 12. When planting in clay soil, cover seeds with vermiculite instead of clay. Clay absorbs heat and may bake the seeds and stop germination. Clay also forms a top crust, forming a barrier for the young seedlings. |
| 13. Trees and bushes placed carefully in the middle of flower beds add height and variety to the entire landscape. |
| 14. Low-growing ornamental grasses can cascade over walls, edge low borders, and taller varieties can stand in for a row of shrubs. |
| 15. A small extension curtain rod is an excellent support rod for plants. The length can continually be adjusted without disturbing the plants. |
| 16. Native trees are low maintenance; they have developed natural defenses against insects and disease over the centuries, and they rarely need pruning or feeding. |
| 17. Throw a handful of finished compost in the hole for a flower or vegetable transplant before transplanting. The compost gives the transplant a bit of an extra boost that lasts throughout the season. |
| 18. Check moisture in container plants often with your fingers. Potting soil is often lightweight and dries out quickly. |
| 19. Short on space but like vining vegetables? Train your squash, melons, and cucumbers onto a vertical trellis. Support the fruiting vines gently and thoroughly. |
| 20. Watering is necessary when transplanting, but be careful not to over water. |
| 21. Water your gardens and plants in the early morning or dusk to save water. Watering during the heat of the day burns plants and increases evaporation and loss of water. |
| 22. Picking off flowers frequently encourage most annuals to flower more abundantly. |
| 23. To continue blooming, container plants need large amounts of nutrients and water. Since water tends to wash out the nutrients, use finished compost or a good organic fertilizer as top-dressing. |
| 24. Whenever possible use natural and organic fertilizers such as compost. Chemicals build up toxicity in soil, which leaches into drinking water. |
| 25. Botanical insecticides are plant derivatives, and can be more toxic than some synthetics. They are, however, better in the long run because they break down rapidly and do not accumulate in the food chain as synthetics do. |
| 26. Variety and balance are keys to good landscaping. Color, density, size, shape and contrasting colors should all be considered. |
| 27. Morning sun is more beneficial than afternoon sun. |
| 28. Fertilize before a rain whenever possible. |
| 29. Transplant seedlings to larger containers after they have grown 2 pairs of leaves. |
| 30. Don't use garden soil as potting soil in containers. Its quality and texture is variable; it may drain poorly or be too loose and drain too quickly. It is also more likely to contain diseases, weed seeds and insects. |
| 31. When choosing plants for your yard or garden, analyze your specific sunlight, soil, and climate first. Choose plants accordingly. |
| 32. Learn to tell bulbs' noses from their basal plates, and plant them heads up. |
| 33. Bare spots on your lawn? Find an interesting native ground cover and plant it in an appealing design on the bare spot. |
| 34. Water well before and after applying mulch to give your landscaping a good beginning. |
| 35. Use a color wheel to find neighbors and opposites. Begin with a color wheel to design a beautiful, purposeful garden. Avoid simply throwing colors together but put a little time into planning. |
| 36. Soak bare root plants in water for several hours to prepare them for planting after their dehydration. |
| 37. Prepare beds for annuals and small plants by working in plenty of organic material, layer mulch on top, then gently stick the transplants through mulch to the appropriate depth. |
| 38. Garden hydrangeas' color can be manipulated with the soil pH. Pink and red hydrangeas turn blue and purple in acid soils, while blue hydrangeas turn pink in alkaline soils. |
| 39. Late spring and early summer is the best time to side-dress with compost your rapidly growing plants. Gently scratch the compost into the soil, taking care to start it about an inch away from the stem. |
| 40. Garlic, leeks and shallots make excellent container plants. They typically have few insect or disease problems, don't have deep roots and don't take up much space. |
| 41. Do not fertilize during the fall or the winter. |
| 42. In general, thinner leaved plants need more water to stay alive, thicker leaved plants need less. |
| 43. Beneficial insects are attracted to your garden by coreopsis, feverfew, and sweet alyssum. |
| 44. Like flowers in your yard but don't like the work that annuals present? Plant perennials instead; they come up year after year. |
| 45. Egg cartons make excellent seed starters. Punch a hole in the bottom for drainage, fill with potting soil, plant your seeds and watch them flourish! |
| 46. For a great crop of peas, start them indoors. The germination rate is far better, and the seedlings will be healthier and better able to fight off pests and disease. |
| 47. Like potatoes but don't have much garden space? Try potatoes in barrels or other large containers. Start the potatoes indoors to give them a good head start. Start the potatoes deep in the pot, then fill in the soil as the stems grow upwards. |
| 48. Cinnamon makes an excellent natural fungicide. Mix in your potting soil when planting seeds to prevent damping off of the seedlings. |
| 49. Compost is not a fertilizer. It builds up organic matter in the soil. |
| 50. Take cuttings from healthy clematis plants. Each cutting should include at least one undamaged leaf joint. Dip in cutting gel and plant in paper or peat pots. Clematis do not take to transplanting, so be sure to plant them in the soil pot and all. |
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