Spring is a great time to put down mulch. Dave Epstein helps you figure out whether yours needs replacing this spring and, if so, how much to put down. Mulch improves the look of your garden bed, keeps weeds down and keeps moisture in the soil. You want to be careful not to add too much soil as it can keep moisture out and rain or water will not be able to reach the soil.
In this garden video, you'll learn how to get ready for the winter by laying down mulch for new plants. Mulching new plantings for the winter is very important for protection during the snowy months, and it improves the look of the beds, keeps some weed down, and keeps the moisture in the soil (although too much keeps the moisture out).
That soil under your feet is not just dirt. It is teeming with life that may not change as fast as we would like when challenged by global warming.
John White from Southwest Yard and Garden teaches viewers how to fertilize and care for their fall lawn. Fertilization is recommended at 1 pound per month. As you reach September and October, reduce your nitrogen to 1/4 a pound and as October comes around reduce this even further to about half a pound. You will need turf fertilizer and on this package there will be three numbers in the order representing nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. In late fall you will want to use a fertilizer with ...
David Epstein provides tips and shows garlic lovers how to plant garlic in their very own garden. It is best to grow garlic in the fall season from the months of September to November when the temperatures are cooler. Some people grow garlic in the spring, but it’s been found that growing garlic in the fall time will give a better crop. To begin, gather some plantable garlic bulbs making sure that you find ones that are either organic or from a seed catalog. At all cost, avoid conventional ...
Adding mulch to your garden helps prevent weeds, retain soil moisture, and it also gives your landscape a finished look. Learn more about buying and using mulch.
Tired of losing your gardening efforts to snails and slugs? Use these methods to banish the pests. You Will Need
Driven creatures undermining the very structure of your life – it might sound like a sci-fi flick, but it's all too real when these pests go after your home. Watch this video to learn how to deal with termites.
Spring Hill Nurseries shows viewers how to plant Chrysanthemums, or hardy mums, in this video. The mums should be planted in early spring. First, choose a place to plant. You should choose an area that has a lot of direct sunlight. You should also plant in an area that has good soil for growing plants. If this is impossible, mix some compost with the soil in the spot you wish to plant in. If you are planting more than one mum, make sure you have enough room to space them two feet apart.
Learn how to start seeds for planting. Start your own seeds to save money, grow different plant varieties, and extend your growing season.
Weeping willows, globe willows, corkscrew willow, cotton wood are all prone to bores than other diseases. They grow in fertile soil with lots of moisture. Never treat tree chemical. Prune as necessary, take out dead diseased limbs, water and fertilize regular. This ensures the tree lasts longer and that the tree is less attractive to insects. Where tomatoes are concerned to avoid sunburn ensure that they are slightly covered with the folding of the plant. High salt level of water or chemicals...
This video answers some questions on how to identify some of the problems that occur in vegetable gardens: for example, if there are missing leaves on your tomato plant, then it is an indication that they are being eaten by something. In some cases, this pest is the Tomato Hornworm. The Mosaic Virus and Curly Top and Tomato Spotted Wilt also attacks tomato plants.
Southwest Yard and Garden teaches viewers how to prepare garden soil for planting. You can use compost to work this into your soil. You can make your own compost and you can also buy compost. First, you can use a flat bladed spade or a sharp shooter spade to double dig your garden soil. First, you should dig double deep into the soil and turn the soil to the side. What you want to do is dig a trench. Go back to the beginning of the trench and dig a second depth. You will want to get below the...
Azaleas are relatively care free. To ensure they look their best they require adequate moisture. Make sure the roots in particular get plenty of water especially during the first year or so. Mulch is important, two or three inches of horticultural mulch like straw or pine bark will help protect their roots, which grow close to the top of the soil. They don't need to be pruned. If you want to shape or remove dead wood, wait until after they bloom. By doing it at this time the dead wood is easi...
Fall is a great time to fertilize your lawn, especially cool season grasses like Bluegrass and Tall Fescue. By fertilizing in the fall you're building up the root system but because it's cool the top won't grow as well so you won't need to mow as much. Before spreading your fertilizer you want to top dress with compost. Compost is a great additive for the lawn, especially if you sprinkle a quarter to a half inch layer on top of the lawn. It will work its way down and when down there will feed...
