Which Container To Use In Container Gardening

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Judul : Which Container To Use In Container Gardening
link : Which Container To Use In Container Gardening

Container gardening these days is very common. Gone are those days when a strip of land was necessary for practicing the wonderful habit called Gardening. Now anybody can start their own garden if he/she has the interest to start. When we talk about container gardening, the most important word is container. Many people have asked me in the past about the containers. What material is good for the plants? is it necessary to plant in earthy pots only? Can we plant in metal containers? So I have decided to write an article on the very basics: About the various containers which you can use for planting.

Following are some of the various materials used for making the containers which we use in container gardening.

Terra cotta: These are good value for money. Usually in reddish orange in color, these can be in found in many color and texture. Their earthy looks make them suitable for almost any garden. The porosity of the material helps the excess moisture to evaporate and allow plant roots to breathe.  To make their water retention capacity better, the unglazed side of the pots is sometime fired with glass like coating. These are waterproof and can hold moisture better than the normal unglazed one.

Plastic pots:Plastic pots are very common these days. They can be found in many shapes and sizes. You can also use your old bottles to plant. They are clean and non-porous and easy to move from one place to another.

Wooden pots: Pots made up from rot resistant red wood or cedar can be useful for planting. They provide very good insulation from weather outside. To prevent the pots form rotting you can also add some sand (at least an inch deep) at the bottom of the container and then put the soil.

Fabric pots: These are ultimate portable containers. These are made up of fabric these are rot proof as they are usually made up of polypropylene. They look much more like terra cotta or wooden containers.

Concrete pots:  You can prepare concrete pots of your own or you can buy it from outside. These are weather resistant and durable. On the other side, these can be heavier than the other pots.

Metal pots:  Pots made up of brass, copper iron etc can look aesthetically very superior.  Many planters use them to enhance the beauty of their gardens. If you are using metal containers it is advisable to keep your containers far from the direct sun light. These containers can get very hot in the sun and can harm the plant. It is also not easy to make drainage hole in the metal containers.

Biodegradable pots: these pots are made up from bio degradable materials like peat moss or coconut coir.  These biodegradable pots are very useful for sensitive plants like Lupins. These pots are designed as such that you can put them into a larger pot. The roots grow through the material and after some time the pot decomposes and thus it minimize the root disturbance.

If you are doing container planting it is a good idea to use self watering containers. We have discussed the basics of seal watering container in our last article. You can find it here. 

Join us on Facebook, Twitter or Google + and be a part of Gardening ABC.

Container gardening these days is very common. Gone are those days when a strip of land was necessary for practicing the wonderful habit called Gardening. Now anybody can start their own garden if he/she has the interest to start. When we talk about container gardening, the most important word is container. Many people have asked me in the past about the containers. What material is good for the plants? is it necessary to plant in earthy pots only? Can we plant in metal containers? So I have decided to write an article on the very basics: About the various containers which you can use for planting.

Following are some of the various materials used for making the containers which we use in container gardening.

Terra cotta: These are good value for money. Usually in reddish orange in color, these can be in found in many color and texture. Their earthy looks make them suitable for almost any garden. The porosity of the material helps the excess moisture to evaporate and allow plant roots to breathe.  To make their water retention capacity better, the unglazed side of the pots is sometime fired with glass like coating. These are waterproof and can hold moisture better than the normal unglazed one.

Plastic pots:Plastic pots are very common these days. They can be found in many shapes and sizes. You can also use your old bottles to plant. They are clean and non-porous and easy to move from one place to another.

Wooden pots: Pots made up from rot resistant red wood or cedar can be useful for planting. They provide very good insulation from weather outside. To prevent the pots form rotting you can also add some sand (at least an inch deep) at the bottom of the container and then put the soil.

Fabric pots: These are ultimate portable containers. These are made up of fabric these are rot proof as they are usually made up of polypropylene. They look much more like terra cotta or wooden containers.

Concrete pots:  You can prepare concrete pots of your own or you can buy it from outside. These are weather resistant and durable. On the other side, these can be heavier than the other pots.

Metal pots:  Pots made up of brass, copper iron etc can look aesthetically very superior.  Many planters use them to enhance the beauty of their gardens. If you are using metal containers it is advisable to keep your containers far from the direct sun light. These containers can get very hot in the sun and can harm the plant. It is also not easy to make drainage hole in the metal containers.

Biodegradable pots: these pots are made up from bio degradable materials like peat moss or coconut coir.  These biodegradable pots are very useful for sensitive plants like Lupins. These pots are designed as such that you can put them into a larger pot. The roots grow through the material and after some time the pot decomposes and thus it minimize the root disturbance.

If you are doing container planting it is a good idea to use self watering containers. We have discussed the basics of seal watering container in our last article. You can find it here. 

Join us on Facebook, Twitter or Google + and be a part of Gardening ABC.

Self-watering Containers: Know the Basics

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

Judul : Self-watering Containers: Know the Basics
link : Self-watering Containers: Know the Basics

I have discussed about the watering techniques in the past. Today’s topic will be an extension to that. It is called “Self Watering Containers”. This topic has been requested by one on our reader. I hope this will clear some doubt in this topic.

Self watering containers are great for gardeners especially in the warmer climate. As the name suggests the pot is made in such a way that you don’t need to keep an eye on the watering of the plant. Rather it takes the water by itself when required.

Self watering containers are little bit different from your regular container pots. They are generally consists of two containers. One is the container where the plant is planted the other one is the water reservoir. The planting container has minimum two holes, one for the overflowing of water and the other one is for placing a wick. The wick connects the planting container with the water reservoir, so it keeps the soil moist.

Once your pot has been prepared, put the soil into the planting pot and water it. The excess water will go out from the pot through the hole. If you want to know more about watering techniques, check out our earlier article on watering techniques.  After planting your seed or transplant in the pot, you add water to the reservoir. Now when the soil of the container will be dry, the water will go from the reservoir to the planting container. It is much more natural way for the plants to soak up the water from the soil rather than to receive it from the top.

You can easily cultivate many perennials, and annual plants in this method. Though many gardeners cannot think about growing vegetables in self watering containers, it can be very easy and beneficial to the crop. Plant such as tomato, cabbage, garlic, carrots, cilantro and other leafy vegetables can be grown easily by this method.

This will enable you to make sure that you don’t need to test the soil for dryness you just need to make sure your reservoir is never goes dry.nects with the water reservoir, so it keeps the soil moist.uots with the water reservoir.

The best plants that thrive in this are those which grow well in moist soil. So it is not a good idea to try this method on plants which are happier to grow in dryer soil.

I am very happy to realize that many of you people have liked my articles and are sending me valuable inputs. I hope this blog will continue to delight you in the future also. If you have any topics which you want to know more about, mentioned them in the comment box below.

I have discussed about the watering techniques in the past. Today’s topic will be an extension to that. It is called “Self Watering Containers”. This topic has been requested by one on our reader. I hope this will clear some doubt in this topic.

Self watering containers are great for gardeners especially in the warmer climate. As the name suggests the pot is made in such a way that you don’t need to keep an eye on the watering of the plant. Rather it takes the water by itself when required.

Self watering containers are little bit different from your regular container pots. They are generally consists of two containers. One is the container where the plant is planted the other one is the water reservoir. The planting container has minimum two holes, one for the overflowing of water and the other one is for placing a wick. The wick connects the planting container with the water reservoir, so it keeps the soil moist.

Once your pot has been prepared, put the soil into the planting pot and water it. The excess water will go out from the pot through the hole. If you want to know more about watering techniques, check out our earlier article on watering techniques.  After planting your seed or transplant in the pot, you add water to the reservoir. Now when the soil of the container will be dry, the water will go from the reservoir to the planting container. It is much more natural way for the plants to soak up the water from the soil rather than to receive it from the top.

You can easily cultivate many perennials, and annual plants in this method. Though many gardeners cannot think about growing vegetables in self watering containers, it can be very easy and beneficial to the crop. Plant such as tomato, cabbage, garlic, carrots, cilantro and other leafy vegetables can be grown easily by this method.

This will enable you to make sure that you don’t need to test the soil for dryness you just need to make sure your reservoir is never goes dry.nects with the water reservoir, so it keeps the soil moist.uots with the water reservoir.

The best plants that thrive in this are those which grow well in moist soil. So it is not a good idea to try this method on plants which are happier to grow in dryer soil.

I am very happy to realize that many of you people have liked my articles and are sending me valuable inputs. I hope this blog will continue to delight you in the future also. If you have any topics which you want to know more about, mentioned them in the comment box below.

Grow Garlic: A useful plant In Companion Planting

- Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about , i was write this article for sharing Article garlic, Article growing foods, Article vegetables, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : Grow Garlic: A useful plant In Companion Planting
link : Grow Garlic: A useful plant In Companion Planting

A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat.

Once we discuss growing ginger, garlic is not very far behind. Today we will discuss about Garlic.

Botanical name: Allium sativum

There are basically 2 varieties of Garlic are available.

Soft-neck variety: in this type of garlic the neck of the garlic stay soft after harvest. This variety is the easiest to grow. This variety is also recommended particularly for the warmer climatic areas.

