Information That You Can Use To Beautify Your Yard

A garden is a tract of land used for growing flowers, vegetables or fruit, while land used to grow flowers, trees and ornamental bushes and used for recreation purposes or to display public gardens or botanical gardens are known as often gardens. Flower gardening is increasing in popularity and nearly one in every three family is indulging in flower gardening. To make a success of flower gardening, some simple rules need to be followed and it is necessary to distinguish between the different types of flower gardening aspects.

What is an Annual and Perennial Flower?

Annual flowers complete their lifecycle in a single growing season and the seeds, when germinated in the springtime grow flowers, further produce seeds and then dies out. In contrast, perennials grow for more than one season and as the name implies live for much longer duration of time. There are two types of perennials – herbaceous perennials and woody perennials. Herbaceous perennials are known to die on the ground prior to sending up newer shoots the following springtime, while woody perennials, like trees and shrubs actually do not die but get larger and larger over time.

Preparing the Flower Bed

Autumn is the time to begin laying down new flower beds before planting fresh annuals and in order to improve the soil drainage one needs to add to the soil some organic matter. When spading the soil it is necessary to spade up to a depth of eight to ten inches and to turn the soil over completely. It is also necessary to respade the soil three to four times every week and to add fertilizers prior to planting in the springtime.

Planting Indoor Seeds

Planting seeds indoors results in their germinating and flower gardening of this type may result in weak seedlings because of inadequate light and thus not come up to expectations when planted in a garden. It may be wiser to purchase these indoor plants from a gardening shop specializing in flower gardening. Another drawback to planting seeds indoors is that it may be attacked by fungus resulting in dampening-off, a common disease for indoor plants and to avoid this, it becomes necessary to use pasteurized soil.

One more point that needs to be noted when flower gardening, is to remove old annual flowers as this helps improve and foster better blooming of new annual flowers. It will prevent seed formation which results in annuals beginning to decline and is most significant when planting ageratum, calendula, cosmos, marigold, pansy, rudbeckia, scabiosa, verbena, and zinnia.

The plant Aloe (scientific name Aloe vera) is originally from tropical Africa, but it can now be found all over the world. It is a very common ingredient in many herbal remedies. It is believed that related species were traditionally used as an antidote to treat poison arrow wounds. We know that the Greeks and Romans traditionally used the Aloe vera plant, making a gel to treat battle wounds. Aloe vera was also commonly used during the Middle Ages, where it was a popular purgative. Aloe vera is also widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. In India too the Aloe Vera plant is widely used as highly regarded cooling tonic in gel form. In the 16th century, Aloe Vera reached the West Indies, where it also began to be widely cultivated. The character of Aloe Vera has been described in many ways. Its leaves are often described as hot, bitter and moist. Its gel is described as salty, bitter, cool and moist. The actions of Aloe Vera are described as purgative and healing. Aloe Vera has been known to promote bile flow, heal wounds, stop bleeding, expel worms, reduces blood sugar and cholesterol levels. It has also been known for its rejuvenating and anti-aging properties.

The most common way to prepare the Aloe Vera plant is as a gel. The gel is thick and mucilaginous, and many herbalists recommend that it be used as a first-aid cure for wounds, burns, and sunburn. Aloe Vera gel can also help heal extremely dry skin, and it can be used to treat fungal infections such as ringworm. Gel extracts of the Aloe Vera plant have been successfully used to treat mouth ulcers. Recent research has also shown that Aloe Vera gel may be helpful in treating breast and liver cancers, as well as HIV. In traditional Indian Ayruveda medicine, Aloe Vera gel is used as a tonic for excess pitta (fire element).

The leaves of Aloe Vera, although much less commonly used, can also be helpful for several conditions. The leaves of the Aloe Vera plant are believed to be a strong purgative. They can be prepared and used to treat chronic and stubborn constipation. It is also believed that the leaves of the Aloe Vera plant leaves can be used to stimulate bile flow and to aid digestions. They can also be used to treat poor appetite.

One of the best things about the Aloe Vera plant is that they can be grown easily indoors as a houseplant in most temperate climates. There are several practical applications for the Aloe Vera plant. The Aloe Vera gel can be applied directly to burns, wounds, fungal infections, insect bites, and areas of dry skin. You can simply split the Aloe Vera leaf and apply the gel directly. You can also collect the gel from several split leaves of the Aloe Vera plant to make an ointment. The gel of Aloe Vera can also be inhaled as a steam inhalation to treat bronchial congestion. A tincture can also be made from its leaves and taken as an appetite stimulant.

