Gardening is a wonderful hobby that is very relaxing and inexpensive. Spending time working in the garden with others is a wonderful bonding experience. Children will be amazed to watch seeds grow to become vegetables and flowers. This also teaches them about appreciating outdoors and nature. This article will give you a lot of techniques that will make horticulture a little easier, and when you are having fun, you will probably be more open to doing this activity with others.
To keep your plants from getting shocked, you need to gradually introduce them to changes in temperature and conditions. Place them outdoors in the sun for about an hour or two on the first day. Throughout the week, you should increase a little at a time how long you have them outside. At week’s end, the plants should be welcoming of their new home.
Clay soil makes working with a shovel difficult. The clay is hard and sticks to the shovel. To ease the digging, apply some car wax or floor wax to the head of the shovel and buff. The shovel will glide through the clay and as a bonus, your shovel will be resistant to rust.
If your plants have a powdery mildew, don’t use expensive chemicals on them. Mix a little liquid soap and baking soda in water. You just need to spray your plants with this solution once every five days until the mildew is no longer visible. Baking soda won’t harm your plants, and takes care of the mildew efficiently and gently.
A garden needs the right type of soil to grow properly. Many nurseries offer a soil analysis service, which will tell you what nutrients your soil is lacking and what you can do about it. Save yourself the trouble of a failed crop by contacting your local Cooperative Extension to preform the soil test.
If you want your garden to sport flowers in the spring as well as summer, plant bulbs. Bulbs will grow every year and are easier to take care of than seeds. Find out which flowers will bloom when and then plant a variety, so that you can have fresh blooms all the way through the spring and summer!
You can use these hints whether you garden alone, or with family and friends. Apply the advice from this article to help you enhance your gardening abilities, and your love for this rewarding hobby will be sure to shine through.