Showing posts with label Gardening. Show all posts

Square Foot Gardening

Posted by Unknown in Gardening, Square Foot Gardening on Tuesday, 14 May 2013

By Kathy Van Mullekom

Daily Press

No matter how you garden – on the cheap or with wallet wide open – it’s wise to garden the smart way.

In the edible garden, smart means finding ways to maximize your harvest and minimize your workload and planting space.

These new gardening books outline ways to do just that. Each provides helpful how-to details – not just pretty photos.

Grow up, not out: Raised beds and containers get lots of attention, but vertical gardening is one of the easiest and most practical ways to grow edibles.

Vertical gardening means people living in condos, apartments and other places with limited yard space can reap the benefits of fresh food, according to Chris McLaughlin, author of “Vertical Vegetable Gardening.”

Besides the traditional trellises and arbors, the book shows how to grow on common household items you can recycle or reuse for free: broken baby gates that can be folded side up and spread to create an A-frame, crib springs turned on their ends, ladders with boards put across the rungs to holds pots, shoe bags filled with soil, tin tub gardens you can hang and five-gallon buckets that are suspended from trees or poles.

McLaughlin also shows how to turn wire, twine and other materials into arbors, teepees, fences and A-frames to support vining, twining, twisting plants. Even a kiddie pool filled with soil becomes a small garden. There are lists of materials and directions on how to make each, and profiles identify 30 veggies, fruits and herbs best suited for vertical gardening.

Make every foot count: Square-foot gardening took root 30 years ago when Mel Bartholomew wrote his first book on how to garden less to get more – for example, 48 crops from two 4-by-6-foot boxes.

Two million copies later, he now operates the Square Foot Gardening Foundation ( squarefootgardening.org) and recently released two new books on the topic – the “Square Foot Gardening Answer Book” and the “All New Square Foot Gardening, Second Edition.”

The answer book draws on hundreds of questions he’s heard over the years, including how to garden in a shady yard, how to calculate the potential yield from a square-foot garden, how to deter pests and how to rotate crops for maximum results.

He also addresses common problems all gardeners can relate to: The gnats in my square-foot garden are a real bother; how can I deal with them? Make a spray by mixing 1 part vodka with three parts water. No, don’t drink it; spray the area infested by the gnats. You can check whether you’ve gotten rid of the gnats by cutting a potato in half and leaving it in the area. If, after a week, the potato is still clean, your gnat problem is gone.

newsobserver.com

Ten tips For Success With Indoor Seedlings

Posted by Unknown in Advise and Tips, Container Gardening, Gardening, Green house, Seeds

Simple tips for getting the most out of young plants being kept inside your greenhouse or home.

Ten tips for success with indoor seedlings

Handy advice: remembering a few key pieces of information can make you more successful in the greenhouse

By Ed Cumming

Telegraph

Whether you’re a hardy veteran in the greenhouse or making your first steps into indoor growing on a windowsill, a few simple tips can help you get the most out of your plants during the early stages, says Andrew Davidson, of mail order veg plant specialists Quickcrop (01788 298795).

The company grows 1.5 million seedlings every year, so has a wealth of experience when it comes to ensuring seeds survive to become healthy plants.

1 Water carefully. You’ll be surprised how quickly plants will dry out in a greenhouse on a hot day, but don’t overwater as saturated soil has no air spaces and can “suffocate” plants. More people kill plants by over- rather than underwatering.

2 Water in the morning rather than evening. Evening watering, given the cooler night-time temperatures is a bit like going to bed in wet pyjamas for plants. It can weaken them and promote disease.

3 If you are starting out, make sure plants don’t get pot-bound (roots emerging from drainage hole). This means the plant has outgrown the pot and the ratio of roots to soil is too high. Plants will dry out quickly, so repot to a larger container.

4 We like our houses much drier than a plant does, so watch your humidity levels. Too little moisture in the air can be a death knell for plants – look out for brown leaf tips. A saucer of water beside a plant pot can make the difference between life and death for a tender seedling.

5 Watch for leggy seedlings. If you start off seeds early make sure they get enough daylight, at least six hours a day. If seedlings grow tall, weak stems they have too much heat but not enough light. If they’re stunted and small you have the opposite problem.

6 Onions grown from seed can be started in January. You will have a much greater choice of variety than onions grown from sets. As above, make sure you have enough light. Daylight hours are short and too much warmth will result in tall, spindly plants.

7 Look after your soil. Whether in pots, raised beds, or in the ground, indoor growing tends to be more intensive and more likely to result in an exhausted soil. Add plenty of organic matter in the autumn or spring.

8 Keep your greenhouse neat, tidy and clean. Indoor growing creates a perfect environment for plants to flourish but also provides ideal conditions for disease. Wash the inside of a greenhouse with a mild citrus solution in spring and discard any diseased plants quickly.