Here are a couple of recipes that use ginger to create an organic “insecticide” that can be used against aphids and other pests.

For use against

• American bollworm
• Aphids
• Plant hoppers
• Thrips
• Whitefly
• Root knot nematode
• Brown leaf spot of rice
• Mango anthracnose
• Yellow vein mosaic

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 oz of ginger
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of soap
• 3 quarts water

1. Grind the ginger into a paste, mix with water and add the soap.
2. Stir and strain
3. Spray on infested plants thoroughly.
4. If you do not have a sprayer, use a basting brush.
5. Make sure all parts of the infected plants are covered.

For use against

• Aphids
• Armyworm
• Bollworm
• Caterpillars
• Fruit borer
• Leaf miner
• Shoot borer
• Thrips
• Whiteflies

Ingredients

• 1 ounce of ginger
• 2 ounces of garlic
• 1 ounce of green chili
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of kerosene
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of soap
• 3 quarts water

1. Soak garlic in kerosene overnight.
2. Grind and make into a paste.
3. Add 1/2 quart water to chili, grind, make into a paste.
4. Grind ginger and make into a paste.
5. Mix all ingredients into the water.
6. Add soap.
7. Filter the extract.
8. Stir well before spraying.

Spray on infested plants thoroughly.

For use against

• Powdery mildew
• Root rot
• Fungal leaf blight

Ingredients

• 1 ounce of ginger powder
• 1 quart of water

1. Add powder to water.

   Mix well.

2. Spray on infested plants thoroughly.

One of the chores that my wife had for me to do last weekend was to plant two Texas Mountain Laurel plants. I had no problem with this project and it was a beautiful afternoon for planting.

But, when I started to dig in my front yard, I found something that was very upsetting. I found a very large number of white grub worms. The kind that love to eat grass roots and generally mess up the yard.

I know that I could probably find a bunch of chemicals that I could use to kill these little buggers but decided to take the more natural and organic route. So after a little research, I found information about Hb nematodes.

Now, I do not know about you, but I have been told for years that nematodes were bad for your vegetable gardens. That these little critters like to devour the roots of all the good plants. So, I was surprised to find a bunch of people suggesting that these organisms be used to kill the grubs.

But after a bunch of research, I found that part of the problem with my yard was that it had already received too many chemicals. That if it had been healthier, these grubs would not have been able to get such a strong lock on my yard.

I found that these nematodes, that are also called predatory, are very good at killing a lot of pests that spend part of their lives in the ground. Here is a partial list of the insects that can be controlled with these nematodes.

Beetles: Banded Cucumber Beetle, Bark Beetle, Click Beetle, Colorado Potato Beetle, Checkered Beetle, Flea Beetle, Japanese Beetle, June Beetle, Leaf Beetle, Mexican Bean Beetle, Pine Beetle, Powder Post Beetle, Scarab Beetle, Southern Pine Beetle, White Fringed Beetle.

Borers: European Corn Borer, Onion Borer, Round Headed Borer, Wood Borer

Crickets: Field Cricket, Morman Cricket

Flies: Black Fly, Crane Fly, Fruit Fly, Saw Fly

Moths: Carpenter Moth, Codling Moth, Gypsy Moth, Meal Moth, Oriental Fruit Moth, Pine Tip Moth, Winter Moth

Weevils: Banana Root Weevil, Boll Weevil, Cane Weevil, Corn Root Weevil, Pecan Weevil, Pine Weevil, Rice Weevil, Strawberry Root Weevil

Worms: Army Worms, Cabbage Worm, Corn Earworms, Cutworms, Fall Army Worm, Hornworm, Meal Worm, Measuring Worm (Loopers), Melon Worm, Pink Bollworm, Potato Tubeworm, Sod Webworm, Southern Rootworm, Spruce Budworm, Tobacco Budworm, Tobacco Hornworm, Webworms, Wireworms

Other miscellaneous pests: Algae Gnats, Apple Leaf Roller, Assassin Bugs, Bean Leaf Roller, Billbugs, Cabbage Aphid, Cabbage Looper, Chinch Bugs, Cotton Stainer, Fleas, Fungus Gnats, Gall Midges, Gall Gnats, German Cockroaches, Grasshoppers, Imported Fire Ants, Lacewings, Leaf Skeletonizer, Leather Jackets, Pear Aphids, Red Bugs, Seed Corn Maggot, Squash Bugs, Sting Bugs, Termite, Thrips, White Grubs, Yellow Fever Mosquito

Now, this is not a magic pill that will take care of all pests. It is just something that has been determined to control a number of insects as long as they live part of their life in the soil.

These predatory Nematodes can endure a wide temperature range (32degrees – 90 degrees F.), But, they are most efficient at insect control with soil temperatures of 50-85 degrees F. To be effective against insects that emerge in spring and return in the fall, you should apply these predators in the spring and fall. And, the best time is when the soil temperature is about 50-55 degrees F.

These nematodes will attack and kill almost insects that live in the soil. They are not to be confused with pest nematodes, Predator nematodes will only attack pest insects, They will not bother plants and are not a problem for earthworms either. The method of attack is by infesting the insect body and then procreating on what remains, till all that remains is a “shell”.

So, you see that I have found a very good means to get rid of my white grubs without putting more chemicals into my yard. Chemicals that may be killing other good organisms that my yard may need.

The use of organic rose gardening techniques is easy and affordable. Regardless of their reputation for being finicky plants, most roses are very stout and there’s a large number of varieties to select from.

Wild roses

The wild variety of roses are native to many areas of the northern hemisphere, including North America and Europe. It is said that rose fossils reaching 40 million years old have been recovered from the Colorado mountains. As strange as it may seem, they never crossed the equator to the south. No evidence of wild roses appearing in the southern hemisphere has been found until they were introduced by man.

Hybrid roses

The refinement of roses started many years ago with hybrids being produced by interbreeding. Numerous traits that include different color varieties and different size and hardiness of blooms have been bred into the roses that are seen in gardens all over the world. The two ways hybrid roses are classified are either Old or Modern. The difference being whether they were developed earlier 1867 or later. This is when the first tea rose was bred.

Encouraging growth

On of the main precepts of organic gardening is to emphasis the importance of producing the correct environment for growth. The aim is to prevent rather than control pest attacks and disease. One factor that is emphasized it that of companion plants . These are plants that will help your roses if they are grown close.

Some of the most effective companion plants for roses are onions and garlic. By growing garlic between your bushes, you will be able to see amazing results on your roses. Some people are dissuaded by the aroma. They think that the smell of garlic or onions is not what should be present in a beautiful scented rose garden! If this creates an issue for you, alternate companion plants that may be used are any flowers from the allium (onion) family. Nasturtiums are very a great help in the fight against aphids. While thyme and rosemary will draw in friendly insects.

If you are planning on bush roses, they do not like to be jammed together and you should plant them about 2 feet apart. This depends on the size when full-grown. If you are going to be working with climbing roses, you should plan on placing them about 10 feet apart.

Your roses will grow best in soil that is well-drained and very slightly acidic - a pH of 6.5 should be ideal. Humus that has been well composted can be help to adjust the pH value of your soil if need be. The best idea for this is to make your own compost. This is due to the fact that most purchased compost is not adequately broken down for direct usage on your garden. It is also possible to buy organic rose fertilizer. This can be used on your plants during the growing season.

Your rose plants will require a number of beneficial soil organisms to develop properly. A good example of this is mycorrhiza. This fungus connects to the roots of the rose bushes and other plants. It then grows to interlink through the soil. This then provides something like a back-up root system for the plant. A lot of gardeners avoid digging near their rose bushes to keep from disturbing these mycorrhiza nets.

During the growing and flowering season, roses will need a lot of water. One way to provide this is thru heavy, deep watering once or twice a week. This is a lot better for them than a small amount every day. The plan should be to supply about 4 gallons of water per bush for each watering.

Disease

When diseases or pathogens show up, organic gardeners look at the environment. This indicates that the conditions that have not provided the proper support for the plant. That the plant is not strong enough to fight off these attacks. The variables that must be addressed are the soil, the planning or the climate. Some hybrid or grafted varieties of roses are naturally weak and may be susceptible to disease. If you choose a hardy variety and avoid grafted roses, you will have plants that will help resist the problems that may arise.

If done to excess, pruning may provide an opening for the pathogenic attack. It is a good idea when pruning to always cut at an angle. This will avoid creating a flat surface that will allow rain water can collect. This could be a gathering spot for spores and other organisms to collect and soak into the stem. Pruning should be done just before growth resumes in the spring (late February or March, depending on your climate).

Another fungal disease that is hard to avoid is black spot. But your roses can endure for a number of years in spite of it. Helpful preventative actions include supplying plenty of air about the plant. One can use organic fungicides immediately after pruning as this is when the rose is most susceptible to attack, or if the problem becomes severe.