How to make a Pet Friendly Garden

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If you have pets and you also want to do gardening you need to...

If you have pets and you also want to do gardening you need to consider two major issues.

1. Pets can provide certain damages to your garden
2. Your garden may cause some harm to your pets.

Now lets consider those two points in detail and the steps to counter those problems.

Damaging impacts of pets on the garden:

Like it or not, pets have a tendency to destroy the vegetables which have been planted.

Urination is a very common phenomena. Dogs tends to urinate in the gardens. Sometimes it is so toxic that it can kill grasses. The best you can do is to put some water over the place to dilute the impact. Remove any dog poo immediately and don't wait for they to dicey.

Open Garden space is heaven for cat littering. Don't keep any garden beds open. If you don't have anything to grow, cover it with mulch or plastic. Open garden beds are the place where cats prefer to littre.

Building a fence around the vegetables or the garden to protect the plants. Here is an article you should read on building fences. 

In case of cat this type of fencing might not work. So what you can do is use plastic forks and plant them evenly(not more than 8 inches apart) in your garden with the pointed side upwards. The best part of using plastic forks is cats will not get injured and also learn to avoid the garden.

Plant thorny plants like roses. This will discourage pets like dogs to enter your garden.

In case you have cats, building a small separate garden with catnip and grasses is a very good idea. It can distract the them from your prized scalp.

Larger plants are generally less disturbed by the pets than the smaller ones. So in case the the plants are very tine right now use some kind of cage to protect them till they grow bigger.

In some extreme cases you might have to use different repellants (it should be pet friendly) to keep them away.

A garden can also harm the pets:

Now consider the second problem. How much we may want our pets to stay away from the plants chances are that they would reach there. So it is for the sake of our pets, we have to select our plants wisely.

There are several plants that are hazards to pets and can create a lot of trouble if they come in contact with those. Avoid them at any cost. Most of the dogs don't chew any plant but small puppies some times tend to do so.

Don't go for chemical herbicides or fertilizers. Being organic is the first thing you can do to keep your pets safe. While applying any kind of fertilizers or pest repellants or weeding your plot keep your pets inside your house and don't let them into the garden.

In case you find your pets to act unusually like vomiting, wobbling or salivating excessively consult your nearest veterinary for guidance.

Having pets and a garden is all you need to spend your quality time. If you follow these tips you can enjoy both without sacrificing the other.

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Oregano growing tips

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Oregano is a very common ingredient of Italian dishes. It is a perennial herb...

Oregano is a very common ingredient of Italian dishes. It is a perennial herb and have many varieties. But not every variety is suitable for every purpose. Some varieties are good to taste whereas some are best for ornamental purposes. So consult your local nursery shop before deciding the variety you want to grow.

How to grow Oregano?

Oregano can grow in any type of soil which have good drainage system. If the
soil is absorbing too much moisture and not able to drain properly there might be some problem with growing oregano in this. You can add compost and other soil media to increase the drainage capacity of the soil. You can also grow them in containers.

Oregano can grow in slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil. Ideal pH range is 6.0 to 8.0.

Generally oregano plants do not require any additional fertilizer if you have provided compost at the time of planting. They are not that voracious eater like many of other vegetables. If you have plated in a container you would require to fertilize it from time to time.

Planting:

You can start planting Oregano in three ways:

Start with the seeds. Plant them 6 inches apart and letter thin the seedlings 12 inches apart.

Buy seedlings from nursery shops: buy from a shop which has good reputation and use transplants which are 3 inches in length.

Separate some branches from an existing bush and use it as a separate plant.First remove the bottom leaves from the separated branch and then plant them in moist sand after dipping in root growing solution. Once roots emerged from the plant you can now safely transplant them to a container or to your backyard.

Watering your plant:

Oregano is one of the plants that will prefer drier climate than a moist one. Too much moisture in the soil will cause root rotting.

Harvesting:

The leaf and the flowering top are the portion which are harvested for use.

You can harvest them any time during its growing time. It is most flavorous when flowers stat to bloom. Removing the flowers will add extra flavour in the leaves. Harvest the leaves from outside of the plant to inwards and from top to downwards. The leaves tastes stronger once dried than fresh.

Pest problem:

Some aphids and spider mites tend to disturb the growth of the plant. Try using organic pest control techniques to rid of those. It is not very good at competing with the weeds also. That is why it is important that you remove weeds prior to planting oregano. Here are some of the techniques that you can try. Also using mulch can prevent extra weeds as the plant starts growing.

Do you have any experience of growing oregano? Share it to us:

Difference between Compost and Mulch

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In the past we have discussed about Compost and Mulch separately. But sometimes people...

In the past we have discussed about Compost and Mulch separately. But sometimes people get confused over the two. So in this article we are trying to give you some comparison so that the concepts never get mixed.

Compost:

Compost is called gardeners gold. For preparing you need to mix different ingredientstogether in proper ratio. Which are then left for decomposition.

Many plants have particular requirement of nutrients. You should keep this in mind while preparing your compost. They are mixed in particular ratio to get the ultimate nutrient mixture for the plant.