9 Aphids, such as greenfly, can spread very quickly indoors. A preventive garlic spray can confuse the pests into thinking your lettuce is garlic, which they don’t like. Use liberally. It won’t affect the taste of your crops, is totally natural and baffles a wide variety of pests.

10 If you’re itching to sow something this time of year why not try some sprouting seeds? You can buy them mail order, but shop-bought dry lentils, peas and beans can work too. Soak them, pour off excess water and leave them to germinate.

Biochar: a Slow-Burn Success

Posted by Unknown in Biochar, Budget and Funding, FAO and UN, Gardening, Organic, Soil Management

Biochar could help you get more from your plants and save the planet at the same time. What's the secret?

By Lia Leendertz

Telegraph

Growth area: Daylesford Organic gardener Jez Taylor extols the virtues of biochar, which has improved his germination rates his germination rates Photo: Christopher Jones

Farmers in Belize are excited about it, as are carbon capture scientists, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and multinationals such as Kraft and Nestlé. It may provide a carbon sink, it may save degraded soils, it may alleviate rural poverty.

"It" is biochar. For Jez Taylor, the head gardener at Daylesford Organic, the attraction is more simple: "The environmental benefits and its ability to capture carbon are delightful, of course. But I just get fantastic propagation results when I'm using it. That's what I'm interested in."

Biochar is "the oldest new thing you've never heard of", to quote a phrase coined by Wae Nelson, a US biochar expert, and its applications are wide ranging. It is essentially charcoal, but burnt at a lower temperature and with a more restricted flow of oxygen. Its proponents believe it was the force behind ancient cities in the depths of the Amazon, where poor, acidic, tropical soils would not otherwise have been able to sustain large populations. In such sites up to 2m (6ft 6in) of terra preta (Portuguese for "black earth") can be found: rich, dark and fertile pockets that occur naturally among the yellow surrounding earth.

Jez Taylor is one of a number of head gardeners who are pioneering the use of biochar in Britain. He manages 20 acres and six polytunnels of crops that supply Daylesford's own upmarket farm shops in the Cotswolds and London, and his main interest is in propagating the many plants that will fill those fields. Each starts off in a tiny plug of compost, desperately vulnerable to drying out.

"I don't claim to be an expert propagator, and often we have apprentices watering who may be even less expert," he explains. "The compost needs to be bombproof or young plants will be lost, particularly those in tiny modules, such as spring onions."

Conservationists call on Government to back ban on 'bee-killing' pesticides 13 Mar 2013

Jez tried a mix of coir and biochar and found that the water-holding action of the biochar improved his results dramatically. "I now know I can water on a Friday and come back in on Monday to find that everything is OK. I can be certain that seeds are still moist at the crucial moment when the root emerges from the seed, and last year this improved germination rates from around 80 per cent to closer to 95 or 100 per cent."

Jez also uses a biochar-based compost for larger vegetables that go into the shops for sale as plants.

"It is great in the potting mix and I'm convinced it gives it more guts. Plants seem to be supported for longer and there is less yellowing of leaves. When we feed, the feed isn't given in one go but locked away by the biochar and released slowly to the plant, and it really shows."

Dr Saran Sohi, of the UK Biochar Research Centre, started his career researching soils and soil additives. He says the effect biochar has on soil is different from that of any other additive.

"Biochar brings a physical and permanent change to the soil. Every other additive decomposes but biochar remains, and its effects increase over time."

Biochar works in several ways. Though it is not filled with nutrients itself, it is able to attract and hold on to nutrients, so preventing them from leaching away, and holding them just where plants can reach them. Its porous nature provides refuges for mycorrhizal fungi, which in effect enlarge the plant's root system while also increasing its resistance to diseases. It makes soil far more attractive and stable for beneficial microbial activity. Essentially it does everything organic matter does to the soil, but better, and permanently.

All this goes some way to explaining the impressive results seen in Belize. Craig Sams, founder of Green & Black's chocolate, has a strong interest in biochar, having founded a company, Carbon Gold, that sells biochar mixes and kilns.

"I've been in organic food most of my life, so I've seen the difference that good soil management can make," he says.

He wanted to bring the two parts of his work together and see what impact biochar could have on cacao growers' crops. Two Belize farmers were taken to Cornell University and "pumped on biochar", as Sams puts it. On their return they were given kilns and asked to put what they had learnt into practice. The results surprised everyone. Cacao plants planted into soil rich in biochar started producing fruits when about three-and-a-half years old; they usually take seven years to reach this maturity.

