Pruning of a Cabbage plant

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Judul : Pruning of a Cabbage plant
link : Pruning of a Cabbage plant

current trends in gardening

Growing cabbage is a very easy job. But as they starts growing there may be different problems which start to creep in. Apart form the pest issues, sometimes the excessive growth can create a lot of problems. As leaves start touching the ground; leaf rotting starts to occur. Best way to get rid of this issue is to start pruning.

Though pruning (removal of some part or parts of the plant) and thinning (removal of the whole plant to ease the crowd) both serve the same purpose of survival, most of the time they are addressed separately. Here in this article I will club them together and use the terms interchangeably.

Now first thing first:

Why should I prune a Cabbage?

Pruning is very important for plants survival and to create healthier plants. Pruning helps the cabbage plant by providing the much required space to thrive and build larger heads. It allows the plant to focus all its energy and food to deserved ones.

When to Prune a Cabbage?

Timing is a very important issue in pruning cabbage. Begin the process once they start to bloom. The reason being that you can decide and choose the plants with best blooming rates and remove the once which are not matching you expectation.

How can I Prune a Cabbage?

Remove limp or unhealthy leaves from the plant. Generally you can do this just by tearing the leaves. In case you find the leaves tough to do so use sharp knife or scissors.

Use the trimmed off leaves for composting. If the leaves are fresh and tender you can use them in salads also.

Sometimes you may need to remove the whole plant which is not performing well (also called thinning).

Have you pruned the cabbage? Share your experiences with us.

Growing cabbage is a very easy job. But as they starts growing there may be different problems which start to creep in. Apart form the pest issues, sometimes the excessive growth can create a lot of problems. As leaves start touching the ground; leaf rotting starts to occur. Best way to get rid of this issue is to start pruning.

Though pruning (removal of some part or parts of the plant) and thinning (removal of the whole plant to ease the crowd) both serve the same purpose of survival, most of the time they are addressed separately. Here in this article I will club them together and use the terms interchangeably.

Now first thing first:

Why should I prune a Cabbage?

Pruning is very important for plants survival and to create healthier plants. Pruning helps the cabbage plant by providing the much required space to thrive and build larger heads. It allows the plant to focus all its energy and food to deserved ones.

When to Prune a Cabbage?

Timing is a very important issue in pruning cabbage. Begin the process once they start to bloom. The reason being that you can decide and choose the plants with best blooming rates and remove the once which are not matching you expectation.

How can I Prune a Cabbage?

Remove limp or unhealthy leaves from the plant. Generally you can do this just by tearing the leaves. In case you find the leaves tough to do so use sharp knife or scissors.

Use the trimmed off leaves for composting. If the leaves are fresh and tender you can use them in salads also.

Sometimes you may need to remove the whole plant which is not performing well (also called thinning).

Have you pruned the cabbage? Share your experiences with us.

How To Water A Bonsai Plant

current trends in gardening - Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about current trends in gardening, i was write this article for sharing Article Bonsai, Article current trends in gardening, Article water, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : How To Water A Bonsai Plant
link : How To Water A Bonsai Plant

current trends in gardening

Watering can be a very critical aspect of bonsai. Too little water can leave you bonsai shredding leaves, branches or even die. Too much water can make the root rot.

Watering frequency:

Watering frequency depends largely on the environment and plant's growth rate.

Like during summers to water twice a day is a normal phenomena. while during winter once a week is the standard. Apart from these two extremes once in a day is quite normal for most of the seasons like spring or autumn.

Having said that sometimes you might have to water it 3 times a day or once in a month it depends on your judgement on plants water needs.

The bottom line is you should make sure that it should not dry out completely or get soggy. Adding a water saucer is a clever choice for bonsai. It works as a self watering container.

Green moss watering:

Planting moss in the bonsai pot actually works very well for bonsai plants. It helps to keep the water inside and prevents faster drying out of the soil. Due to the presence of moss it generally takes more time to absorb water; so you have to add plenty of water to get it enough into the soil. Green moss can cause the water to run off over the edge of the pot. It can also act as a coating.

Watch soil colour before watering:

Watering a bonsai plant is a tricky business and it will take time for you to be good at it. It is said that you need to spend at least 3 years to become a master at watering bonsai. The soil colour, condition represents a lot of facts in bonsai.

Where to water?

Water the soil, with a sprayer apply water in the leaves. To prevent any root damage during watering, use a hose attachment. It would dispense the water softly without disturbing the roots. Use a sprayer to water the leaves.

Express your views regarding the article. Use the comment box below.

Here are some of the Bonsai Watering Cans that are available in Amazon
click here to buy

Watering can be a very critical aspect of bonsai. Too little water can leave you bonsai shredding leaves, branches or even die. Too much water can make the root rot.

Watering frequency:

Watering frequency depends largely on the environment and plant's growth rate.

Like during summers to water twice a day is a normal phenomena. while during winter once a week is the standard. Apart from these two extremes once in a day is quite normal for most of the seasons like spring or autumn.

Having said that sometimes you might have to water it 3 times a day or once in a month it depends on your judgement on plants water needs.

The bottom line is you should make sure that it should not dry out completely or get soggy. Adding a water saucer is a clever choice for bonsai. It works as a self watering container.

Green moss watering:

Planting moss in the bonsai pot actually works very well for bonsai plants. It helps to keep the water inside and prevents faster drying out of the soil. Due to the presence of moss it generally takes more time to absorb water; so you have to add plenty of water to get it enough into the soil. Green moss can cause the water to run off over the edge of the pot. It can also act as a coating.

Watch soil colour before watering:

Watering a bonsai plant is a tricky business and it will take time for you to be good at it. It is said that you need to spend at least 3 years to become a master at watering bonsai. The soil colour, condition represents a lot of facts in bonsai.

Where to water?

Water the soil, with a sprayer apply water in the leaves. To prevent any root damage during watering, use a hose attachment. It would dispense the water softly without disturbing the roots. Use a sprayer to water the leaves.

Express your views regarding the article. Use the comment box below.

Here are some of the Bonsai Watering Cans that are available in Amazon
click here to buy

Basics of A Rain Garden

current trends in gardening - Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about current trends in gardening, i was write this article for sharing Article basics, Article current trends in gardening, Article landscape, Article rain, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : Basics of A Rain Garden
link : Basics of A Rain Garden

current trends in gardening

Rain garden (it should not be confused with Gardening in the Rain) is an interesting concept. It not only increases your gardening beauty but also helps in water preservation. Here in this article I want to give you an brief idea about this concept.

What is a rain garden?

Rain garden refers to a garden which takes the advantage of the water from the rainfall in growing plants. The garden is designed to withstand a great level of moisture and concentration of nutrients. It gave the run off water the opportunity to slow down as it go downhill and thus reduces its erosive power.

Rain garden looks as like any other garden from outside but the speciality lies in the fact that it gets its water from the runoff and what happen after the water enters the garden.

The rain garden is a shallow depression in your backyard with absorbent yet free draining soil and it is planted with vegetation. It acts as a personal water quality system as it filters the waste water of the roof and other hard surfaces and recharges it.

Why should I plant a rain garden?

The main purpose of having this is to receive the run off water from hard surfaces like roof, sidewalk etc. By having a rain garden you will do you little bit to preserve this invaluable natural resource called water.

It increase the scenic beauty of the garden and protect streams and lakes nearby from pollutants and also help reducing flood.

It holds water for quite some time and thus provides a natural habitat for Birds, Butterflies and many other beneficial insects.

It also helps in reducing your water needs by recycling the waste water. So you would have lesser municipality water requirements.

How to build a rain garden?

Building a rain garden is very easy and is not at all expensive.

The first thing to do is to choose a spot to prepare the garden. It can be near the house if you only want to collect roof runoff or can be a little further in case lawn water is also in your plan.

Just keep this in mind that it should not be near a big tree or very near of the foundation of the house or it can damage them.

Next you need to find the are that will drain the water to your rain garden. The larger the area more the water will come to the garden. Ideal size of the garden can be from 100 sq ft to 250 sq ft depending on the total area. It should not be deeper than 6 to 8 inches.

