Garden Gold
Adding compost to your garden is one of the best things you can do for your plants. If compost ingredients are carefully mixed you can create compost in a matter of weeks not months. This article explains how. The original Garden Gold article talked about the slow and simple way to compost. For many of you slow and simple will be sufficient. However, some of you may want to make compost in a matter of weeks rather than months. This is possible but will take a more intensely managed compost pile to pull it off. Consider this article the advanced way to create your garden gold. Garden Gold talks about setting up your compost pile, including where to put it and how to build it. It also covers the material you should put in your compost pile and what you shouldn’t include. If you haven’t already read it I suggest you do so now. …
Clay Soil – The Dirt on Dirt
Clay soil is often cursed by gardeners but clay can be a wonderful thing. The Dirt on Dirt – Clay will teach you about clay soils, why you should love them, and how to make them even better. Soil comes in a whole array of types. The basic categories are clay, silt, loam and sand with constant variation within each of these classes. If you have silt or loam soils you are sitting pretty, gardening will be easy and you will love your soil. If you have clay or sandy soils it will take a bit more input from you before you love your soil. Trust me, you can love your clay or sandy soil, it just takes a bit of knowledge and a bit of elbow grease. How, exactly do you learn to love clay soil? Read on to learn more about what clay soil is, why you should…
Sandy Soil – The Dirt on Dirt
How to garden in sandy soil. Sandy soil is often cursed by gardeners but sand can be a wonderful thing. The Dirt on Dirt – Sand will teach you about sandy soils, why you should love them, and how to make them even better. Soil comes in a whole array of types. The basic categories are clay, silt, loam and sand with constant variation within each of these classes. If you have silt or loam soils you are sitting pretty, gardening will be easy and you will love your soil. If you have clay or sandy soils it will take a bit more input from you before you love your soil. Trust me, you can love your clay or sandy soil, it just takes a bit of knowledge and a bit of elbow grease. So the question is: how, exactly do you learn to love sandy soil? Read on to…
Best Potting Soil – The Dirt on Dirt
Using good potting soil is a simple way to get your outdoor container gardens off to a great start. WHAT MAKES A GOOD POTTING SOIL FOR OUTDOOR PLANTS? Almost any article on plants ends with “and make sure you use a good potting mix” – great advice, but what does it mean? Let’s go over some of the basics and see if we can answer that question. To know what a good potting mix is you kind of need to know what the purpose of a potting mix is, so let’s discuss that first. The main functions of a potting mix are: To retain moisture and nutrients around your plants’ roots.Soil acts as a reservoir for these critical elements of life in your container garden. To provide enough air for growing roots. Roots must be able to breathe and not rot once you plant your container. Most people don’t think about this, but it…
The Dirt on Dirt – Basics
Basics of soil explained and definitions of common terms. We get a lot of questions about soil and how a gardener can make it better or deal with problems that we all face when we get out and into the dirt. Soil scientists will tell you there is no such thing as ‘dirt’ there is only soil, and in pots it is called media. So just keep that in mind since you won’t be hearing a lot more about ‘dirt’ in this article… Soil science 101: What do all these terms mean? One of the first things that throws most of us off of learning more about how to manage garden soil or container media is the list of terms. It makes the whole thing seem SO complicated when in fact it is really fairly simple. The easiest way for me to picture it is that good soil has a recipe,…
To Pot or Not to Pot: Grow Pot vs Planter
New to Plant Parenthood? So your plant arrived in its nursery grow pot—now what? When you bring your new plant home in its nursery grow pot, you might be tempted to pot it from grow pot into a planter right away. However, you’ll be more successful if you let your new plant acclimate to its new environment first. Why? It might sound strange to say about a plant but given the potential stress of acclimating to a new environment—adjusting to different light, levels of humidity, and temperature—you don’t want to unroot your plant at the same exact time. Think of its grow pot as allowing it to staying safe in its original home for a while. So first, place your plant in the spot you plan to keep it and let it acclimate for about 2-3 weeks. (If it’s the the spring–summer growing season, you can shave off a few…
Container gardening: The rules to know, and the rules to break
May is the month to assemble pots and containers for the rest of the growing season. They aren’t just for summer; spared an early frost, tender container plants can still look great at the end of October, so it pays to devote some time and resources to getting them right. Lushly planted containers bring the joy of gardening to the smallest of urban spaces. In larger landscapes, they help carry the garden through high summer, when the general show is dulled by the heat. They also have an important design role, in announcing an entrance, softening corners and even screening unwanted views. The popular formula for composing a garden in a pot is to observe the mantra of “thriller, filler, spiller.” The reference is to a single upright specimen (thriller), annuals that trail over the lip (spiller) and others that fill the remaining gaps (filler). Some of my horticultural friends…
Choosing the Right Pot for Plants
Houseplants are a living accessory for interior spaces, introducing texture and color. Your houseplants can infuse your home with warmth, soften transitions between spaces, and serve as the focal point of a room. Pairing pots, plants and the right decor enhances health and make plants a hardworking accent to your home. Large Potted Plants vs Small Potted Plants In a too-large pot, soil dries slowly, making your plant more susceptible to root rot. When a plant is too large for its pot, it also has a tendency to tip over. In a too-small pot, soil dries so quickly that you will be challenged to water frequently enough. Your plant could become root-bound and exhibit stunted growth. Ideally, for a large plant, pots that are the same size it is growing in is preferable. When transplanting because a plant has outgrown its current pot, shift to a pot 2-4 inches larger in…
How To Choose The Right Pot: A Guide To Repotting Houseplants
You might be feeling pretty confident in your houseplant prowess, but many of us who are new to the world of plants hesitate when it comes to repotting for the first time. How to choose the right pot and making the switch can seem daunting as you realize how many variables there are to consider (or how one wrong move could mean the demise of your happy plant). Daunting though it may be, repotting is an important skill for any gardener (indoor or out) and like many things in life, simply requires gentle confidence, common sense, and a little know-how. In this guide to repotting, we’ll help you master a few basic concepts that will help you figure out how to choose the right pot for your plant every time. HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT POT WHEN IS IT TIME TO REPOT? When do you know your plant is ready…
The Ultimate Guide to Growing Potted Plants Outdoors
By Marty Ross You don’t need a huge yard or a grand garden to enjoy the beauty of flowers, plants and greenery. Potted plants can offer joy and the reward of gardening, even if you are limited to a patio, balcony or porch. Learn how to plant the most gorgeous plants, herbs and flowers. Plus find out everything you need to know about how to pot a plant in containers. Choose the Right Pot Pick Your Plant Select the Correct Soil Choose the Ideal Location Potted Plant Care Tips Step 1: Choose the Right Pot There are a few things to consider when choosing your pot. Whether small, big, lightweight or heavy, make sure there are holes in the bottom to allow water to flow out freely. Without enough drainage, roots can drown and the plant will ultimately die. Pots…