This caught the eye of the UNDP, which has now provided $50,000 (£32,900) for more kilns, and there are several non government organisations working to create biochar gardens throughout Africa and the Third World. Large food companies have also started getting in on the act: a sure sign that the enthusiasts are onto something. Unlike charcoal – which is made from hardwood at high temperatures – biochar is made at low temperatures and from any waste, including animal dung, twiggy waste, softwoods and rice husks, making it a realistic proposition for farmers in developing countries.

"When diseases hit plants grown in biochar-rich soils they have to fight their way through a shield of beneficial fungi and bacteria, and we think this is why the Belize plants produced so much earlier than usual. They could grow unhindered," says Sams. In Britain he is working with Bartlett Tree Experts on a trial with ash trees infected with ash dieback, to see if biochar might give them a similar increase in armoury.

Elsewhere, Ed Ikin at National Trust property Nymans is the first head gardener to install a biochar kiln to deal with his garden's waste and improve its soils, and Great Dixter head gardener Fergus Garrett uses biochar in his compost mixes.

"It's an excellent peat substitute," says Garrett. "Better than green waste. I would use it as part of a John Innes mix."

While biochar's effect on soils and plants is exciting, there are also great environmental benefits to its manufacture and use, and these stem from its capacity to lock up carbon. Soil is naturally a carbon sink – it locks away carbon and prevents it from entering the atmosphere – but a chunk of our troublesome greenhouse gases arises from ploughing soil and releasing this carbon. Although normal composting and mulching takes carbon in the form of organic matter and puts it into the soil, this quickly breaks down as matter rots, and the carbon is released again. Every time we dig or disturb the soil we speed up this process. Peat mining is an extreme example of this: when we disturb peat bogs we release carbon that was locked away thousands of years ago. But at least 50 per cent of the carbon in any piece of waste turned into biochar becomes permanently stable.

Gardeners digging biochar into their soils are taking a small step in undoing the environmental damage caused by peat users.

While Dr Saran is particularly enthused about the use of biochar in tropical climates, he thinks it could have applications in British gardens.

"In the average back garden you can make a big impact," he says. "A little can have a big effect on the soil. The way biochar interacts with water, nutrients, microbes and fungi will improve growing conditions and make soils more stable and fertile."

Six Unusual Herbs to Sow in Your Garden

Posted by Unknown in Gardening, Herbs

These six herbs are a good investment for flavour – whatever the weather throws at us .

Less-familiar herbs: from left to right, the distinctive seeds of sweet cicely and orange thyme Photo: Alamy

By Mark Diacono

I am an almost tediously optimistic grower – I’ve planted orchards of pecans and almonds, for heaven’s sake – but this long winter has tested my positivity. Last March, for a week and a half, I dug the veg plot in shorts while the sun burnt the back of my legs; a year and a fortnight later and I’m shivering.

After 2012, I feel that the weather owes us something, yet here we are: the light says spring, while the temperature says winter. There was a moment this week, though, when the wind dropped for a few delicious minutes, and I wondered whether we should look back on this sluggish slide out of winter with a little more gratitude.

Those days last March that warmed the soil and coaxed blossom and leaves (as well as my legs) out too early, reverted to winter all too soon, hitting seedlings, nipping blossom and chilling the soil once more. It was this reversal of the seasons that cost many of us fruit and wiped out those spring sowings that had got ahead of themselves in the sun.

We gardeners want an orderly procession of the seasons: crucially for spring to follow winter without going back for a few weeks to collect the baton properly. This spring may be starting late, but with every day that passes the chances diminish of a repeat of that well-worn trick: warmth arriving then reverting to serious cold.

So this cold start may not be ideal, but it is a reminder to trust ourselves, rather than the imaginary world of the seed packet or books. Let the air and the soil tell us when to sow and when to plant. For most of us, this is the start of spring this year. Aside from a few missed opportunities such as tomatoes and chillies, pretty much all vegetables can still be started off from seed, so why not get those seed catalogues out, get online or down to the garden centre and get sowing.

This cold has nudged me to shift even more of the garden over to perennials. Established plants listen to the weather – they emerge when conditions allow, and even if they get the odd shock, as they did last year, they’ll recover to be productive again. Perennials also tend to be less vulnerable than annuals to pests and diseases. And if you combine perennial resilience with great flavours then at least one part of your garden has a great chance of being deliciously productive whatever the seasons throw at it. So here are a few of my favourite yet lesser-known transforming flavours, all but one perennial, and all of which can be planted out or sown now.

Sweet cicely

The fern-like leaves of sweet cicely appear early in spring, giving frosty fingers something to harvest. Flowers like mini elderflower heads quickly follow and then beautiful long-ribbed seeds. All parts are deliciously, gently aniseed. Don’t let this put you off if you aren’t immediately keen as sweet cicely has two other fine qualities: it reduces the acidity of other ingredients, giving the appearance of sweetening, which means that when adding sweet cicely to rhubarb, gooseberries and cooking apples you can use less sugar than usual. It also catalyses other herbs when used in combination, bringing them out of themselves while remaining in the background itself.