While digging the garden you need to make a berm (a low wall) to prevent the water going downhill. Dig couple of inches more than the actual size of the garden. Add 2 inch thick compost for the nourishment of the plants.

Now come the most interesting part THE PLANTING. First make a rough plan of the actual garden in terms of the plants you want to grow and their positions in the garden.

Choose the plants carefully considering their height flowering time and composite texture of the garden. Choosing different blooming time will ensure a longer flowering season for the garden.

Use one or two year old plants with well established root system. Until the rain starts you need to give them much needed water for their survival. Use native plants to reduce cost and increase the chances of survival.

Have any suggestion? Please bring it our notice. Use the comment box below.

Rain garden (it should not be confused with Gardening in the Rain) is an interesting concept. It not only increases your gardening beauty but also helps in water preservation. Here in this article I want to give you an brief idea about this concept.

What is a rain garden?

Rain garden refers to a garden which takes the advantage of the water from the rainfall in growing plants. The garden is designed to withstand a great level of moisture and concentration of nutrients. It gave the run off water the opportunity to slow down as it go downhill and thus reduces its erosive power.

Rain garden looks as like any other garden from outside but the speciality lies in the fact that it gets its water from the runoff and what happen after the water enters the garden.

The rain garden is a shallow depression in your backyard with absorbent yet free draining soil and it is planted with vegetation. It acts as a personal water quality system as it filters the waste water of the roof and other hard surfaces and recharges it.

Why should I plant a rain garden?

The main purpose of having this is to receive the run off water from hard surfaces like roof, sidewalk etc. By having a rain garden you will do you little bit to preserve this invaluable natural resource called water.

It increase the scenic beauty of the garden and protect streams and lakes nearby from pollutants and also help reducing flood.

It holds water for quite some time and thus provides a natural habitat for Birds, Butterflies and many other beneficial insects.

It also helps in reducing your water needs by recycling the waste water. So you would have lesser municipality water requirements.

How to build a rain garden?

Building a rain garden is very easy and is not at all expensive.

The first thing to do is to choose a spot to prepare the garden. It can be near the house if you only want to collect roof runoff or can be a little further in case lawn water is also in your plan.

Just keep this in mind that it should not be near a big tree or very near of the foundation of the house or it can damage them.

Next you need to find the are that will drain the water to your rain garden. The larger the area more the water will come to the garden. Ideal size of the garden can be from 100 sq ft to 250 sq ft depending on the total area. It should not be deeper than 6 to 8 inches.

While digging the garden you need to make a berm (a low wall) to prevent the water going downhill. Dig couple of inches more than the actual size of the garden. Add 2 inch thick compost for the nourishment of the plants.

Now come the most interesting part THE PLANTING. First make a rough plan of the actual garden in terms of the plants you want to grow and their positions in the garden.

Choose the plants carefully considering their height flowering time and composite texture of the garden. Choosing different blooming time will ensure a longer flowering season for the garden.

Use one or two year old plants with well established root system. Until the rain starts you need to give them much needed water for their survival. Use native plants to reduce cost and increase the chances of survival.

Have any suggestion? Please bring it our notice. Use the comment box below.

Wiring The Bonsai

current trends in gardening - Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about current trends in gardening, i was write this article for sharing Article Bonsai, Article current trends in gardening, Article wiring, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : Wiring The Bonsai
link : Wiring The Bonsai

current trends in gardening

This is my 3rd article regarding bonsai preparation. After pruning, its time to wire the plant. If you are new to bonsai you may be thinking...

Why should I wire a plant? 

Well, the basic purpose of wiring is to modify the natural arrangement of the branches to grow and to  make our very own signature style. It also keeps the

For most of the plants there are no particular season or time of the year to do the wiring and can be done year long.

How to wire a bonsai plant?

Wiring material:
Most common type of wires are made of copper or aluminium. If you are a beginner, it is advisable to start with the aluminium ones as they are much more easier to work with than the copper wires.
Put a plastic or some kind of fabric around the trunk and the branches to make sure the wire doesn't stuck into the bark.
In some cases, where the trunk is too thick or fragile for bonding, you need to create a loop in the wire and slowly increase or decrease the pressure as the time goes on. This is also called Guy- wiring. 

Caution: Wiring should not be very close as it will affect the sap flow and not too wide otherwise it will loose its purpose.



Wiring the Trunk:
Trunk is the main structure of the plant. To start wiring, you need to choose a wire that is at least 1/3rd times longer than the length of the trunk.
The width of the wire depends on the trunk's width and it should be thicker than those that hold the branches. In case the trunk is very thin, use a thiner wire.
Anchor one side of the wire to the soil or at the bottom of the growing pot and then begin to coil the wire at a 45 degree angle around the trunk. Make the curves narrower while you are moving towards the top.

Wiring of branches:
tension of the branches and maintains the direction of their growth.

Primary Branches: While wiring branches, start working outwards from the trunk and avoid overlapping. Try one piece of wire to bend two branches which are near to each other (it is also called double wiring). You can do this to most of the primary branches. For rest of the branches use separate wires.
Secondary branches: Start this only after finishing the primary branches. The procedure will be the same. Secure the wire by coiling it around a primary or a secondary branch.

Words of caution: Leave the top portion of the plants little loose. These are the portion with soft growth.

How long you need to keep the wire?

The wiring is done for the purpose of styling and it is certainly not very good aesthetically. That is why you don't need to keep the plant wired permanently. How long it should be there? Well, it depends entirely on the plant genre and variety.
With the passage of time the trunk and the branches become thicker and eventually the wire begin to bite into the bark. So keep a close eye on that and as soon as you see any sign of this cut the wire right away.

Words of caution: Don't try to unwind the wires for recycling purposes, it might do more harm than good and can damage the plant permanently.


Got any suggestion? Please use the comment box below.

This is my 3rd article regarding bonsai preparation. After pruning, its time to wire the plant. If you are new to bonsai you may be thinking...

Why should I wire a plant? 

Well, the basic purpose of wiring is to modify the natural arrangement of the branches to grow and to  make our very own signature style. It also keeps the

For most of the plants there are no particular season or time of the year to do the wiring and can be done year long.

How to wire a bonsai plant?

Wiring material:
Most common type of wires are made of copper or aluminium. If you are a beginner, it is advisable to start with the aluminium ones as they are much more easier to work with than the copper wires.
Put a plastic or some kind of fabric around the trunk and the branches to make sure the wire doesn't stuck into the bark.
In some cases, where the trunk is too thick or fragile for bonding, you need to create a loop in the wire and slowly increase or decrease the pressure as the time goes on. This is also called Guy- wiring. 

Caution: Wiring should not be very close as it will affect the sap flow and not too wide otherwise it will loose its purpose.



Wiring the Trunk:
Trunk is the main structure of the plant. To start wiring, you need to choose a wire that is at least 1/3rd times longer than the length of the trunk.
The width of the wire depends on the trunk's width and it should be thicker than those that hold the branches. In case the trunk is very thin, use a thiner wire.
Anchor one side of the wire to the soil or at the bottom of the growing pot and then begin to coil the wire at a 45 degree angle around the trunk. Make the curves narrower while you are moving towards the top.

Wiring of branches:
tension of the branches and maintains the direction of their growth.

Primary Branches: While wiring branches, start working outwards from the trunk and avoid overlapping. Try one piece of wire to bend two branches which are near to each other (it is also called double wiring). You can do this to most of the primary branches. For rest of the branches use separate wires.
Secondary branches: Start this only after finishing the primary branches. The procedure will be the same. Secure the wire by coiling it around a primary or a secondary branch.

Words of caution: Leave the top portion of the plants little loose. These are the portion with soft growth.

How long you need to keep the wire?

The wiring is done for the purpose of styling and it is certainly not very good aesthetically. That is why you don't need to keep the plant wired permanently. How long it should be there? Well, it depends entirely on the plant genre and variety.
With the passage of time the trunk and the branches become thicker and eventually the wire begin to bite into the bark. So keep a close eye on that and as soon as you see any sign of this cut the wire right away.