The main function of compost is to fertilize the soil. You can use the compost by mixing with the garden soil or with the potting mix (in case of container gardening).

For a good compost it is essential that the ingredients are decomposed properly and should not be smelly like manure. Some people add water with the compost to make 'compost tea' which is then added to the soil for enrichment.

Mulch:

Mulch on the other hand is used to create a barrier between the soil and the environment. It works as a protective cover for the soil. It increases the soil temperature during those cold winter seasons and helps to prevent excess heat to reach the soil during hot summers.

Mulch helps in keeping the moisture level of the soil intact. You would have less wastage of water and certainly less frequent watering schedule.

It works as some kind of a blanket and thus used to keep weeds away.

It differs from compost over the fact that it doesn't require any particular ratio and combinations of ingredients to work. It doesn't need to get those ingredients composted before using.

Though it is better to use organic matters as mulch it is not compulsory and sometimes other materials like plastic etc are also used.

Mulch can increase the nutrients of the soil in the longer run if prepared from organic materials but that is not its fundamental feature. It is more concerned with preserving water and working as an insulator.

All compost can be used as mulch but not the other way around. Both serve particular functions in gardening and they both can be used as soil conditioner. Though it would be foolish to use a nutrient-dense material like compost as a protective coating and not enriching the soil.

Compost and mulch are two age-old concept of gardening that improves the soil quality tremendously. If used properly, these two concept can change your garden soil from unproductive sterile one to a growing heaven.

Have any questions? Why not post it in the comment box:

FAQs on Onion Growing

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This is another article in the FAQ series. This article is concerned with growing...

This is another article in the FAQ series. This article is concerned with growing Onions. So here are some of the most common questions asked regarding Onion growing:


Can I grow onions from seedlings?
Yes you can. There are 3 ways to grow the plant; from the seed, from seedlings and from immature bulbs. You need to clip the top once it reaches 4 inches to stop its fall and to prevent any bending. Check this article for growing tips.

Which onion should I grow?
Depending on the required day light to form bulbs the onions can be of three types:
1. long Day Onions (Most of the onion variety are of this type and are pungent in taste)
2. Short Day Onions (most sweet onions are short day type)
3. Day neutral Onions
So if your place receives a very long day type choose Long day Onions and if the place lacks day time choose the shorter version. If you are not very sure go for the day neutral variety.


What are the different types of Onions?
Onions can be of different varieties. Colour wise they can be Red, Yellow or White. You can find detailed information about various types of onions in this article.

Should I cover the onion bulbs?
No. Do not try to cover the bulbs while growing onions. Onion plants have a very shallow root system. Any digging around the plant can actually damage it.

What is an onion set?
These are small immature bulbs which have been taken out before reaching their full size. Once they reach a size around 1/3 to 1/2 a inch in diameter they are harvested and after drying used for planting. For more details check out Onion growing tips.
 
If I can't plant immediately after buying plants from the shop, how do I store them?
It is highly recommended  that once you get your plant you should plant them. But if you can't do it immediately don't panic. The onions can live sometime of their bulbs. Spread them in cool and dry area. But do not put them in water.

Why some of the onion sets I planted, go to seeds instead of forming bulbs?
Onions form bulbs in the first year and then go into flowering and seed in the next year. But if you are getting the flowers and seeds in the first year itself and not the bulbs it is may be due to the fact that the set size is too large. Instead try planting sets which are half an inch in diameter. Sets with larger bulbs tend to bolt faster.

How do I know when my onions are ready to harvest?
An onion becomes fully matured when the top of the plant falls over. Don't try to do anything to the top till then. It will damage the bulb making process.


Have More questions? Feel free to post in the comment box.

Chillies: Really hot to Grow

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Peppers are full of vitamin A, C, Iron and potassium. Follow the article to...

Peppers are full of vitamin A, C, Iron and potassium. Follow the article to know important points about growing pepper.

There are two types of peppers sweet Bell peppers and hot chilli peppers.This article is all about growing Hot chillies. If you are interested in growing Bell peppers check out our earlier article.

How to grow chillies?

The Chillies are hot due to the presence of a chemical called capsaicin which is present mainly in the area of the wall and around the seeds. They are very popular among gardeners.

The chillies are actually very easy to grow. You can grow them both in the
backyard or in the containers.

It is a warm seasoned crop like tomatoes. Ideal temperature ranges from 70 to 80 deg F during daytime and 60 to 70 deg F in nights.

You can grow chillies both from seeds and seedlings. For seed germination you required a minimum temperature of 68 deg F. It require at least 6 hours of sun light daily so choose the place it wisely.

Chillies require a lot of potassium in the soil. If your fertilizer or compost contain a large chunk of nitrogen and a very less amount of potassium, you might get a lush green foliage but fruit bearing will be a problem. So choose your composting ingredients (or fertilizers) wisely.