Hard-neck variety:here garlic has a stiff stem that dries to a rigid stick. And it makes braiding almost impossible.

Garlic is grown from the cloves. For growing, you need to plant the cloves into the ground with root end down and pointed end up. Break the cloves from the bulb but do not remove the papery husk which surrounds individual clove. Put the cloves two inch inside the soil with 6 to 8 inches apart. Each clove will produce a single bulb and the largest clove generally produces the largest bulb. If you planting the clove into normal soil and not in any soil-less media, it is better to soak the cloves in water containing baking powder and liquid seaweed to prevent fungal diseases.

Planting cloves from the grocery store can be a bad idea. They are generally treated with various chemicals to make their self life longer. Instead try your local nurseries or seed selling companies for the cloves.

Make sure your soil has plenty of organic matter. To increase the fertility you can always add compost to the soil. Select a place where the sun exposure is good. Garlic requires plenty of nitrogen so choose your compost ingredients accordingly.

Once you planted the cloves cover it with mulch. If you are new to mulching, and want to know more about it, check out this article. After 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the variety and the weather, you will find the shoots coming up through the mulch.  Water requirement of garlic is normally not huge. Inch deep water in every week is more than enough. Stop water once the leaves begin to yellow. This will help to make the bulbs firm.

Garlic has very few pest problems. Rather it is a pest repellant. That is why in organic pest controlling methods, using garlic is a common phenomenon.

You can harvest the garlic once three-quarter of the leaves become yellow. Dig up all the bulbs and get them out of the sun immediately. Keep them in dry and shaded place for six weeks. Once they become thoroughly dry trim the roots. Cut off the stalk 1 inch above the bulb. Now you can use your garlic.

Apart from its intense flavor and culinary uses it is very good insect repellant and thus used widely in companion planting. More about companion planting and its benefits check out this article.

Do you have Suggestions. Feel free to post it.

A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat.

Once we discuss growing ginger, garlic is not very far behind. Today we will discuss about Garlic.

Botanical name: Allium sativum

There are basically 2 varieties of Garlic are available.

Soft-neck variety: in this type of garlic the neck of the garlic stay soft after harvest. This variety is the easiest to grow. This variety is also recommended particularly for the warmer climatic areas.

Hard-neck variety:here garlic has a stiff stem that dries to a rigid stick. And it makes braiding almost impossible.

Garlic is grown from the cloves. For growing, you need to plant the cloves into the ground with root end down and pointed end up. Break the cloves from the bulb but do not remove the papery husk which surrounds individual clove. Put the cloves two inch inside the soil with 6 to 8 inches apart. Each clove will produce a single bulb and the largest clove generally produces the largest bulb. If you planting the clove into normal soil and not in any soil-less media, it is better to soak the cloves in water containing baking powder and liquid seaweed to prevent fungal diseases.

Planting cloves from the grocery store can be a bad idea. They are generally treated with various chemicals to make their self life longer. Instead try your local nurseries or seed selling companies for the cloves.

Make sure your soil has plenty of organic matter. To increase the fertility you can always add compost to the soil. Select a place where the sun exposure is good. Garlic requires plenty of nitrogen so choose your compost ingredients accordingly.

Once you planted the cloves cover it with mulch. If you are new to mulching, and want to know more about it, check out this article. After 6 to 8 weeks, depending on the variety and the weather, you will find the shoots coming up through the mulch.  Water requirement of garlic is normally not huge. Inch deep water in every week is more than enough. Stop water once the leaves begin to yellow. This will help to make the bulbs firm.

Garlic has very few pest problems. Rather it is a pest repellant. That is why in organic pest controlling methods, using garlic is a common phenomenon.

You can harvest the garlic once three-quarter of the leaves become yellow. Dig up all the bulbs and get them out of the sun immediately. Keep them in dry and shaded place for six weeks. Once they become thoroughly dry trim the roots. Cut off the stalk 1 inch above the bulb. Now you can use your garlic.

Apart from its intense flavor and culinary uses it is very good insect repellant and thus used widely in companion planting. More about companion planting and its benefits check out this article.

Do you have Suggestions. Feel free to post it.

Bees & Gardening

- Looking for Aquaponics And Hydroponics Systems Today i will give you some info about , i was write this article for sharing Article Bees, Article Pollination, I hope this article very helpfull for you

Judul : Bees & Gardening
link : Bees & Gardening

One of the important factors in doing gardening is to make the pollination process very easy. One of the easiest steps you can do to make this happen is to make your garden bee friendly. Bees are one of the pollination agents that the nature has provided us with. As a rule of thumb you should plant plants which are rich in pollen and nectar to attract the bees. Planting bee friendly plants can be a win-win situation. Not only will the bees benefit from the nectar and pollen, the pollination of the plants will occur faster and we will get the food as desired. The greater the number of such plants it is better for your garden. The least number of planting you can do is to plant a plant for each season.