Words of caution: Don't try to unwind the wires for recycling purposes, it might do more harm than good and can damage the plant permanently.


Got any suggestion? Please use the comment box below.

Pruning in Bonsai

current trends in gardening - Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about current trends in gardening, i was write this article for sharing Article Bonsai, Article current trends in gardening, Article pruning, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : Pruning in Bonsai
link : Pruning in Bonsai

current trends in gardening

Pruning is probably the most important part of a bonsai preparation. It is basically done to control plants natural growth and to maintain a proper shape.In this article you will get an idea about different forms of pruning involved in bonsai. This article is a follow up of our earlier article on Bonsai.

Required equipments:

1. A set of scissors or clippers for different parts of the plant viz leaves, small branches, buds etc.
2. A pruning saw for cutting older branches in particular.

Pruning can be of two types:

Structural pruning :this is major form of pruning and are done once more in the lifetime of the plant to undergo some radical structural changes to the plant. In most of the cases it includes removing major branches of the plant. The basic rule of pruning is you should prune “one of two opposite branches” on the trunk. You can always give the shape to your bonsai the way you choose, just remember once you cut a branch from the trunk it will never grow again. So proper decision is the key.

Falcon Pruning Secateurs

Maintenance pruning:this is day to day pruning. The main purpose of this is to restrict irregular growth of different branches (as a result of natural development of the plant).

In bonsai preparation pruning has to be done in many parts of the plant. These includes

Shoots pruning: Pruning of shoots are generally done to inhibit the natural free growth of the plant. But also allows light and air to reach to the lower branches of the plant. Process and frequency may differ from plant to plant depending on its variety or cultivar.

Leaf pruning: This is generally done to the plants with bigger and broader leaves. Clipping down leaves several time will force the plant to grow smaller leaves. You need to remove the leaves from the base just leaving the leaf petiole on the branch. From there smaller shoots and leaves will grow.

Root pruning: It is by far the most difficult part of pruning. Best time to prune roots is at the time of reporting. The seasonality differ from plant to plant. I will not go into details about root pruning it deserves a separate article.

Buds pruning: This form pruning generally has to do with deciduous plants. During the beginning of the spring when the growth starts to appear, pinch the buds from the plant. Sometimes you may have to add some fertilizers to make sure the plant doesn't remain nutrition deficient.

I hope you got an overview about the types of pruning involved in bonsai preparation. Stay tuned for more articles related to bonsai.

Pruning is probably the most important part of a bonsai preparation. It is basically done to control plants natural growth and to maintain a proper shape.In this article you will get an idea about different forms of pruning involved in bonsai. This article is a follow up of our earlier article on Bonsai.

Required equipments:

1. A set of scissors or clippers for different parts of the plant viz leaves, small branches, buds etc.
2. A pruning saw for cutting older branches in particular.

Pruning can be of two types:

Structural pruning :this is major form of pruning and are done once more in the lifetime of the plant to undergo some radical structural changes to the plant. In most of the cases it includes removing major branches of the plant. The basic rule of pruning is you should prune “one of two opposite branches” on the trunk. You can always give the shape to your bonsai the way you choose, just remember once you cut a branch from the trunk it will never grow again. So proper decision is the key.

Falcon Pruning Secateurs

Maintenance pruning:this is day to day pruning. The main purpose of this is to restrict irregular growth of different branches (as a result of natural development of the plant).

In bonsai preparation pruning has to be done in many parts of the plant. These includes

Shoots pruning: Pruning of shoots are generally done to inhibit the natural free growth of the plant. But also allows light and air to reach to the lower branches of the plant. Process and frequency may differ from plant to plant depending on its variety or cultivar.

Leaf pruning: This is generally done to the plants with bigger and broader leaves. Clipping down leaves several time will force the plant to grow smaller leaves. You need to remove the leaves from the base just leaving the leaf petiole on the branch. From there smaller shoots and leaves will grow.

Root pruning: It is by far the most difficult part of pruning. Best time to prune roots is at the time of reporting. The seasonality differ from plant to plant. I will not go into details about root pruning it deserves a separate article.

Buds pruning: This form pruning generally has to do with deciduous plants. During the beginning of the spring when the growth starts to appear, pinch the buds from the plant. Sometimes you may have to add some fertilizers to make sure the plant doesn't remain nutrition deficient.

I hope you got an overview about the types of pruning involved in bonsai preparation. Stay tuned for more articles related to bonsai.

Top Five Plants for Indoor Gardening

current trends in gardening - Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about current trends in gardening, i was write this article for sharing Article current trends in gardening, Article indoor gardening, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : Top Five Plants for Indoor Gardening
link : Top Five Plants for Indoor Gardening

current trends in gardening

If you are blessed with a backyard or a Terrace if might not want to row plant indoor but for the rest of us indoor gardening might be the only way out. It has its own share of problems. Lack of light, humidity, proper watering are some of them. Very few plants do good indoors without any artificial lights. Having said that there is hope. Here is a list of five plants which will give you satisfactory result.

Cilantro: Being a type of leafy veggies cilantro does well in indoor. Here is an article which tell you how to grow Cilantro.

cilantro

Mushrooms: Probably the best way to use the darkness of indoors is to grow Mushrooms. Here check this article for details on that.

Mushroom

Basil: Though basil prefer sun light and warm climate. It does fairly well indoors. The best place would be to place on a window where it will receive little bit of light here and there. 

Basil

Bay: It is a perennial plant and will do well in side your house. It also require proper air circulation. Please make a note if you want to grow Bay.

Bay

Chives: They are rich in antioxidants, Vitamin A and C and phytochemicals. These plants love humidity. Water regularly and make sure you soil does not get dry.

Chive

 

Which plant do you grow. Keep adding to that list.

If you are blessed with a backyard or a Terrace if might not want to row plant indoor but for the rest of us indoor gardening might be the only way out. It has its own share of problems. Lack of light, humidity, proper watering are some of them. Very few plants do good indoors without any artificial lights. Having said that there is hope. Here is a list of five plants which will give you satisfactory result.

Cilantro: Being a type of leafy veggies cilantro does well in indoor. Here is an article which tell you how to grow Cilantro.

cilantro

Mushrooms: Probably the best way to use the darkness of indoors is to grow Mushrooms. Here check this article for details on that.

Mushroom

Basil: Though basil prefer sun light and warm climate. It does fairly well indoors. The best place would be to place on a window where it will receive little bit of light here and there. 

Basil

Bay: It is a perennial plant and will do well in side your house. It also require proper air circulation. Please make a note if you want to grow Bay.

Bay

Chives: They are rich in antioxidants, Vitamin A and C and phytochemicals. These plants love humidity. Water regularly and make sure you soil does not get dry.

Chive

 

Which plant do you grow. Keep adding to that list.

Vermicompost: A Basic Idea

current trends in gardening - Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about current trends in gardening, i was write this article for sharing Article compost, Article current trends in gardening, Article soil, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : Vermicompost: A Basic Idea
link : Vermicompost: A Basic Idea

current trends in gardening

When we talk about vermicompost we mean composting organic materials by using redworms and other such worms. The process is called vermicomposting. Worms create a blend of different composting ingredients. You can enrich the quality of a soil many a times any adding vermicompost with it. It is considered to be very high quality organic fertilizer.

Worms in general situation eat in plenty in a whole day and with that proportion they release the casting. Most interesting fact is that their casting contains 8 times more microorganism than their food. These organisms do wonders for the plants. Besides the cast is also pathogen free. This cast is full with nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K) than the normal soil. If you remember (in our earlier article we have discussed about this) these 3 minerals are essential for any plants growth. These casts are also rich in humic acid which is very much beneficial for any plant.

Several countries like USA, Canada Japan etc practice vermicompost in larger scales for agriculture. But use can practice it in your own house also. All you need is these basic materials:
1.    A container
2.    Bedding
3.    Water
4.    Worms
5.    Kitchen scraps

Fill the container with bedding and kitchen scraps. Mix some water to make it moist; after that, add the worms into the mix. They will eat the mixture and create casts for you to use.