Sweet cicely loves partial shade and will happily grow under trees, and in damp, though not waterlogged, spots. Sow in autumn (the seed needs winter cold to germinate) or grow from pots now. Sweet cicely is not one to grow permanently in pots as it has a long root that likes to burrow down. It is a prolific self-seeder, which is either a delightful bonus or a nuisance depending on your situation and disposition – if the latter, just pick off the large seeds as they form: they are superb chopped into home-made fudge or crumble topping.

Lemon verbena

This may be my desert island herb. Its leaves smell and taste like lemons, only better, with a sherberty fizz to it. As with bay, the leaves are usually not eaten (though it is safe to do so) but are used in such a way that the flavour is imparted. It makes a fabulous syrup (see box) that brightens up summer cocktails and ice cream, and is particularly good infused in milk for puddings. Lemon verbena is perennial but hates winter cold so grow it in a pot, keeping it under cover through the cold months and in a sunny spot for the rest of the year.

Perilla

I have no idea why perilla (aka shiso) remains comparatively unknown as it is fabulously flavoured – imagine the earthy but bright child of mint and cumin parents. It looks wonderful too, with soft crinkled leaves, in deep purple and vivid green varieties. It is widely used in Japanese and Chinese cooking – I use the leaves and flowers mostly in soups, in partnership with aubergines and in salads. The leaves are also particularly good tempura battered and deep fried, but the plant is endlessly adaptable. Cook very briefly, if at all, adding it late or raw to get the best of its flavour. Perilla is a sun-loving annual that self-seeds if allowed – sow it now undercover, and/or from late spring onwards outside. Pinch out the growing tips if you want the plant to bush out, or let it grow high and flower.

Anise hyssop

Anise hyssop has a minty aniseed flavour that’s both fresh and sweet. I use it most in cocktails and Pimm’s, though it is equally fabulous with shellfish.

The leaves are best finely shredded: try it with strawberries, where it brings out their sweetness and aroma perfectly. It also happens to be particularly beautiful, growing a couple of feet tall, with purple flowers that will keep the bees happy through summer and into autumn.

Hardy and perennial, anise hyssop can be grown from seed with undercover heat or you can start with pot plants. It dies back in the cold, re-emerging in spring. It can self seed if allowed to; snip off the flowers (also good in cocktails and fruit salads) before they turn to seed if you’d rather they didn’t.

Orange thyme

More often than not, fruit-flavoured herbs smell perfectly enticing but disappoint in flavour. Orange thyme (as well as lemon thyme) is fabulous, giving a warm citrus flavour to accompany the wholesomeness of the thyme.

It is easiest to start with plants or cuttings. Like common thyme, it likes the sun, a well-drained position, and will produce all year round (albeit slowly in winter). Excellent with duck, lamb and superb when used to infuse its flavour in desserts such as crème brûlée.

Winter savory

This under-appreciated evergreen herb has a gentle menthol freshness to go with its mint, pepper and thyme flavour. More strongly flavoured than summer savory, it works particularly well in hearty, winter meat and bean recipes. Sow into compost but leave the seeds uncovered as they need light to germinate. Once they are established, harden the seedlings off before planting them out. You can also start with plants for a quicker return, and/or take cuttings right now. Winter savory enjoys a sunny, well-drained spot but doesn’t like to dry out.

Cardboard Boxes for Raised Garden Beds

Posted by Unknown in Advise and Tips, Gardening, Grass, Raised Bed Gardening

Lay down a thick layer of cardboard in your raised garden beds to kill the grass. It is perfectly safe to use and will fully decompose, but not before killing any grass below it. They’ll also provide compost and food for worms.

How to Grow Asparagus in Your Garden

Posted by Unknown in Asparagus, Gardening

Guy Barter, RHS chief horticultural adviser, gives a few timely tips on how to grow asparagus.

Asparagus is a traditional dish at Easter and although the crop is about two weeks later than usual, British-grown spears should be on sale in Marks & Spencer this weekend, courtesy of Wye Valley grower John Chinn.

It is extremely easy to grow, despite the mystique that sometimes surrounds its culture. It thrives on well-drained soil or in raised beds in a sunny site.

Getting started

As an asparagus bed lasts many years, it is a good idea to improve the soil with a bucket of compost or manure every square metre. Add lime if required to get the ideal pH of 6.5-7.5.

Choose a part of the garden that is free of perennial weeds, and has not been cropped with asparagus for some years. Asparagus can be grown from seed but at this time of year it is common to plant one-year-old dormant plants, known as crowns.