A three forth of the total foods we eat needs pollinators such as the bees. For plants like nuts, fruits, vegetables bees are essential. Though they are immensely beneficial gardeners, their contribution in the flowering season goes unnoticed and ignored. We have all heard about the disappearance of honeybees but other species of bees are also declining throughout the world. It is for our own necessity we need to build more and more bee friendly garden. Just by doing a bit we can make a big difference.

It is usually a misconception that the bees flourish in national parks or other wild animal conserved area, they love to stay in urban settings where the flights are usually short and they can get a variety of plants and flowers. They are most likely to thrive in patio garden or backyard than on huge area devoted to single crop.

It does not matter if you are doing your gardening in your backyard, in containers or you have a wide area dedicated to it. You can always put plants which are bee friendly and encourage the bees.

Making your garden bee-friendly ensure a good supply of food for bees at their crucial times like when the nest is growing and the queen is laying eggs. When you are planning for planting flower plants to encourage the bees just remember a few points. In some flowers the petals form a long tunnel which can be sometime very long and narrow for the bees to reach to the nectar. Some flower petals are very tightly packed and also hinder the accessibility to nectar for bees. It is advisable to avoid such plants.

Please do not use any pesticides in your garden. Though these are not meant for killing bees and most of the time termed as “bug-killers”, it can definitely hurt them. For pest control rather try companion planting. I have discussed about that earlier. You can find it here.

Is your garden is a heaven for bees? How do you offer suitable environment for bees? Share your passion and also encourage fellow gardeners to encourage wildlife habitation in the garden.

One of the important factors in doing gardening is to make the pollination process very easy. One of the easiest steps you can do to make this happen is to make your garden bee friendly. Bees are one of the pollination agents that the nature has provided us with. As a rule of thumb you should plant plants which are rich in pollen and nectar to attract the bees. Planting bee friendly plants can be a win-win situation. Not only will the bees benefit from the nectar and pollen, the pollination of the plants will occur faster and we will get the food as desired. The greater the number of such plants it is better for your garden. The least number of planting you can do is to plant a plant for each season.

A three forth of the total foods we eat needs pollinators such as the bees. For plants like nuts, fruits, vegetables bees are essential. Though they are immensely beneficial gardeners, their contribution in the flowering season goes unnoticed and ignored. We have all heard about the disappearance of honeybees but other species of bees are also declining throughout the world. It is for our own necessity we need to build more and more bee friendly garden. Just by doing a bit we can make a big difference.

It is usually a misconception that the bees flourish in national parks or other wild animal conserved area, they love to stay in urban settings where the flights are usually short and they can get a variety of plants and flowers. They are most likely to thrive in patio garden or backyard than on huge area devoted to single crop.

It does not matter if you are doing your gardening in your backyard, in containers or you have a wide area dedicated to it. You can always put plants which are bee friendly and encourage the bees.

Making your garden bee-friendly ensure a good supply of food for bees at their crucial times like when the nest is growing and the queen is laying eggs. When you are planning for planting flower plants to encourage the bees just remember a few points. In some flowers the petals form a long tunnel which can be sometime very long and narrow for the bees to reach to the nectar. Some flower petals are very tightly packed and also hinder the accessibility to nectar for bees. It is advisable to avoid such plants.

Please do not use any pesticides in your garden. Though these are not meant for killing bees and most of the time termed as “bug-killers”, it can definitely hurt them. For pest control rather try companion planting. I have discussed about that earlier. You can find it here.

Is your garden is a heaven for bees? How do you offer suitable environment for bees? Share your passion and also encourage fellow gardeners to encourage wildlife habitation in the garden.

Different Soil Type: A Classification of The Garden Soil

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

Judul : Different Soil Type: A Classification of The Garden Soil
link : Different Soil Type: A Classification of The Garden Soil

Today I will discuss about the soil and its types. To be more specific, by soil I particularly mean topsoil. Soil is the main food source for plants in the garden. So it is better for a gardener to know more about this important factor of gardening. Many of the plants die in the garden due to the lack of proper soil. Every plant have their own preference for Garden soil. By knowing the types and their properties we can definitely increase the chance of plant survival.

Classification of The Garden Soil:

Depending on the presence of 3 different particles (sand, silt and clay), the garden soil are classified into 4 basic types. They are sandy, silty, clay, Loamy.

Sandy soil:

To start with, sandy soil  has mostly the largest sized particles in them. The particle size is over 1/20 mm in diameter. Upon touching you will feel it as much more dry and gritty with compared to other soil. This type of soil is very light in weight and can warm up very quickly in the spring. Due to its large particle size they do not pack as closely like other type of soil and thus has a very good aeration and good drainage capacity.

The downside of the story is it drains very quickly, the plants get very less time to absorb the nutrients with generally drains off with the water. You can improve the water retention capacity of the sandy soil by adding organic compost , peat moss etc, these will help to retain the nutrient as well as moisture.

Silty soil:

Silty soil has much smaller particles compared to sandy soil. If you touch the soil with your finger it will give you much smoother feeling compared to the sandy soil. It is a intermediate between sandy and clay type of soil. It retains water longer than sandy type. The drainage and aeration is far less than the sandy type. Due to its water retention, this type of soil doesn’t warms up so easily.

Clay soil:

It contains mostly the particle which is sized less than 1/200 mm in diameter. If you touch clay type soil in wet condition you will feel the stickiness in the soil. Here the particles are packed very closely leaving very little space for aeration and drainage. It can hold more water than any other type of soil. As it has a tighter grip on the drainage it can hold on to the nutrients. It is very rich in plant food for growth.

This type of soil warms up very slowly in the springs. It can become very hard once it gets dry. So it can be a problem working with this type of soil specially in the time of summers. If properly managed this soil type can be the best for plant growth.

Loamy Soil:

It is a mixture of sandy, silty and clay type of soil. Generally most of the gardening is done in this type of soil. If put mixed with proper organic matter this type of soil is easy to maintain and required very little add-on.

Having said all that these soil types are not permanent in nature and you can definitely alter the nature of the soil. So don’t be disheartened if your near by soil is not suitable for the type of crop you are thinking about growing. Here is a list of materials which you can add to your soil and change its aeration or water retention capacity.

That’s all for today. Will come with some other interesting topic in the next article. If you are a first time visitor to the site you can check our archive section for more gardening related articles.

Today I will discuss about the soil and its types. To be more specific, by soil I particularly mean topsoil. Soil is the main food source for plants in the garden. So it is better for a gardener to know more about this important factor of gardening. Many of the plants die in the garden due to the lack of proper soil. Every plant have their own preference for Garden soil. By knowing the types and their properties we can definitely increase the chance of plant survival.

Classification of The Garden Soil:

Depending on the presence of 3 different particles (sand, silt and clay), the garden soil are classified into 4 basic types. They are sandy, silty, clay, Loamy.

Sandy soil:

To start with, sandy soil  has mostly the largest sized particles in them. The particle size is over 1/20 mm in diameter. Upon touching you will feel it as much more dry and gritty with compared to other soil. This type of soil is very light in weight and can warm up very quickly in the spring. Due to its large particle size they do not pack as closely like other type of soil and thus has a very good aeration and good drainage capacity.

The downside of the story is it drains very quickly, the plants get very less time to absorb the nutrients with generally drains off with the water. You can improve the water retention capacity of the sandy soil by adding organic compost , peat moss etc, these will help to retain the nutrient as well as moisture.

Silty soil:

Silty soil has much smaller particles compared to sandy soil. If you touch the soil with your finger it will give you much smoother feeling compared to the sandy soil. It is a intermediate between sandy and clay type of soil. It retains water longer than sandy type. The drainage and aeration is far less than the sandy type. Due to its water retention, this type of soil doesn’t warms up so easily.

Clay soil:

It contains mostly the particle which is sized less than 1/200 mm in diameter. If you touch clay type soil in wet condition you will feel the stickiness in the soil. Here the particles are packed very closely leaving very little space for aeration and drainage. It can hold more water than any other type of soil. As it has a tighter grip on the drainage it can hold on to the nutrients. It is very rich in plant food for growth.

This type of soil warms up very slowly in the springs. It can become very hard once it gets dry. So it can be a problem working with this type of soil specially in the time of summers. If properly managed this soil type can be the best for plant growth.

Loamy Soil:

It is a mixture of sandy, silty and clay type of soil. Generally most of the gardening is done in this type of soil. If put mixed with proper organic matter this type of soil is easy to maintain and required very little add-on.

Having said all that these soil types are not permanent in nature and you can definitely alter the nature of the soil. So don’t be disheartened if your near by soil is not suitable for the type of crop you are thinking about growing. Here is a list of materials which you can add to your soil and change its aeration or water retention capacity.

That’s all for today. Will come with some other interesting topic in the next article. If you are a first time visitor to the site you can check our archive section for more gardening related articles.