A word of caution: do not use any material such as bottle caps, polythene bags, aluminum foils etc. Avoid any type of insecticides or chemical near the bin. These will kill the worm population.

Vermicomposting is a fantastic way to convert your kitchen scraps into fertile manure. You can use earthworms to convert your kitchen wastes into manure (worm cast and some decayed materials) which you can then add to your window boxes. This acts as a buffer to reduce excessive acid or alkaline present in your soil. It will also help storing nutrients and retaining moisture. General recommendation is to add vermicompost and normal soil in 1:10 ratio.


What is your experience? Share it with us:

When we talk about vermicompost we mean composting organic materials by using redworms and other such worms. The process is called vermicomposting. Worms create a blend of different composting ingredients. You can enrich the quality of a soil many a times any adding vermicompost with it. It is considered to be very high quality organic fertilizer.

Worms in general situation eat in plenty in a whole day and with that proportion they release the casting. Most interesting fact is that their casting contains 8 times more microorganism than their food. These organisms do wonders for the plants. Besides the cast is also pathogen free. This cast is full with nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K) than the normal soil. If you remember (in our earlier article we have discussed about this) these 3 minerals are essential for any plants growth. These casts are also rich in humic acid which is very much beneficial for any plant.

Several countries like USA, Canada Japan etc practice vermicompost in larger scales for agriculture. But use can practice it in your own house also. All you need is these basic materials:
1.    A container
2.    Bedding
3.    Water
4.    Worms
5.    Kitchen scraps

Fill the container with bedding and kitchen scraps. Mix some water to make it moist; after that, add the worms into the mix. They will eat the mixture and create casts for you to use.

A word of caution: do not use any material such as bottle caps, polythene bags, aluminum foils etc. Avoid any type of insecticides or chemical near the bin. These will kill the worm population.

Vermicomposting is a fantastic way to convert your kitchen scraps into fertile manure. You can use earthworms to convert your kitchen wastes into manure (worm cast and some decayed materials) which you can then add to your window boxes. This acts as a buffer to reduce excessive acid or alkaline present in your soil. It will also help storing nutrients and retaining moisture. General recommendation is to add vermicompost and normal soil in 1:10 ratio.


What is your experience? Share it with us:

5 Tips to faster decomposition

current trends in gardening - Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about current trends in gardening, i was write this article for sharing Article compost, Article composting, Article current trends in gardening, Article top five, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : 5 Tips to faster decomposition
link : 5 Tips to faster decomposition

current trends in gardening

We have discussed about compost earlier also. This article will focus on some of the steps which will improve the decomposition speed of the pile. Now one of the headache people feel when doing composting is that most of the time they do not get desired result. Here we will give you some simple but very important steps which you can take to improve the decomposition speed drastically. It will also result in good quality compost. So let’s start:

Chopping and shredding: The first thing to remember is to chop the ingredients into finer pieces. The finer the materials easier it is to decompose. Chopping and shredding increases the surface area of the pile and make the microbes work faster than in normal condition.

Use Proper mix of Brown and green materials: We have discussed about various composting ingredient in our earlier article. It is essential that you choose your ingredients wisely. Ingredients such as dry leaves, saw dust, wooden chips etc are generally rich in carbon (C). They are also called the brown ingredients. On the other hand kitchen scraps, grass clippings, fresh cow dung etc is rich in Nitrogen (N). A proper mix of Carbon and nitrogen in the pile is a prerequisite which will increase the speed of decomposition.

Moisture: Moisture is very essential for the smooth decomposition of the pile. But while adding water you need to be careful not to exceed the limit. Too much or too little moisture will dampen the whole process. Generally if your pile contains more than 60% water it will result in stinky anaerobic oxidation whereas less than 35% water means it will not decompose properly as the microbes will not be able to continue their metabolism process. Though it is not possible to measure the moisture to such an accuracy the thumb rule of moisture is that you make sure that your pile has water contents that of a “wrung sponge”.

Keep them moving: It is one of the key to proper decomposition. Remember cooking? You just cannot leave the vegetables on oven with keep stirring. The same logic applies here. If you do not stir them frequently most of the pile will not get decomposed. The best principle is to turn the pile every 3 days. Take the material from the center of the pile and replace the center with lesser composted materials on the other sides of the pile. Moving the pile helps in better air circulation and proper distribution of the microbes through out the pile which results in faster decomposition.

Add microbes: Microbes are the main cause for decomposing your pile. If you make a new pile and perform the above actions properly you will get microbes inside the pile within few days. You can definitely fasten the process by adding a bit of decomposed material from your earlier compost. It will provide the pile with instant microbes which will proliferate much more quickly and also make the decomposition faster.

So do you follow these steps? If not, try applying them to your pile and see the result. Share your experience in composting with us. 



If you like the article use the following sharing tools share the article with others:

We have discussed about compost earlier also. This article will focus on some of the steps which will improve the decomposition speed of the pile. Now one of the headache people feel when doing composting is that most of the time they do not get desired result. Here we will give you some simple but very important steps which you can take to improve the decomposition speed drastically. It will also result in good quality compost. So let’s start:

Chopping and shredding: The first thing to remember is to chop the ingredients into finer pieces. The finer the materials easier it is to decompose. Chopping and shredding increases the surface area of the pile and make the microbes work faster than in normal condition.

Use Proper mix of Brown and green materials: We have discussed about various composting ingredient in our earlier article. It is essential that you choose your ingredients wisely. Ingredients such as dry leaves, saw dust, wooden chips etc are generally rich in carbon (C). They are also called the brown ingredients. On the other hand kitchen scraps, grass clippings, fresh cow dung etc is rich in Nitrogen (N). A proper mix of Carbon and nitrogen in the pile is a prerequisite which will increase the speed of decomposition.

Moisture: Moisture is very essential for the smooth decomposition of the pile. But while adding water you need to be careful not to exceed the limit. Too much or too little moisture will dampen the whole process. Generally if your pile contains more than 60% water it will result in stinky anaerobic oxidation whereas less than 35% water means it will not decompose properly as the microbes will not be able to continue their metabolism process. Though it is not possible to measure the moisture to such an accuracy the thumb rule of moisture is that you make sure that your pile has water contents that of a “wrung sponge”.

Keep them moving: It is one of the key to proper decomposition. Remember cooking? You just cannot leave the vegetables on oven with keep stirring. The same logic applies here. If you do not stir them frequently most of the pile will not get decomposed. The best principle is to turn the pile every 3 days. Take the material from the center of the pile and replace the center with lesser composted materials on the other sides of the pile. Moving the pile helps in better air circulation and proper distribution of the microbes through out the pile which results in faster decomposition.

Add microbes: Microbes are the main cause for decomposing your pile. If you make a new pile and perform the above actions properly you will get microbes inside the pile within few days. You can definitely fasten the process by adding a bit of decomposed material from your earlier compost. It will provide the pile with instant microbes which will proliferate much more quickly and also make the decomposition faster.

So do you follow these steps? If not, try applying them to your pile and see the result. Share your experience in composting with us. 



If you like the article use the following sharing tools share the article with others:

Hydroponic System: A basic idea

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Judul : Hydroponic System: A basic idea
link : Hydroponic System: A basic idea

current trends in gardening

Hydroponic system is very popular nowadays. Many gardeners are using this system but for a lot of people it is still a mystery. Here in this article we have just decided to demystify the system so if you are interested you can definitely try it out.

Hydro means water. Hydroponic refers to a system where water is used as a source of nutrients to grow plants and no dirt or soil is used. Generally nutrients are added with the water and then the water is circulated through the soil less growth media so that the plants are not deprived of any nutrients.

There are several benefits of this system when compared with the traditional way of gardening. The system helps you to grow more plants in lesser space. The growth rate is faster than traditional soil based gardening. The roots receive good aeration and can absorb nutrients much faster than when in soil. Environmental it helps to stop top-soil erosion.

Some of the plants which thrive in this system are Spinach, Lettuce, Cilantro, Tomato, Peppers, Strawberries etc.