To plant, dig out a shallow trench 30cm wide and 20cm deep. Incorporate well-rotted manure to the base of the trench and cover the base with a 5cm layer of excavated soil. Be sure to buy fresh crowns, as they often dry out while on display.

Hoe a 10cm-high ridge of soil along the centre of the trench. Place the crowns on top of this ridge. Allow 30-45cm between each. Spread roots evenly over the sides of the ridge, and then cover with excavated soil so that only the tip of the crown shows.

Space rows no closer than 45cm and stagger the plants in adjacent rows. If the soil is dry, water in and mulch.

How to grow

Annual weeds are best winkled out by hand, but can be partially prevented by covering the beds with black plastic in winter. In late winter, mulch with weed-free compost to discourage weeds and feed the plants.

Every spring, apply 100g per sq m of general fertiliser such as Growmore or fish, blood and bone, and again after harvest if growth is weak. The foliage is essential to build up reserves for future crops. Keep it upright with stakes and string, and free of asparagus beetle. If you allow the foliage to yellow in autumn before cutting it down to soil level, resources will be transferred to the roots to boost spring cropping.

Modern cultivars are all male, as male plants produce more and better spears. Female plants, which have berries, do arise in so-called all-male cultivars, and account for about half the plants in non all-male cultivars. Female plants and seedlings should be removed.

How to harvest

Don’t cut any spears for the first two years after planting. In the third year, gather spears from mid-April for six weeks, but in following years, if the plants are strong, cut for eight weeks. Slice off spears with a sharp knife just below the soil before they exceed 18cm tall. In warm weather, this may mean cutting every few days.

Watch out for...

Slugs and snails These browse growing tips, spoiling young spears. They are especially active at night and after rain. Use slug control.

Asparagus beetle Adult beetles and their larvae strip the bark and foliage. If picking off does not resolve the problem, try a spray of natural pyrethroid insecticide.

Frost damage Frosts cause distorted or dead spears, often some time afterwards if the tips are just below soil level. Cloches or fleece can hold off light frosts.

Tiny Gardens Can Yield Big Benefits

Posted by Unknown in Gardening, Square Foot Gardening on Monday, 13 May 2013

In a single square foot of dirt, you can grow: Four lettuce plants or 16 radishes, 16 onions or nine beets.

A 4-by-4-foot plot, densely and wisely planted, can yield enough produce to feed one person for an entire summer.

Square-foot gardens come in different sizes and arrangements, but there’s one consistency: No space is wasted.

“The key is you grow your plants so they get right up against each other,” said Larry Booth, a fan and practitioner of square-foot gardening. “It’s really amazing how much food you can actually grow in a small area.”

The term square-foot garden refers to small, tightly-planted, defined-bed garden plots. The practice was popularized in the early 1980s by gardener and PBS contributor Mel Bartholomew, who was inspired by the dense and vibrant gardens of Europe, where residential space is often limited. Its slightly more academic-sounding cousin, bio-intensive agriculture, is at the core of sustainable farming efforts worldwide.

Square-foot gardens — or, SFG — are the urban studio apartments of the gardening world, so care must be taken in preparation and organization.

Most are larger than a single square foot, given, but size should not come at the cost of efficiency and accessibility, Booth said.

“You can make them as long as you want, but you don’t want them any wider than four feet across because you can’t reach across to get to your plants,” said Booth, who maintains a square-foot-garden arrangement at his 20-by-40 plot at Bear Creek Garden. “I try to get as much as I can out of the garden space.”

In an SFG, plants are grown so closely together that little light can reach the soil, so weeds do not grow readily. Less water is used since, with a greater density of thirsty roots, less water is wasted.

“You’re growing five times as much in the same space as with a regular garden,” Booth said.

Because plants are contained in beds, foot traffic doesn’t compact the soil in the growing area. Compacted soil hinders the flow of water and nutrients from fertilizers, which also work more efficiently in a crowded setting.

With a traditional garden, “you’re fertilizing spaces that nothing’s going to grow on,” Booth said.

Booth plants in the same plot each year and begins his work before the planting season starts — with a diagram.

“I draw out where I will have everything, and each square is a square foot,” Booth said.

He then decides what to plant, where to plant it and updates the diagram accordingly. Without a key, it’s easy for a gardener to forget what’s been planted where, he said.

“If a variety did really well, you’ll want to know for next year so you can plant that same type again,” he said.

Next, Booth hammers in stakes and runs string lines, re-creating the diagram on a larger scale. Being able to refer back to the diagram comes in handy when it’s time to rotate crops.

“As with all gardening, you don’t want to plant the same thing in the same spot each year,” he said.

Certain plants — such as green beans, squash and cucumbers — can be trained to grow vertically, wrapping around poles or fences and requiring only a minimal footprint in the soil bed.

For produce that grows heartily throughout the season, such as lettuce, Booth likes to stagger his plantings — with an eye on a long summer full of fresh salads.