Watering:

You need to provide a lot of water to your plant.It is true that chillies don't like to grow on swamps but they dislike dry soil even more. Use a proper potting mix if you are growing chillies in containers. For growing in backyard make sure you have proper drainage. You can also add a cover of mulch to preserve water.

It is for the betterment of the plant that you need to prune it a bit. Chilli plants have “not so strong” branches so it would be better to loosen some weight of the plant. You should also provide some sort of support for the plant. They are a self pollinating plant so you don't need to worry too much about the pollination of the flowers.

Pest problem:
Chillies are generally pest free; but in some cases you might encounter some like:

Aphids: These are generally a threat to the plants when it starts growing new leaves. Aphids leave a sticky substances called honeydew on the plant. The best way to get rid of this problem is to remove them manually. In most of the cases you won't require any sprays or mixtures.

Nematodes: It is a very common phenomena and can cause the plant to wilt. Read more about nematodesbefore trying any step.

White-fly: This problem can be handled by using some organic sprays to the plant.

Fungal disease: In case the humidity level goes very high (in close environment like greenhouses) the plant grows fungal disease and cause the fruit to rot. Make sure the place has enough light and air supply to prevent this problem.

Harvesting:

Peppers can be harvested by simply just plucking the fruit from the plant. Regular pickings ensures more fruits for the future. Select the green ones while they are still shiny and plump. You can also choose to pick them when they become red. If you have planned for flakes or powder leave them on the plant as it is till they dry.

Storing:

Use a sealed bag to preserve chillies. It will last up to one and half week if you store them properly in a refrigerator.

Do you like chillies? How is your experience? Share it with us:

A Miracle grow called Organic Potting Soil: The best soilless potting Mix

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Potting mix or potting soil refers to the media people use to grow vegetables,...

Potting mix or potting soil refers to the media people use to grow vegetables, plants etc in containers. It is generally used as an substitute to soil for growing plants.

What are the components: 

The life of the potted plant depends on a large extent to the quality of its potting soil. So choosing right kind of potting mix is essential. There are various ingredients which are generally used as potting soil. To prepare the best potting soil you need to know the ingredients well. Here are some of the popular ones:

Coconut coir: It is generally marketed in the form of compressed bales. Prior to using it you need to add some water.It is made of coconut husk. More on this in this article.

Peat moss: It used to be the most common type of potting soil but due to problems like environmental issues now-a-days its use got reduced a bit. There can be different types of peat moss, the most common is sphagnum peat. Peat moss is not very good for re wetting. More on peat moss is here.

Soil: Now a days most people avoid this media to prepare any potting mix. Though it has more inbuilt organic nutrients than most of other media, the problem is endless. Using soil can increase the total weight of the mix, and make it prone to water logging. Also normal soil contains weed seeds and pathogens which need to be removed first.

Vermiculite: It is a very efficient product for using in smaller containers. It is prepared by treating mica. Vermiculite is very light in weight and has a very good water absorption capability. More on vermiculite is here in this article.

Perlite: it is basically volcanic ash. Finer the grain larger its capacity to hold the water. It is neutral to slightly alkaline in nature and is a good way to reduce acidity of the potting mix. Perlite is dangerous to handle as it's dust is highly irritating to lungs. Use proper precaution before handling . Interested in Perlite? Find out more in this article.

Sand: It is generally used to increase the porosity of the mix. It also increases the weight of the mix. It is a great ingredient in case you are planning to grow cactus and other succulents.

Wood chips: Sometimes wood chips, pine bark etc are also used as ingredient to potting mix.

Characteristics of a good potting soil:

1. good porosity: the best potting soil general has AFP or air filled porosity range between 10 to 20.
   

   
2. Fast absorption of water: It should absorb water pretty fast.
3. light weight: Potting mix is used for planting in containers. So it should be light weight so that the shifting of pots can be done very easily. For this purpose in most cases people use soilless potting mix.
4. You should select the ingredients which are readily available to you and are not very expensive.
5. Potting mix needs to be weed and Pest free. In most of the cases it is sterilized. It should also not contain any toxic substances or extra nutrients or salts.
6. The ingredients should be such that you can easily store them. For example you can store coconut coir in bales form easily for a few years.

There are various types of potting mix available in the market. Some of these are:

Potting mix for every plant: This type of organic potting soil can go with most of the plants and vegetables. The pH of the mixture is slightly acidic to neutral. Mix coconut coir with perlite or vermiculite in the ratio of 3:1 for this.

Acidic potting mix: These type of mix is generally for the plants which love acidic medium. Ideal mixture would be to add organic matter such as peat moss and perlite or vermiculite in 4:1 ratio.

Cactus friendly mix: Cactus and other succulents require very good drainage. Due to this reason the potting mix needs to be with extra drainage facility. Add a little bit of sand along with coconut coir and perlite to make a proper mix.

Seed starters mix: For seed starters add coconut coir and perlite or vermiculite in 2:1 ratio. Many people prefer peat moss in place of coir. In case of peat moss the ratio would be much lower.

What is your experience with potting mix? Would you like to share some of your ideal mixes? Feel free to use the comment box below: