Gardening Mistakes You Should Avoid

As a new gardener, it is very easy to make simple mistakes. Gardening is not as difficult as it might seem, but there are common mistakes that almost everyone who has ever tried their hand at gardening has made. Below are six of the most popular and easily avoided mistakes:

Mistake #1: Prepare your Soil
Not all soil is created equal, and some is just not conducive to successful gardening. Clear all weeds and make sure there aren’t any large roots that will get in the way of your new plant’s roots. Add a fresh layer of top soil and till the ground afterwards. This can be done with a power tiller or by hand, depending on the size of your garden and how much effort you wish to put forth.

Mistake #2: Treat Weeds, Not the Soil
In the past, gardeners would treat the soil that they were using for planting instead of getting rid of the weeds individually. One example of this is when farmers would salt the ground before planting asparagus. Asparagus is resistant to salt, but weeds aren’t. We now know that this is a very bad practice, as it ruins the soil for future generations of gardeners.

Mistake #3: Don’t Water with an Irrigation System
It is very easy to fall into the trap of automatically watering your garden. It saves a lot of time and seems like the right thing to do. Watering every day can cause roots to grow on the surface, which causes weak plants. Water once a week by hand, and make sure everything is soaked. Also, try to give the soil a chance to dry before night to avoid mold growth.

Mistake #4: Don’t Bathtub your Plants
This is a very common mistake, and can be particularly bad for plants if you live in an area with dense soil. Bathtubbing refers to only digging out enough area to fit the plant and the soil that comes with it. This leads to a bathtub affect every time it rains or you water the plant, leading to root rot or mold. Dig at least twice as much area around your plant as you need to avoid this problem.

Mistake #5: Get Plants Suited to your Area
A lot of gardeners get plants that just won’t grow in their climate and soil type, and they are disappointed when their garden dies, even though they have seemingly done everything right. Take into account things like how much shade your garden will get, how much rain you normally receive, and what kind of soil you have.

Mistake #6: Protect your Garden
There is nothing worse than waking up in the morning and going outside to find that your garden has been completely eaten by deer or other animals. The easiest ways to solve this problem are by putting up a small 2 or 3 foot fence around the garden, or by using natural repellents. If you use repellents, don’t forget to apply them weekly or as recommended to make sure the animals stay away.

Gardening is a very rewarding and relaxing pastime that the whole family can enjoy. Making sure you avoid the mistakes detailed above can help ensure that your new garden is a successful one for years to come.

Cross-Pollinating Daffodils, the Vanity Flower

The celebrated Narcissus has always been a fascination among horticulturists for its effortless beauty and cultural importance. Cross breeding has led to many different variants marked by different color combinations and shapes. Daffodils are hermaphroditic organism and this makes it easy to pollinate.

Before giving you the instructions, let’s define the vital parts for the novice gardener’s sake. The pistil or the female part is found at the very center of a flower and has a flat sticky top. The sticky part is called the stigma which catches the pollen during reproduction. The stamen is the male part, which is found just around the pistil, also attached on the same center filament. The filament is connected to the ovary which is near the stem.

What you need:

– Two kinds of daffodil plants, preferably two varieties of different color or shape.
– A plastic stick slightly pointed and semi rounded at the end. You can also use a pen with a plastic cap. You can also use cotton buds.
– A pair of tweezers.
– A seed tray
– An enclosed space for your flowers to be safe from bees or birds.
– A paper bag
– Masking tape

Step 1: Take your pen and create static electricity by brushing it against your sleeve for at least a minute.

Step 2: Holding the first flower parent, make contact between your pen and the pollen found neatly tucked around the stamen’s anthers. The static will instantly attract the pollen so there’s no scraping of some sort involved.

Step 3: Moving to the second daffodil variant, transfer the pollen onto the tip of the pistil, sticking them onto the stigma. Then remove the male parts with a pair of tweezers to prevent this flower from pollinating itself.

Step 4: In case of an open garden, keep your pollinated parent plant safe from other pollinating factors by placing a paper bag over it and loosely securing it with masking tape. You can label the paper bag as a reminder that it’s in a stage of impregnation.

Step 5: The parent flower eventually wilts which is a sign that you should look for the seed pod just behind it. Take the seeds out and dry them for a month. Then, using some vermiculite at the bottom of a shallow seed tray spread the seeds on top of it. Give them enough sunlight and use a water spray bottle to nurture the germinating seeds.

It’s quite a long wait for the fruits of your labor to materialize when cross-breeding any flower plant. It may be three to four years of devotion before the plants show buds but it is certainly worth the long wait.

Best Gardening Tools Every Gardener Should Have

If you venture into your local hardware store or even carry out a search online you will see that there are a number of different pieces of equipment that are designed to help you when going to work in your garden. It can then be quite tricky trying to work out what items you should buy so what follows are just some of the best tools for gardeners that you should perhaps focus on purchasing.

One of the best tools to look for includes a long handled weeder because clearly keeping those plots free of weeds will be one of the main jobs that is going to have to be done on a regular basis. These weeders come either as flat blades, angles, or some with a hook and they are designed to save your back whilst digging out those weeds. Do look at also buying other tools with long handles such as forks or a spade in order to save putting excess pressure on your back.

Do consider buying a selection of hand tools including a trowel, hand hoe, and a small hand fork as this will make working around your plants a lot easier and they are also ideal for pots and tubs. Do look at buying ones that are made from steel as plastic will tend to break and they will certainly last longer.

Finally, you need to think about looking after your garden so clearly some thought has to go into watering and consider investing in not only a good watering can, but also a sprinkler system that can water not only the plants, but also the lawn. Make sure you purchase one where you can adjust the speed and pressure as this will mean you can control how it works a lot better than those that are more static.

Those are just some of the best tools for gardeners that you are advised to spend your money on and by doing so it is hoped that working in your garden will become just that little bit easier. These tools do not have to be that expensive, although it depends on the make you buy, so look at investing in them above all others and enjoy using them as you work in your garden.

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