Useful gardening tips

[maddie]

I found a nice link which I wanted to share with you... you could add your tips to them so we can find everything we need in one place.
Here you go .... http://www.1001bestways.com/category/grow-plants/page/3/

 

[ChanellG]

Great idea Maddie! I have been obsessively reading and bookmarking all manner of information about gardening and plant growing. Here are a few on a variety of different gardening topics:

Small space gardening
Container vegetable gardening fact sheet
Garden tips for going green
How to build garden arbors cheap

 

[maddie]

Wow those are great links.. I guess if we have them in one place we may find it helpful.
http://lifeonthebalcony.com/
http://plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.in

 

[ChanellG]

Maddie, after looking at the plants are the strangest people blog entry, maybe we should organize our books on growing so we can share info with each other. I actually don't have many books on gardening, but once I get them all in one place I can let others know what I have.

 

[maddie]

I don't have any books either.. I read most of my information online. We shall share the links which we find useful here.

 

[ChanellG]

Works for me. Here are more links I found useful or interesting:

Growing potatoes in a laundry basket
How to build a potato tower
Grow an endless supply of onions from old bottoms
How to grow your own mushrooms indoors
Easy vegetables from the backyard larder

 

[maddie]

Works for me. Here are more links I found useful or interesting:

Growing potatoes in a laundry basket
How to build a potato tower
Grow an endless supply of onions from old bottoms
How to grow your own mushrooms indoors
Easy vegetables from the backyard larder

Channel, Thanks. This is an impressive list. I read that articles on growing mushroom indoors.. That was absolutely amazing..I don't need temperature control or anything.. I think I am ready to go if I can only get hold of some leafy compost. I think I will start growing mushrooms as soon as I can. Anyway it will be worth the try as my family loves mushrooms.

 

[ChanellG]

Maddie, you could always make your own leafy compost. I just recently bookmarked an article on leaf mold that you might find interesting. Also there was another mushroom article that made growing them seem really simple.​

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Making and using leaf mold​

How to build your own mushroom growing kit​

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More​

66 things you can grow in containers​

Perfect veggies for fire escape gardens​

 

[maddie]

Chanell, you are such a resourceful person. I found this one really helpful for planting my lettuce.. This again isn't a native plant.. but with care and without too much exposure to the sun it grows well
http://www.the-locavores-garden.com/vegetable-gardening-easy-crops.html

 

[ChanellG]

Thanks Maddie!

I took a look at that link; I have so much garlic growing right now, my home smells of it, lol. Good thing I like garlic. I was just thinking of trying to grow zucchini last night! I've pinned this article to my gardening board.

I just bookmarked this page on growing celery:
http://www.17apart.com/2012/02/grow...er-buy-celery.html?showComment=1355335326420#

And this one on growing turmeric:
http://www.gardeningblog.net/how-to-grow/turmeric/

 

[maddie]

I have had problems with transplanting little plants into containers.. most of them do not survive the transplant shock. I was so fed up with this that I called a friend of mine to check if he had some tips for me .. he just told me to add half a teaspoon of sugar to two liters of water and give the plant a drink after it is transplanted.. i was amazed at how this worked.. all my plants have survived. I am so overjoyed that I needed to share it with those of you who struggle with this issue.

 

[ChanellG]

That is a great tip, Maddie! I am hoping to avoid transplant shock for seedlings in the future by starting them in paper containers and planting the entire container. I think it's the thinning them out that does them in. Only one of my lemon basil plants survived from last fall and it's not grown much.

I've thought of using a sugar solution with cut flowers.

 

[maddie]

That is a great tip, Maddie! I am hoping to avoid transplant shock for seedlings in the future by starting them in paper containers and planting the entire container. I think it's the thinning them out that does them in. Only one of my lemon basil plants survived from last fall and it's not grown much.

I've thought of using a sugar solution with cut flowers.

Yeah, growing plants in material that decomposes when planted in soil is another effective way of avoiding transplant shock.. I was thinking more in terms of transplanting plants from different environments.

I also read a strange but new tip (I atleast to me) that if you find a plant which is dying or showing signs of dying a drink of tepid weak coffee would help.. the plant also needs to be covered in clear plastic and kept in a warm dry place away from direct sunlight. You may want to put a couple of wooden stakes in your container to prevent the plastic from chocking the plant.

 

[ACSAPA]

I have had problems with transplanting little plants into containers.. most of them do not survive the transplant shock. I was so fed up with this that I called a friend of mine to check if he had some tips for me .. he just told me to add half a teaspoon of sugar to two liters of water and give the plant a drink after it is transplanted.. i was amazed at how this worked.. all my plants have survived. I am so overjoyed that I needed to share it with those of you who struggle with this issue.

Thank you for sharing this valuable tip. I've had a lot of seedlings die on me just because I transplanted them to a plant pot. It sucks to lose a little plant that I patiently grew from a seed. I'll try this next time I try to grow plants from seeds.

 

[ACSAPA]

Yeah, growing plants in material that decomposes when planted in soil is another effective way of avoiding transplant shock.. I was thinking more in terms of transplanting plants from different environments.

I also read a strange but new tip (I atleast to me) that if you find a plant which is dying or showing signs of dying a drink of tepid weak coffee would help.. the plant also needs to be covered in clear plastic and kept in a warm dry place away from direct sunlight. You may want to put a couple of wooden stakes in your container to prevent the plastic from chocking the plant.

I've had dying plants take a turn for the better after putting a little coffee on them but I don't know if the coffee did it or just the moisture and the watering.

 

[maddie]

I have never seen all of my little plants survive transplantation as they did this time.. the need sugar it seems LOL like humans need IV drips when they are sick and dehydrated or in a shock.
The coffee thing I think works because of the nitrogen .Nitrogen aids in cellular respiration and in chlorophyll synthesis, and is needed for growth .. it is as important as protein to humans. Coffee grounds contain 2.28 percent nitrogen, 0.06 percent phosphorous and 0.6 percent potassium, according to a study. Magnesium and copper were also found in the grounds.
But the best thing is unlike fertilizer it releases the nutrients slowly without burning the plants. Now this is what I learned after I posted my thoughts earlier.

 

[Pat]

The hint to add fruit to the soil as you plant the seeds is great. I just ground up all of the organic left overs and put them in my mums plant. I an anxious to see how this improves my mums this year.

 

[maddie]

I have not heard of adding fruit to the soil in which you raise your seeds. I have no problem with starting the seeds themselves with good potting soil and watering they eventually sprout. It was just the transplant that caused the problem. As long as the seeds do not get eaten by ants it is fine I think. I have never tried fresh fruit or for that matter fresh anything in my soil.. I always blend them in a blender and add it to the soil.

 

[omariferrari]

I love reading the posts in this forum. I am truly starting to develop a strong love for watering and taking care of my plants. I feel like they're my new children lol. Someone once told me that if you want healthy plants, that you have to put lots of love into them. The posts on this page are inspiring me a lot. Thanx a lot everyone!

 

[maddie]

I love reading the posts in this forum. I am truly starting to develop a strong love for watering and taking care of my plants. I feel like they're my new children lol. Someone once told me that if you want healthy plants, that you have to put lots of love into them. The posts on this page are inspiring me a lot. Thanx a lot everyone!

Yeah, you can take my word for it.. the plants on my kitchen window do better than the ones in my balcony. I sit and work in my kitchen e all day long. I constantly tell my plants how beautiful they are and care for them. My children call it the ER because some of the plants that are in a critical state land up there and go back to the balcony only when they are nursed back to health. Treat your plants like your babies and see them loving you back with their offerings of flowers and fruits