There are two popular hydroponic systems:

1.    Wick system or the passive system: This is by far the easiest and least expensive way. Here you will have a reservoir filled with water and nutrients and another container where you will have the growth media (you can use coconut coir, perlite or vermiculite for this) and plants along with it. The two containers are connected by a wick (you can use a lantern wick for this). The nutrient solution passes through the wick to the growing media. Though it is very simple system it will not work very well for water hungry plants.

2.    Ebb & flow system or the active system: This system is a very popular one. Unlike the earlier system here a pump is attached with the system. The pump first flood the growing media by nutrient rich solution and then drain back the water to the reservoir. This system also helps to provide the soil with fresh oxygen which benefits the root growth. The most popular growing media in this system is rockwool. This system works well with every plant though the cost is much higher than the first one.

In most cases hydroponic system uses inorganic or chemical form of nutrients. But as an organic grower we always recommend you to use organic fertilizers. One of the most interesting ways to use organic fertilizers is switching your hydroponics to an Aquaponic system. Read our earlier article on Aquaponic system here.

We hope this information is will help the beginners to get an idea about the system. If you are a hydroponic grower we request you to share your experiences with us. If you have any suggestions use the comment box below.

If you find this interesting share it with others:

Hydroponic system is very popular nowadays. Many gardeners are using this system but for a lot of people it is still a mystery. Here in this article we have just decided to demystify the system so if you are interested you can definitely try it out.

Hydro means water. Hydroponic refers to a system where water is used as a source of nutrients to grow plants and no dirt or soil is used. Generally nutrients are added with the water and then the water is circulated through the soil less growth media so that the plants are not deprived of any nutrients.

There are several benefits of this system when compared with the traditional way of gardening. The system helps you to grow more plants in lesser space. The growth rate is faster than traditional soil based gardening. The roots receive good aeration and can absorb nutrients much faster than when in soil. Environmental it helps to stop top-soil erosion.

Some of the plants which thrive in this system are Spinach, Lettuce, Cilantro, Tomato, Peppers, Strawberries etc.

There are two popular hydroponic systems:

1.    Wick system or the passive system: This is by far the easiest and least expensive way. Here you will have a reservoir filled with water and nutrients and another container where you will have the growth media (you can use coconut coir, perlite or vermiculite for this) and plants along with it. The two containers are connected by a wick (you can use a lantern wick for this). The nutrient solution passes through the wick to the growing media. Though it is very simple system it will not work very well for water hungry plants.

2.    Ebb & flow system or the active system: This system is a very popular one. Unlike the earlier system here a pump is attached with the system. The pump first flood the growing media by nutrient rich solution and then drain back the water to the reservoir. This system also helps to provide the soil with fresh oxygen which benefits the root growth. The most popular growing media in this system is rockwool. This system works well with every plant though the cost is much higher than the first one.

In most cases hydroponic system uses inorganic or chemical form of nutrients. But as an organic grower we always recommend you to use organic fertilizers. One of the most interesting ways to use organic fertilizers is switching your hydroponics to an Aquaponic system. Read our earlier article on Aquaponic system here.

We hope this information is will help the beginners to get an idea about the system. If you are a hydroponic grower we request you to share your experiences with us. If you have any suggestions use the comment box below.

If you find this interesting share it with others:

Window Box Gardening

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Judul : Window Box Gardening
link : Window Box Gardening

current trends in gardening

Window box is a planting box which is used to grow plants usually placed near the windows.You can also click here if you want to know about roof top gardening. If you live in apartments and do not have the access of roof top or the backyard, this form of gardening is a very good option for you.



It is an interesting and decorative form of container gardening. The material of the box (the container) can be different. Terra-cotta, fiber, wood, plastic, or stone are some of the example of the container materials. While choosing the size of the pot please consider carrying capacity of your windows. If the carrying capacity is pretty low use smaller pots. You can also reduce the total weight of the container by using lighter material and using a potting mix which is lighter than conventional soil. Click here to know more about different media which you can add with your soil to reduce the total weight.

The best way is to put the boxes outside the window so they will get more lights. You can put them on the windowsills or you can hang them with the help of chains or straps. You can also add brackets with your window to make space for the window box. If you have problems with the opening of the window you can also place them indoors near the sunny window.

While preparing the pot soil, you need to mix compost with the soil. You can also add organic fertilizers in the later stages.  Windows generally get a lot of sunlight. So you need to water them frequently (almost everyday). Make sure your container have drainage hole at the bottom. Add some media like coconut coir which can retain some water.

In most cases window box is used to grow flowers. But you can grow a few of the vegetables also. Some of the best options for growing vegetables are Lettuce, peas, beans, parsley etc. You can add much more glamour to your building by choosing the color schemes or combination of plants which compliment your building.

Remove any parts of the plant which are dead. They can infect the plant with fungal growth so it is always better to get rid off them.


If you liked the article please feel free to share it with others:

Window box is a planting box which is used to grow plants usually placed near the windows.You can also click here if you want to know about roof top gardening. If you live in apartments and do not have the access of roof top or the backyard, this form of gardening is a very good option for you.



It is an interesting and decorative form of container gardening. The material of the box (the container) can be different. Terra-cotta, fiber, wood, plastic, or stone are some of the example of the container materials. While choosing the size of the pot please consider carrying capacity of your windows. If the carrying capacity is pretty low use smaller pots. You can also reduce the total weight of the container by using lighter material and using a potting mix which is lighter than conventional soil. Click here to know more about different media which you can add with your soil to reduce the total weight.

The best way is to put the boxes outside the window so they will get more lights. You can put them on the windowsills or you can hang them with the help of chains or straps. You can also add brackets with your window to make space for the window box. If you have problems with the opening of the window you can also place them indoors near the sunny window.

While preparing the pot soil, you need to mix compost with the soil. You can also add organic fertilizers in the later stages.  Windows generally get a lot of sunlight. So you need to water them frequently (almost everyday). Make sure your container have drainage hole at the bottom. Add some media like coconut coir which can retain some water.

In most cases window box is used to grow flowers. But you can grow a few of the vegetables also. Some of the best options for growing vegetables are Lettuce, peas, beans, parsley etc. You can add much more glamour to your building by choosing the color schemes or combination of plants which compliment your building.

Remove any parts of the plant which are dead. They can infect the plant with fungal growth so it is always better to get rid off them.


If you liked the article please feel free to share it with others:

Roof Top Gardening: Some Important Points

current trends in gardening - Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about current trends in gardening, i was write this article for sharing Article basics, Article current trends in gardening, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : Roof Top Gardening: Some Important Points
link : Roof Top Gardening: Some Important Points

current trends in gardening

Want to do gardening but not having enough space in the backyard? Why not think upwards? If you have a roof top you can definitely use it to grow your favorite plants.

There are some benefits for roof top gardening:
1.    You can utilize your long unused space into a vegetable garden.
2.    Usually full of sunlight.
3.    Visually attractive.
4.    It can cool down the top floor of the apartment in the hot summers.

But unlike your backyard, you need to keep some points in mind before starting your roof top garden.

Weight: Weight is very important. First decide whether you want to use containers or you want to make plantation in the raised beds. In case you are planning to use containers try lighter material like plastic or fiber. Click here to know more about different container materials. Calculate the total amount of weight your roof top is going to bear. You need to add the weight of the soil (in wet condition), containers, mature plants along with their fruits, temporary weight such people and snow (in case you live in a place where snow fall is a regular incident). You can reduce the weight of the soil by mixing Coir or Perlite with the soil.

Sunlight: Generally roof tops are full of sunlight (unless your roof top is surrounded by some high buildings). So the chances are good that the plant will receive at least 6 hours of sunlight pretty easily. But over heating is sometimes also detrimental to certain plants. Beside heat from the top, there is a huge amount of heat also reflected back by the floor of the roof. So just keep in mind that in some cases you may need to provide some shading for the plants.

Wind: Your roof top is a place where the speed of the wind is maximum; especially if you live in high altitude. It is always better to provide some structural barrier or fencing to protect the plant in case of excessive wind flow.

Accessibility: This is a major issue. How easily you can access your roof top. Carrying soil, containers, equipments can be a real headache if the accessibility is poor. Please make sure you have lift or proper stairs installed before starting.

Watering: In the hot summer, the watering may required to do everyday. Make sure you have water connectivity in the roof top; otherwise carrying water everyday from downstairs can be a nuisance. Make sure you have proper drainage on the roof. You can also use the rain water if you have rain water harvesting system in place. You can find some idea about rain water harvesting in this article.

Besides these major issues some minor factors you also need to consider. In the likes of availability of electricity at the terrace can be really helpful though it is not essential. Also please take the required permission from your local authority before starting you garden.


Hope you have enjoyed the article; Share your views regarding the article. Use the Comment box below.

Want to do gardening but not having enough space in the backyard? Why not think upwards? If you have a roof top you can definitely use it to grow your favorite plants.

There are some benefits for roof top gardening:
1.    You can utilize your long unused space into a vegetable garden.
2.    Usually full of sunlight.
3.    Visually attractive.
4.    It can cool down the top floor of the apartment in the hot summers.

But unlike your backyard, you need to keep some points in mind before starting your roof top garden.

Weight: Weight is very important. First decide whether you want to use containers or you want to make plantation in the raised beds. In case you are planning to use containers try lighter material like plastic or fiber. Click here to know more about different container materials. Calculate the total amount of weight your roof top is going to bear. You need to add the weight of the soil (in wet condition), containers, mature plants along with their fruits, temporary weight such people and snow (in case you live in a place where snow fall is a regular incident). You can reduce the weight of the soil by mixing Coir or Perlite with the soil.

Sunlight: Generally roof tops are full of sunlight (unless your roof top is surrounded by some high buildings). So the chances are good that the plant will receive at least 6 hours of sunlight pretty easily. But over heating is sometimes also detrimental to certain plants. Beside heat from the top, there is a huge amount of heat also reflected back by the floor of the roof. So just keep in mind that in some cases you may need to provide some shading for the plants.

Wind: Your roof top is a place where the speed of the wind is maximum; especially if you live in high altitude. It is always better to provide some structural barrier or fencing to protect the plant in case of excessive wind flow.

Accessibility: This is a major issue. How easily you can access your roof top. Carrying soil, containers, equipments can be a real headache if the accessibility is poor. Please make sure you have lift or proper stairs installed before starting.

Watering: In the hot summer, the watering may required to do everyday. Make sure you have water connectivity in the roof top; otherwise carrying water everyday from downstairs can be a nuisance. Make sure you have proper drainage on the roof. You can also use the rain water if you have rain water harvesting system in place. You can find some idea about rain water harvesting in this article.

Besides these major issues some minor factors you also need to consider. In the likes of availability of electricity at the terrace can be really helpful though it is not essential. Also please take the required permission from your local authority before starting you garden.


Hope you have enjoyed the article; Share your views regarding the article. Use the Comment box below.

Gardening in Shade: Some useful information

current trends in gardening - Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about current trends in gardening, i was write this article for sharing Article basics, Article current trends in gardening, Article shade, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : Gardening in Shade: Some useful information
link : Gardening in Shade: Some useful information

current trends in gardening

Gardening does not always means that you need to grow plants in full sun. Shade in the garden is like a nightmare for many gardeners. Though most of the vegetables like Tomatoes, or cucumbers require full sun for their development, many plants can grow wonderfully well in shade. Here in this article we will try to give you some idea on how you can do gardening in shady condition.

When people talk about shade they can mean a variety of condition. So at times it can be confusing to what actually a shade gardening refers to. First of all let us make a distinction between different types of shades.

Gardening in partial shade

1.    Partial shade: This kind of shading refers to a condition where the place receives direct sunlight for less than 4 hours.
2.    Full shade: This is a condition where there is no direct sunlight through out the whole year. There are some plants (like Euphorbia) which can grow well in areas like this.
3.    Dry shade: If you are planting under some big tree the chances are that apart from being shaded, the place will be very dry. As the water content of the soil is mostly sucked in by the big trees. There are few plants which can survive in these conditions also.
4.    Moist shade: In case the planting is near any big water source such as ponds or rivers the soil remains very wet through the season. In this condition plants are never short of water.

It is the partial shade that we will discuss in this article. As we have already discussed in out earlier article Sun or no Sun, if you want to grow fully grown fruits in a plant, you need to provide them more than 6 hours of sunlight. Having said that, crops such as Spinach and other leafy vegetables, Peas, Cauliflower can grow pretty on partial shade.

Some tips on growing vegetables in shade:
Most of the plants which grow in the shade generally have larger leaves to absorb more light. Do not crowd shade tolerant plants. It will help to absorb most of the light available. Less crowding will also increase the air flow through the plant and will reduce many diseases.
Paint the walls of your buildings surrounding the shady area with lighter paint. It will increase the light reflection and provide light support to the dark shady areas. You can also use mirror tiles or metallic surfaces for this purpose.

Benefits of Shade gardening:
There are some benefits also if you are doing gardening in shade. If you remember, while discussing growing tips about Cauliflower and several others we have informed you about the effect of heat on bolting. In case your gardening is in the shade the impact of bolting can be reduced. The leafy vegetables such as Spinach lettuce grown in partial shade will look much fresher and you can enjoy them for a longer period of time. This is due to the fact that the more they are in the sun the larger will be the amount of water loss.

Talking about water, you also need to water the plants less regularly than when in the direct sun. By knowing ideal plants for shade, you can very easily optimize your total garden space. Plant the plants which prefer the direct sunlight in the sunny place whereas as in rest of the partial shaded spaces you can easily cultivated rest of the plants. It will help you to double your total vegetable output.

You can get some vivid idea about sun and its impact on vegetables growing in this article.



If you like the article, please share it with others.

Gardening does not always means that you need to grow plants in full sun. Shade in the garden is like a nightmare for many gardeners. Though most of the vegetables like Tomatoes, or cucumbers require full sun for their development, many plants can grow wonderfully well in shade. Here in this article we will try to give you some idea on how you can do gardening in shady condition.

When people talk about shade they can mean a variety of condition. So at times it can be confusing to what actually a shade gardening refers to. First of all let us make a distinction between different types of shades.

Gardening in partial shade

1.    Partial shade: This kind of shading refers to a condition where the place receives direct sunlight for less than 4 hours.
2.    Full shade: This is a condition where there is no direct sunlight through out the whole year. There are some plants (like Euphorbia) which can grow well in areas like this.
3.    Dry shade: If you are planting under some big tree the chances are that apart from being shaded, the place will be very dry. As the water content of the soil is mostly sucked in by the big trees. There are few plants which can survive in these conditions also.
4.    Moist shade: In case the planting is near any big water source such as ponds or rivers the soil remains very wet through the season. In this condition plants are never short of water.

It is the partial shade that we will discuss in this article. As we have already discussed in out earlier article Sun or no Sun, if you want to grow fully grown fruits in a plant, you need to provide them more than 6 hours of sunlight. Having said that, crops such as Spinach and other leafy vegetables, Peas, Cauliflower can grow pretty on partial shade.

Some tips on growing vegetables in shade:
Most of the plants which grow in the shade generally have larger leaves to absorb more light. Do not crowd shade tolerant plants. It will help to absorb most of the light available. Less crowding will also increase the air flow through the plant and will reduce many diseases.
Paint the walls of your buildings surrounding the shady area with lighter paint. It will increase the light reflection and provide light support to the dark shady areas. You can also use mirror tiles or metallic surfaces for this purpose.

Benefits of Shade gardening:
There are some benefits also if you are doing gardening in shade. If you remember, while discussing growing tips about Cauliflower and several others we have informed you about the effect of heat on bolting. In case your gardening is in the shade the impact of bolting can be reduced. The leafy vegetables such as Spinach lettuce grown in partial shade will look much fresher and you can enjoy them for a longer period of time. This is due to the fact that the more they are in the sun the larger will be the amount of water loss.