First of all whenever there is low rainfall and higher heat then there are problems.You shall notice that there are brown colored needles which dry up and then drop of. Sometimes they start at the tip and then move towards the branch. This shows drought and you need to soak in lots of water to overcome. However if you notice the brown needles going from the middle to the tip then these are due to natural process. Another problem is the presence of spider mite. Take a white sheet of paper and ...
This Survival Podcast teaches how to water seedings from the bottom up. After you have transfered your plants to new pots, preferably sterilized bins, you put holes in the bottom of the pots. If they are too high, the watering technique will not work. The plants in the pot are placed into a larger bucket. You just add water to the outter bin and allow the plants to "draw up" the moisture through the soil. You want to make sure not to add too much water or the plants will "over-draw". About on...
This video is how to germinate a seed in your home using as an example, a watermelon seed. Take a container and fill it about three quarters full with potting soil. You could use a Styrofoam cup, for example. Now take a seed or several seeds and put it on top of the soil. Cover the seeds with soil that is about three times the size of the seed. Press lightly on the soil. We the container soil with some water. Then place the container in a sunny and warm location in your home until it starts g...
First of all you have to start by terracing all the lands. Now select the varieties of trees that you want and start planting them in your garden. These trees shall help you in checking soil erosion. You may also use rocks fro land scalping and also checking soil erosion. Now you can plant ‘daisies’ all around the garden. These grow very fast and then they help to bind all the soil together. However you have to check their growth because they compete with other plants for the nutrients. They ...
John White of Southwest Yard and Garden along with Kitty Schafer teach you about bio-intensive gardening. Bio-intensive gardening is the combination of two techniques. Part of the technique involves composting top soil with other coarse organic material into a lasagna style mound. Add 2 inches of straw to the soil and spray with water. Add 2 inches of green material that you have collected from other area of your garden, such as bug eaten greens or specific greens for composting. Then add som...
This video shows you how to re-pot your houseplants. When your geraniums have overgrown, cut your clippings. Let the clipping cure: i.e. the wound that you created needs to seal and cure, before planting. Set them aside, in order to allow them to cure. Once that is done, submerge the tip of the fresh clipping in a pot filled with fresh soil. Remember to remove dead leaves.
This video is a tutorial on how to start growing tomato plants from seeds. The instructor first explains that it is important to make sure your seeds are fresh and within the proper date frame and that you pick a good artificial soil mix for proper growth. The tutorial goes over a few different fertilizer products that you can choose from, yet they are not completely necessary for growth if the soil is of a high quality. The instructor then fills plastic mini pots with soil and then uses a pe...
Southwest Yard and Garden shows viewers how to prepare the soil in order to plant Irises. You can see if your oil needs to be prepared because it would look like it need nutrients. Irises deplete the oil they are in so you need to restore their nutrients to the soil. First, you should get your soil tested to see what nutrient should be added to the soil. First loosen the soil. Next, add in the nutrients. Start with alfalfa pellets to add Nitrogen. Add a little bit of sand to loosen soil - don...
To prepare for planting take a fork and poke it into the ground and loosen up the ground. Do this throughout the beds so that the ground is completely loosened up. After you finish loosening the soil take a shovel and dig to the bottom of the bed and turn the soil over. If there are leaves in the bed go ahead and turn the leaves over into the soil. It will provide extra compost for the soil. Add some rabbit manure to the soil to provide extra nutrients. Turn the manure into the soil so that i...
If working an area with poor or eroded soil something must be done to improve the soil so plants will grow. A great tip is to use about 50% organic matter and 50% native soil, mix it together, put it around the rocks, then plant Thyme or other creeping plants. This will help the plants to establish themselves. Don't put organic matter under the rocks because over time it will allow the rocks to sink.
In this video, we learn to prevent dry skin by avoiding very hot water. Make sure when you take a bath or shower, you don't use very hot water. Use warm water, which will keep moisture in your skin. Hot water will reduce the moisture from your skin, which will make your skin itchy if you have a rash. Also, if you take a bath, make sure you don't add in any oil and that you use only warm water. When you are done with your shower or bath, pat yourself dry and apply moisture right away so you do...
This video shows that it is possible to plant 100 tulip bulbs in less than 50 minutes, and it is easier and less expensive than you think.
Turning over your soil mixes the nutrients and makes the ground more suitable for planting. Watch this video to learn how to turn over soil.
Make everyone in your neighborhood green with envy over your lush lawn with these landscaping secrets. Learn how to get your lawn green with this Howcast landscaping guide.
Southwest Yard and Garden shows viewers how to use recycled paper in compost! In order to compost paper you should first shred up the paper into pieces. Then you need to work in the paper into the soil or sand. You should work the paper into the soil in equal parts. Make sure you mix nitrogen into this composting paper. You need to mix nitrogen into it or it will not decompose and the process will not be fed. So first mix your paper with soil and sprinkle in nitrogen. You also need to water t...
Growing plants in the Southwest is different then other climates. We learn how to grow plants in water. Salt is a factor that we need to be cautious of. Salt is in soil and in water. Water, once absorbed leaves a layer of salt. It can be avoided by watering in a certain way. Changing the water frequently, a dish underneath a potted plant to drain the water and flushing out the salt and re-potting periodically. Sometimes extremes measures must be taken to hydrate a plant. In this case putting ...
In this tutorial, we learn how to grow strawberries easily in a container. First, you will need your refrigerated bare root strawberries laid out in front of you. Next, prepare your soil by using a high quality potting mix and adding 1/3 compost to the mixture. Take your soil and place it into a plastic bin, then add in some water. Mix the water with a trowel, then place your soil into a strawberry jar up to the first row of pockets. Next, plant your strawberries into the pockets on the side ...
Every one knows what ivy is, but most think of it as the poisonous ivy that gives a horrible itchy rash, but poison ivy isn't the only kind out there. There's beautiful ivy that can make your home more elegant than ever. Growing the prolific ivy plant will convince you that you have a green thumb while adding fresh beauty around your house, indoors and outdoors.
This video will show you how to take good care of your trees by feeding the roots with verticle mulching. Drill holes in the soil about 15" deep, and put in compost and nutrient materials. Use an auger to drill several 3" holes around the tree. It works best when you moisten the soil first. Use a spade and trowel to fill the holes with the compost and nutrient mixture. You can also use a spading fork to break the soil, sprinkle the mixture on, and the mixture will fall into the cracks in the...
Phyllis Stevens gives us some tips on planting Tulips in the winter. We start by taking a container filled with Potting Soil, then we Plant the Tulip Bulbs. You should fit up to 3 bulbs per pot. Putting some Crocus on the top of the soil doesn't hurt. Bury the bulbs in the garden, covering with Leaves and pine-needles. In the Spring (February-March) we will take the pots out from the soil and Sink them down into the Planter Soil. Once they are finished blooming take them out from soil and put...
In this video, Charles M. Teaches us how to re-pot a Bonsai tree. But before this, he explains how to make Bonsai soil. The ingredients to Bonsai soil are as follows: Potting soil, (from your local Home store) Hummus, Decomposed Granite, and a bucket. Take a couple of scoops from each ingredient and add to the bucket. Now you have your Bonsai soil and are ready to move along. Charles next explains how to handle the Bonsai itself. First, you want to remove any extra branches. Then you take it ...
Repotting a plant is a simple task when you know all the right steps. Whenever a plant outgrows its container, it should be replanted in a new pot.
This video explains how to solve several problems associated with gardening in arid environments. Rhubarb is a plant that is commonly grown in colder environments. In arid environments, its very important to not over water it, so keep it in a sandy soil with lots of organic compost material. Plants such as the peace lily also need well irrigated soil, so it is important to pot it in an organic potting soil in a location that allows the water to drain away from the pot instead of soaking back ...
Adding compost to your garden soil increases its nutrient content and overall fertility. Watch this video to learn easy and effective methods of adding compost to soil.
In this video, we learn how to transplant raspberry bushes. First, you will want to add in soil to your raised bed or garden where you have your other plants. After you get the soil in and have mixed manure in, cut the bands off of your raspberry bushes and put them in a bucket. The bucket should have water and flower food inside of them. After you have placed the flowers into the bucket, you will then be able to place it inside of the soil. Then pour water over your soil and wait for your bu...