“The main reason I would recommend square-foot gardening is for the lettuce,” Booth said. “There’s no comparison between fresh lettuce and what you get in the store. It’s a completely different animal.”

—

Contact Stephanie Earls: 636-0364

Master Gardener: What to Look for When Buying Spring Plants

Posted by Unknown in Gardening, Selecting Plants, Spring

By Jan Beglinger

Genesee Master Gardener

thedailynewsonline

Master Gardener: What to look for when buying spring plants

It will soon be planting time in the garden and that means buying plants! Part of the fun of gardening is adding new plants to the garden or trying new varieties of annuals and vegetables.

It is always tempting to rush out and buy plants once the weather starts to warm up. Once you have found the perfect plant(s), take some time to make sure that you are taking a healthy specimen home. When selecting quality plant material there are several things to consider. Here are a few tips to help you do that.

Look for plants with strong, healthy growth, plenty of flower buds and a thriving root system. Look at the shape and the size of the plants. They should be uniform, not lopsided. The plant should fill the pot or cell pack. Choose plants that are more compact rather than tall and spindly. Plants should have leaves with a bright, rich color. Avoid those that are wilting or yellowing. Stressed plants may or may not recover. Look for plants that have a well-branched structure typical of the species. Plants should also have lots of healthy shoots and buds.

Plants that you purchase in containers should not have weeds growing in the pots. Weeds compete with garden plants for nutrients and water. You also do not want to take the chance of introducing a new weed into your garden. Where there are weeds there may also be weed seeds.

While we all want instant gratification and lots of blooms, look for plants whose flowers are just starting to bud out, with perhaps one or two blossoms (so you can be sure of the color). Plants suffer less transplant shock and develop roots faster without flowers. If you have a choice of two plants, one with tight buds and one in flower, pick the plant in bud. If the only healthy plants are in flower, consider cutting off some of the blooms when you get home. New buds will appear in about two weeks. You will also be rewarded with fuller, bushier plants later.

Carefully check the roots. If an established plant does not have a good root system, do not take it home. To check the roots, gently tap the plant out of its container and look at the roots. Check with a garden center staff person if you are not comfortable doing this. What you should find is a well-formed network of whitish roots binding the soil together. If the roots are brown, soft or rotten reject the plant. Avoid plants that are “root bound.’’

These plants have restricted root growth and you cannot see any soil. The roots may also grow out of the drainage holes. If you take a root bound plant home, you will need to trim away larger roots circling the pot and tease out roots before planting. Root-bound annuals start putting their energy into producing flowers. Tomato and pepper plants will do the same thing, flowering and even fruiting on the store shelf.

The other extreme is plants that lift out easily, with soil that falls away and few roots. This plant may have been recently repotted. These are plants that have not yet reached their prime. If you take this plant home, let it grow in the container for a few more weeks before transplanting.

Always check plants for insects and diseases. When buying from a reputable garden center, it is unlikely that you will encounter problems. Hold the plant up to the light; check the stem and both sides of the leaves, particularly the new growth. Black deposits on the leaves can be an indication of sooty mold, so check the plant for aphids or scale. Discolored leaves may be an indication of a nutrient deficiency, insect damage or disease. Other signs can include things like brown spots, mushiness and holes from chewing insects or even slugs. Webbing is a sign of spider mites. Many insects feed on the bottom of young, tender leaves and may go unnoticed.

Bedding plants (usually annuals) packed too close into flats may have increased insect and disease problems. Avoid cell-packs containing tall spindly plants with flowers. They have been in the packs too long.

Before you leave the garden center make sure that your plants are labeled. Beside the name, plant tags have a lot of helpful information on them including growing conditions, spacing recommendations and how big you can expect the mature plant to be.

Employing these simple tips when you are out plant shopping will save you time and money in the long run. They will help you bring home healthy plants and avoid introducing new problems into your garden.

Resources for this article: “Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Perennials,’’ Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, Kansas State Research & Extension and Alabama Cooperative Extension.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension Genesee County Master Gardeners may be reached by calling 585-343-3040, ext. 127, Monday - Friday from 10 am to noon; or stop in at our office at 420 East Main St., Batavia or e-mail us at: geneseemg@hotmail.com. Visit our CCE web site at http://genesee.shutterfly.com/. “Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County provides equal program and employment opportunities.”

Gardening with Epsom Salt

Posted by Unknown in Bell Peppers, Epsom Salt, Gardening, Rose

Epsom salt is a popular and well-reputed supplement in organic gardening. With the recent push towards “green” living, Epsom salt is an ideal answer to a variety of organic gardening needs. Both cost effective and gentle on your greenery, Epsom salt is an affordable and green treatment for your well-tended plants—both indoors and out.

Completely one-of-a-kind with a chemical structure unlike any other, Epsom salt (or Magnesium Sulfate) is one of the most economic and versatile salt-like substances in the world. Throughout time, Epsom salt has been known as a wonderful garden supplement, helping to create lush grass, full roses, and healthy, vibrant greenery. It has long been considered a planter’s “secret” ingredient to a lovely, lush garden, and is such a simple, affordable way to have a dramatic impact. Just as gourmet salt works with the ingredients in food to enhance and bring a meal to its full potential, Epsom salt enhances fertilizer and soil’s capabilities to bring a deeper level of vitality to your garden’s composition. Ultra Epsom Salt is the highest quality Epsom salt available, and is widely celebrated for its powerful benefits on natural life, ranging from household plants to shrubs, lawns and even trees.

Why Epsom Salt Works in the Garden

Composed almost exclusively of Magnesium Sulfate, Epsom salt is intensely rich in these two minerals that are both crucial to healthy plant life. These same minerals which are so beneficial for bathing and using around the house are also a wonderful facilitator to your garden, helping it reach its fullest potential and creating a lush and vibrant outdoor space. Unlike common fertilizers, Epsom Salt does not build up in the soil over time, so it is very safe to use.

MAGNESIUM

Magnesium is beneficial to plants from the beginning of their life, right when the seed begins to develop. It assists with the process of seed germination; infusing the seed with this important mineral and helping to strengthen the plant cell walls, so that the plant can receive essential nutrients. Magnesium also plays a crucial role in photosynthesis by assisting with the creation of chlorophyll, used by plants to convert sunlight into food. In addition, it is a wonderful help in allowing the plant to soak up phosphorus and nitrogen, which serve as vital fertilizer components for the soil. Magnesium is believed to bring more flowers and fruit to your garden, increasing the bounty as well as the beauty of your space.

SULFATE

Sulfate, a mineral form of sulfur found in nature, is an equally important nutrient for plant life. Sulfate is essential to the health and longevity of plants, and aides in the production of chlorophyll. It joins with the soil to make key nutrients more effective for plants, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Sulfate works in conjunction with Magnesium to create a “vitamin” full of minerals, nourishment and health benefits for your garden.

How to Use Epsom Salt in the Garden

EPSOM SALT FOR HOUSEPLANTS

Perhaps the most natural and easiest place to start with Ultra Epsom Salt is with the potted plants that are dispersed around your house and porch. Epsom salt is such a simple way to increase their blooming and health, and is something that you can include easily as a part of a normal routine. For potted plants, simply dissolve 2 tablespoons per gallon of water, and substitute this solution for normal watering at least once a month – although it is safe to do this as often as desired.

Adding this Epsom salt solution to houseplants that have been potted for a long time is especially useful, due in part to natural salt, which can build up in the soil and clog the root cells of the plant. Ultra Epsom Salt can help to clear up this accumulation of natural salts in the pot, and lead to a revival in the plant's health and vibrancy. It is also useful for a plant that has just been potted, as it will more easily receive the proper nutrients and have a healthy start in life. As general guidance, most plants need plenty of sun to receive the benefits of Ultra Epsom Salt (and photosynthesize), so be sure to keep typical houseplants in a sunny area of the home unless instructed otherwise. Using Ultra Epsom Salt with potted vegetable plants is a really wonderful idea as well, because it can increase the amount of fruit or vegetables you receive from the one plant. This is particularly beneficial to apartment dwellers and those with little or no personal yard space, as Ultra Epsom Salt can help you receive a large bounty within a confined space. A wonderful way to easily and effectively grow food!

FIRST PLANTING WITH EPSOM SALT

For setting up your garden and the initial planting stage, Ultra Epsom Salt is especially useful for getting a nourishing start. Prep your garden soil by sprinkling up to 1 cup of Ultra Epsom Salt per 100 square feet, and then work it into the soil before seeding or planting. This helps the seeds to germinate better, and start with a strong and healthy growth. It is also very beneficial for more mature plants that you are going to add to your garden, since the transition can be difficult for their growth and health.

VEGETABLE GARDENS & EPSOM SALT

For maintaining and creating a vegetable garden, Epsom salt can help you refresh and revitalize the garden you have already created—or create a healthy beginning to a new space. Ultra Epsom Salt is advised for use with all fruits, vegetables, and herbs (It is not advisable to use Epsom salt with the planting of sage—it is not beneficial for this particular plant). As previously mentioned, it does not cause build-up or any harm to plants when used, and so can be used safely and effectively during any stage of the plant’s life. For general purposes, Ultra Epsom Salt works well as a saline solution for a tank sprayer. Simply fill your tank sprayer (commonly available at gardening and home improvement stores) with 1 tablespoon of Ultra Epsom Salt per gallon of water. Then spray your garden after the initial planting, later when it begins to grow (or after a month or so for transplants), and lastly when the vegetables begin to mature. It is believed that this practice will give you healthier vegetables, and a lush vegetable garden.

The advice above is wonderful for any vegetable or herb, but we do have additional advice for some varieties and situations:

Tomatoes & Epsom Salt

Tomatoes are prone to magnesium deficiency later in the growing season, and display this through yellow leaves and less production. They can greatly benefit from Ultra Epsom Salt treatments both at the beginning of their planting and throughout their seasonal life. When gardening, simply add one or two tablespoons per hole before planting the seeds or transplants. Then as the tomato matures, either work in one tablespoon of Ultra Epsom Salt per foot of plant height around the base of the tomato plant (individually), or create the tank sprayer solution mentioned above and use that every two weeks.

Peppers & Epsom Salt

Like tomatoes, peppers are also prone to magnesium deficiency and thrive much more fully with the use of Epsom salt. This can be done in the same way as tomatoes—through adding one or two tablespoons per hole before planting (for seeds and grown plants), and then twice a week based on the height of the plant (see above). A study conducted by the National Gardening Association discovered that four out of six home gardeners noticed that their Epsom salt-treated peppers were larger than those that were un-treated. Many gardeners credit their healthy, vibrant peppers and tomatoes to Epsom salt. This solution truly aides in the production level, aesthetic beauty and quality of the harvest produced.

FLOWER GARDENS & EPSOM SALT

Like vegetable gardens, flower gardens also blossom more vibrantly and beautifully with the use of Ultra Epsom Salt in the soil and as a liquid solution. Epsom salt helps your garden to become the calming, serene environment you have been envisioning, and will increase the beauty of your home and landscape as well. To use, follow the guidelines outlined in the First Planting section for both brand new seedlings and more mature plants. Next, using a tank sprayer, fill with a liquid solution containing one tablespoon of Ultra Epsom Salt per gallon of water. This solution can be used as much as desired during the gardening season; but definitely after the initial planting, then later when you see growth (or after a month or so for transplants), and finally when they have received full bloom. If you don’t have a tank sprayer, you can always create this solution in a watering can using the ratio of 1 tablespoon Ultra Epsom Salt to 1 gallon of water.

Roses and flower bushes have some additional tips concerning the use of Epsom salt:

Roses & Epsom Salt

Roses in particular can greatly benefit from Epsom salt, and it is said to make foliage greener, healthier and lead to more canes and roses. Start by soaking unplanted rose bushes in one half cup of Ultra Epsom Salt per gallon of water before planting, to help the roots get stronger and firmer. Then, when planting, add one tablespoon of Ultra Epsom Salt per hole before inserting the rose bush. After the roses are planted (and to boost already planted roses), make the liquid Ultra Epsom Salt solution listed above for either a tank sprayer or watering can, or simply work in one tablespoon of Ultra Epsom Salt per foot of plant (individually). Once during the beginning of the season, it is also advised to work one half cup of Ultra Epsom Salt into the base of the plant to encourage blooming canes and healthy basal cane development.

Shrubs & Epsom Salt

For flowering and green shrubs, particularly evergreens, azaleas and rhododendrons, Epsom salt can improve the blooming of the flowers and the vibrancy of the greenery. Simply work in one tablespoon of Ultra Epsom Salt per nine square feet of bush into the soil, over the root zone, which allows the shrubs to absorb the nutritional benefits. Repeat this every two to four weeks for optimal results.

LAWN CARE & EPSOM SALT

Just as Ultra Epsom Salt can revitalize your garden, so does it improve the greenery and sustainability of your lawn. Epsom salt is particularly useful for preventing a yellowing lawn and creating lusher, softer, deeply green grass. It can be applied using a tank sprayer (which can also be used on your flower and vegetable gardens), a lawn spreader, and by using a hose and spray attachment. Use three pounds per 1250 square feet (25’ x 50’), six pounds per 2500 square feet (50’ x 50’), and twelve pounds per 5000 square feet (50’ x 100’). If using a tank sprayer or a hose and spray attachment, make sure to dilute the salt in plenty of water (enough to make it dissolve), so that it is a concentrated solution.

TREES & EPSOM SALT

Trees, the largest and longest standing part of your garden, can also benefit from Epsom salt by allowing more minerals to be absorbed through the roots, giving you strong healthy trees to enjoy for years to come. If your trees bloom or produce fruit, Ultra Epsom Salt can be particularly useful due to its ability to increase the production of both flowers and bounty. Simply work in two tablespoons per nine square feet into the soil over the root zone three or four times a year. Planning to complete this at the beginning of each season is particularly helpful for preparing the tree for the change in weather, and allowing them to become stronger and healthier.

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