Talking about water, you also need to water the plants less regularly than when in the direct sun. By knowing ideal plants for shade, you can very easily optimize your total garden space. Plant the plants which prefer the direct sunlight in the sunny place whereas as in rest of the partial shaded spaces you can easily cultivated rest of the plants. It will help you to double your total vegetable output.

You can get some vivid idea about sun and its impact on vegetables growing in this article.



If you like the article, please share it with others.

Solarization: Know the Basics

current trends in gardening - Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about current trends in gardening, i was write this article for sharing Article basics, Article current trends in gardening, Article jargons, Article organic gardening, Article pests, Article soil, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : Solarization: Know the Basics
link : Solarization: Know the Basics

current trends in gardening

Today we will discuss a very interesting but simple way for controlling weed problems in your garden. It is called Solarization process. We have used the term in our earlier article Weed controlling in organic ways. Here we will give some details so that you can try out in your garden.

In a very simple terms, solarization means using the heat from the sun to kill the weed in your garden. In this method the gardening area is covered with clear polythene then it is exposed to the full hot sun so that the light and heat can reach to the ground and cook the weed seeds which remained hidden inside the soil.
 

Why do I need soil Solarization?

Most people are unaware of this method and normally prefer other techniques in weed controlling. But there are some definite benefits which you get once you have decided to go for solarization.

There are so many weed seeds that are beneath the soil surface and are very hard to find. Though people put a thick layer of mulch to kill them, if the weed seeds are very vigorous, they can come on top of the mulch back to the light. Some time landscape fabrics are spread over the garden and then in some places holes are punched to plant new plants. This process in not full proof and can be infected by weeds. Though there is little bit hard work involved, it is by far the best way to kill the entire weeds in a given area. And once completed, your garden will be the best place for your new plants to live.

This method is entirely organic. There is no herbicide or other pesticides involved. You are using nature’s energy to a better use.

Although it is primarily meant to kill weeds, it will also reduce the nematodes, soil insects and many other soil borne diseases.

How to do Solarization:

The best time for practicing this is when the sun is at its full power i.e. in the summers. First choose the area which you want to solarize. Try to choose the area where there is very little shade available, the main purpose of the solarization will be hampered if the sun is blocked. Now once the area is fixed remove the existing weeds by tilling the land with a tiller. Till up to 6 inches depth. Please remove any sharp object which can poke holes in the polythene from this tilled area.

Next thing you need to do is to put some water in that area and make the soil moist. Don’t add too much water so that the soil becomes waterlogged. Water is a very important element in this process. It helps in heat conduction. Avoiding water in solarization, may not give you your desired result.

Cover the area with a clear polythene sheet. Don’t use any colored sheet as it will stop the sunlight to reach the soil. Stretch the polythene tightly and seal it completely. Sealing will help the heat to remain within the desired area and cook the weed seeds, insects, nematodes that can harm your plants. Keep the land in this way for at least 2 months.

After that, remove the polythene. Now the area has been solarized and the weeds, pests, nematodes all have been killed. This will remain weed free for 3 to 4 months. You can plant your desired plant now and enjoy it weed free. Don’t plant before removing the entire polythene because the heat can kill the plant.




If you like the article, share it with your friends:

Today we will discuss a very interesting but simple way for controlling weed problems in your garden. It is called Solarization process. We have used the term in our earlier article Weed controlling in organic ways. Here we will give some details so that you can try out in your garden.

In a very simple terms, solarization means using the heat from the sun to kill the weed in your garden. In this method the gardening area is covered with clear polythene then it is exposed to the full hot sun so that the light and heat can reach to the ground and cook the weed seeds which remained hidden inside the soil.
 

Why do I need soil Solarization?

Most people are unaware of this method and normally prefer other techniques in weed controlling. But there are some definite benefits which you get once you have decided to go for solarization.

There are so many weed seeds that are beneath the soil surface and are very hard to find. Though people put a thick layer of mulch to kill them, if the weed seeds are very vigorous, they can come on top of the mulch back to the light. Some time landscape fabrics are spread over the garden and then in some places holes are punched to plant new plants. This process in not full proof and can be infected by weeds. Though there is little bit hard work involved, it is by far the best way to kill the entire weeds in a given area. And once completed, your garden will be the best place for your new plants to live.

This method is entirely organic. There is no herbicide or other pesticides involved. You are using nature’s energy to a better use.

Although it is primarily meant to kill weeds, it will also reduce the nematodes, soil insects and many other soil borne diseases.

How to do Solarization:

The best time for practicing this is when the sun is at its full power i.e. in the summers. First choose the area which you want to solarize. Try to choose the area where there is very little shade available, the main purpose of the solarization will be hampered if the sun is blocked. Now once the area is fixed remove the existing weeds by tilling the land with a tiller. Till up to 6 inches depth. Please remove any sharp object which can poke holes in the polythene from this tilled area.

Next thing you need to do is to put some water in that area and make the soil moist. Don’t add too much water so that the soil becomes waterlogged. Water is a very important element in this process. It helps in heat conduction. Avoiding water in solarization, may not give you your desired result.

Cover the area with a clear polythene sheet. Don’t use any colored sheet as it will stop the sunlight to reach the soil. Stretch the polythene tightly and seal it completely. Sealing will help the heat to remain within the desired area and cook the weed seeds, insects, nematodes that can harm your plants. Keep the land in this way for at least 2 months.

After that, remove the polythene. Now the area has been solarized and the weeds, pests, nematodes all have been killed. This will remain weed free for 3 to 4 months. You can plant your desired plant now and enjoy it weed free. Don’t plant before removing the entire polythene because the heat can kill the plant.




If you like the article, share it with your friends:

Pruning Tomato plants | How to prune tomato plants for maximum yield

current trends in gardening - Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about current trends in gardening, i was write this article for sharing Article current trends in gardening, Article jargons, Article pruning, Article Tomato, Article vegetables, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : Pruning Tomato plants | How to prune tomato plants for maximum yield
link : Pruning Tomato plants | How to prune tomato plants for maximum yield

current trends in gardening

Pruning tomato plants is one of the most important decisions you need to make if you want to grow tomatoes. And in this article we will give you an idea about pruning. If you are new to tomato gardening I suggest you read our earlier articles on tomato growing before reading further.

You can find the earlier article here.

Read Basic Tomato Growing Tips 

Now lets start with the basics. Pruning tomatoes can be a very simple process. Sometimes the process is also called "trimming tomato plants". You just need to find the suckers and snap them off with your two fingers (thumb and index finger).

Tomato suckers are easy to find. They grow in between the main stem and the branches. Though we call these “SUCKERS”, these are actually the branches of the plant in initial stage. If you leave them to grow they will soon become fully grown branches and grow fruits on them.

So you might be thinking if those are the branches and also give fruit why are we talking about removing them? The fact is the branches of the plant though will grow fruits; the number is far less compared to the main stem and main branches. Most of the energy which the suckers or these branches receive will go into making foliage and more branches. It will ultimately make the plant outgrow its space in the garden.

Why you should think about Pruning tomato plants :

The pruning is done so that the plant directs its energy towards producing larger fruit than to develop foliage. Though the foliage will also develop fruit also, but the overall size of the fruit through out the plant will be much smaller. Lesser foliage also reduces the pest problem and is easier to take care.

Pruning also helps the plant in receiving much more sunlight and better air circulation though out their body. Better sunlight and airflow also means more energy and lesser diseases for the plant.

Having said that, Though tomato pruning is an essential step in tomato plants care, it is not compulsory that you need to prune each tomato plant. Let us understand why:

There are basically two types of tomato plants: Determinate type and Indeterminate type. The first type will grow to a certain height and produce fruit at one go. So in that case if you remove the suckers, the fruit bearing capacity of the plant is greatly reduced. As it will not grow vertically the total fruit yield will be pretty low. In case your plant is of indeterminate type, pruning will actually help increasing the fruit quality. It will also help the plant not to get out of control and the supporting nets will be able to hold the plant.

It is best to pluck the suckers when they are very young. The younger they are, easier it is to prune. In case they got a little thicker and it becomes harder to prune with the fingers, you can use a sharp knife to cut them off. Sometimes the suckers grow so thick that it can be detrimental for the plant to remove those; in this condition it is wise to leave them as it is.

Please bear in mind that pruning tomato plants is NOT absolutely necessary. You can definitely choose not to prune and still enjoy an acceptable amount of yield. Pruning is a method of enhancing the production, resulting bigger and tastier tomatoes. it also increases the number of fruits.

What do you think about the article? Share it with your friends using the following sharing tools: 

Read more about tomatoes: 
Tomato Growing Tips
Top 8 pests of Tomatoes
Simple steps to save tomato seeds

Pruning tomato plants is one of the most important decisions you need to make if you want to grow tomatoes. And in this article we will give you an idea about pruning. If you are new to tomato gardening I suggest you read our earlier articles on tomato growing before reading further.

You can find the earlier article here.

Read Basic Tomato Growing Tips 

Now lets start with the basics. Pruning tomatoes can be a very simple process. Sometimes the process is also called "trimming tomato plants". You just need to find the suckers and snap them off with your two fingers (thumb and index finger).

Tomato suckers are easy to find. They grow in between the main stem and the branches. Though we call these “SUCKERS”, these are actually the branches of the plant in initial stage. If you leave them to grow they will soon become fully grown branches and grow fruits on them.

So you might be thinking if those are the branches and also give fruit why are we talking about removing them? The fact is the branches of the plant though will grow fruits; the number is far less compared to the main stem and main branches. Most of the energy which the suckers or these branches receive will go into making foliage and more branches. It will ultimately make the plant outgrow its space in the garden.

Why you should think about Pruning tomato plants :

The pruning is done so that the plant directs its energy towards producing larger fruit than to develop foliage. Though the foliage will also develop fruit also, but the overall size of the fruit through out the plant will be much smaller. Lesser foliage also reduces the pest problem and is easier to take care.

Pruning also helps the plant in receiving much more sunlight and better air circulation though out their body. Better sunlight and airflow also means more energy and lesser diseases for the plant.

Having said that, Though tomato pruning is an essential step in tomato plants care, it is not compulsory that you need to prune each tomato plant. Let us understand why:

There are basically two types of tomato plants: Determinate type and Indeterminate type. The first type will grow to a certain height and produce fruit at one go. So in that case if you remove the suckers, the fruit bearing capacity of the plant is greatly reduced. As it will not grow vertically the total fruit yield will be pretty low. In case your plant is of indeterminate type, pruning will actually help increasing the fruit quality. It will also help the plant not to get out of control and the supporting nets will be able to hold the plant.

It is best to pluck the suckers when they are very young. The younger they are, easier it is to prune. In case they got a little thicker and it becomes harder to prune with the fingers, you can use a sharp knife to cut them off. Sometimes the suckers grow so thick that it can be detrimental for the plant to remove those; in this condition it is wise to leave them as it is.

Please bear in mind that pruning tomato plants is NOT absolutely necessary. You can definitely choose not to prune and still enjoy an acceptable amount of yield. Pruning is a method of enhancing the production, resulting bigger and tastier tomatoes. it also increases the number of fruits.

What do you think about the article? Share it with your friends using the following sharing tools: 

Read more about tomatoes: 
Tomato Growing Tips
Top 8 pests of Tomatoes
Simple steps to save tomato seeds

Indoor Gardening: Part I

current trends in gardening - Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about current trends in gardening, i was write this article for sharing Article container gardening, Article current trends in gardening, Article indoor gardening, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : Indoor Gardening: Part I
link : Indoor Gardening: Part I

current trends in gardening

All most all of the topics we have discussed earlier is on Outdoor gardening. This is our first initiative towards indoor gardening.  We are hopeful that you will like this as well. If you have any suggestions please put them in the comment box.

Now a day’s most of us live in apartments where there is no extra space or even balconies to practice gardening outdoor. So the only choice we are left with to do it indoor. Even if you have outdoor gardens, adding some plants indoor will definitely add a sense of life to your house. Though it is true you can not grow all the plants indoor, but there are so many of them which you can try your hands on.

But before planting indoors, you really need to understand the light condition in your room. Most of the plants requires direct sunlight (check out our earlier article about sunlight and its impact on plantation: SUN OR NO SUN) but the amount of can vary tremendously from plant to plant. Some plants even can thrive in absence of direct sunlight. But how much light is the least requirement for growing a plant? There is a saying that if you cannot read a book due to darkness the place is also not suitable for growing a plant.

So before start planting indoors, you need to first understand about some geography. If your room is south facing; you will receive the maximum amount of direct sunlight. Whereas if your room is north facing you will receive bright light but the chances are that there will be lack of direct sunlight. East and west facing rooms receives morning and evening sunlight respectively. Now according to your room position choose the plant which is best for the location.

You also need to select the variety of the plant carefully, unlike outdoor gardening; the growing space inside a house can be limited. Some plants can be toxic if ingested. So in case you have pets or toddlers it is sensible to avoid those plants. Some plants have sharp edged leaves which can hurt so if you have already decide to plant those pick a spot where there will be very less traffic.

Use the soil mix which can drain easily. Watering your indoor plants can be very tricky. As there are lack of direct sunlight in most of the cases the last thing you can do is to drown them in water. There is no hard and fast rule for this. But the plants which stay in direct sunlight will require frequent watering than those which are not. You have to experiment a bit to find a proper watering schedule.

Some indoor plants require much more humidity than others; these plants are a good choice to place in the bathrooms.

One of the important parts of practicing good indoor gardening is to prune regularly to keep it in proper shape. We have discussed a bit of pruning in our article about Bonsai. If you want to know more click hereto check the article.

We will discuss more in our following articles about indoor gardening and other gardening related activities. Please let us know what you think about this article. Your constant feedback keeps us going.

Like the article? Why not share with your friends:

All most all of the topics we have discussed earlier is on Outdoor gardening. This is our first initiative towards indoor gardening.  We are hopeful that you will like this as well. If you have any suggestions please put them in the comment box.

Now a day’s most of us live in apartments where there is no extra space or even balconies to practice gardening outdoor. So the only choice we are left with to do it indoor. Even if you have outdoor gardens, adding some plants indoor will definitely add a sense of life to your house. Though it is true you can not grow all the plants indoor, but there are so many of them which you can try your hands on.

But before planting indoors, you really need to understand the light condition in your room. Most of the plants requires direct sunlight (check out our earlier article about sunlight and its impact on plantation: SUN OR NO SUN) but the amount of can vary tremendously from plant to plant. Some plants even can thrive in absence of direct sunlight. But how much light is the least requirement for growing a plant? There is a saying that if you cannot read a book due to darkness the place is also not suitable for growing a plant.

So before start planting indoors, you need to first understand about some geography. If your room is south facing; you will receive the maximum amount of direct sunlight. Whereas if your room is north facing you will receive bright light but the chances are that there will be lack of direct sunlight. East and west facing rooms receives morning and evening sunlight respectively. Now according to your room position choose the plant which is best for the location.

You also need to select the variety of the plant carefully, unlike outdoor gardening; the growing space inside a house can be limited. Some plants can be toxic if ingested. So in case you have pets or toddlers it is sensible to avoid those plants. Some plants have sharp edged leaves which can hurt so if you have already decide to plant those pick a spot where there will be very less traffic.

Use the soil mix which can drain easily. Watering your indoor plants can be very tricky. As there are lack of direct sunlight in most of the cases the last thing you can do is to drown them in water. There is no hard and fast rule for this. But the plants which stay in direct sunlight will require frequent watering than those which are not. You have to experiment a bit to find a proper watering schedule.

Some indoor plants require much more humidity than others; these plants are a good choice to place in the bathrooms.

One of the important parts of practicing good indoor gardening is to prune regularly to keep it in proper shape. We have discussed a bit of pruning in our article about Bonsai. If you want to know more click hereto check the article.

We will discuss more in our following articles about indoor gardening and other gardening related activities. Please let us know what you think about this article. Your constant feedback keeps us going.

Like the article? Why not share with your friends: