When growing in small spaces or areas it can be hard to find room to grow cucumbers so here is what they do. they hang these http://shop.simplyhydro.com/Reel-Enz-Plant-Support-Spools_p_1681.html plant support spools from the ceiling down to each plant container. They train the plant using vine clamps to grow up the string. when the vine reaches the top they let some of the string out lowering the plant. This technique can be used on tomato plants as well
If you start to notice that your cucumbers are growing bigger on one end then the other (bulbous at the top) & the leaves of the plant are showing faint yellowing around the edges then you need to add a blooming additive that is high in potassium & phosphorus as this is a sign that your plants need more potassium. http://shop.simplyhydro.com/BloomBastic-80-ml-Atami-_p_2534.html is the most popular or you can use http://shop.simplyhydro.com/Hydroplex-Bloom-Enchancer-Quart_p_766.html there are many potassium blooming additives available.
ok I get asked a lot why cucumbers that are growing and developed will all the sudden turn yellow and fall of. This one is an easy fix. Once your plant has more then 4 cucumbers developing on it I pinch off all new fruits until I am about to pick those then I let 4 or 5 more grow per plant. If there is a high fruit load on a plant developing fruits will abort.
Seedlings exposed to to much heat not enough light will stretch. This makes the seedlings weak and more susceptible to diseases, drought and bugs. The reason plants do this is they are assuming that they are being shaded by other plants and they grow really tall really fast in order to compete for light.
Once your tomato plants have a couple sets of leaves you need to expose them to air movement either from oscillating fans or gently running your fingers through the plant canopy a couple times a day. Doing this encourages the plant to grow stronger and healthier. Air movement also helps keep bugs off of plants. When the fan passes over the plant canopy the leaves should move slightly like in a light breeze. Having the fan to strong will cause wind burn damaging your plants.
Now when it comes to transplanting it is a fact the more times you transplant your tomato plants into bigger pots the better. WHY? you might ask. this is because every time you transplant you should bury it up to its "neck" (just below its top set of leaves), or as much of the plant you can bury under the soil. The newly buried part of the plant will develop a strong healthy root system. Planting this way also allows you to control the plants size. much easier to work with a plant that has 8 inches of strong stocky foliage then a 2 foot long spindly plant.
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Natural Gardening Made Easy
Garden Friendly Glossary Words and Definitions-
Ecology: The study of the relationship between animals, environment and plants.
Ecosystem: The complex web of life that exists in one area. there can be multiple ecosystems lives right next to one another.
Habitat: A home for a particular animal or plant.
A Plant Community: a group of interdependent plants grow together. Plant communities are very predictable: the same plants grow over and over next to each other in the same place.
Micro habitats: small habitats which differ from the surrounding habitat.
Bio Diversity: The richness and complexity of life in an area. The higher the biodiversity the more plant and animals species that will live in that habitat.
Sustainability: Our ability to continue operating without demanding too much from the plants resources or overloading its ecosystem with pollutants.
Basic rules for a natural Garden-
To have a successful natural garden you must make a effort to have as many habitats and micro habitats as possible. This will give your garden more biodiversity. It will also make your garden more visibly appealing.
One must "use what you've got" when gardening. In other words always choose plants suitable for the area you want to garden.
Choosing native plants for your area has many benefits: Native plants are already adapted for a particular area. non-native plants sometimes escape into the wild choking out the nature flora. Native plants host a good micro habitat for local insects. You can usually find a list of Plants that are forbidden in an area because they are known to cause problems, I would highly recommend doing this so you are able to decide what you would like to plant native and non-native in your garden without causing harm to the local environment.
Do you have a problem with Slugs and other insects? Install a pond, frogs and toads will come. Both frogs and toads eat large numbers of slugs and insects.
Always have complexity in your garden plants. Having a wide variety of plants not only creates corridors for natural to safely travel around in your garden but it makes sure that when something does attack your garden that your entire garden is not killed. EX: deers love eating fresh rose branches and flowers. If all you have in your garden is roses you will have no survivors.
In the area where you are going to put your garden you might have to watch and record the environments in that area for a year to find out what parts hold more water, what gets more light or less light. Once this is done you will know what to plant in the certain areas.
When you are limited in garden space you must think vertically. Growing vertically gives depth to your garden making it more visibly appealing. Example growing climbing plants on the back wall of the garden ending with moss on the ground of the front of the garden.
If the look you are going for in your small garden is a woodland look add ferns this will immediately invoke woodland in the mind of the viewer. If you are going for a meadow look plant grasses and heathers . When planting a natural garden one must keep in m ind that plants in the wild grow intertwined. Meaning many species growing together and next to each other, which looks kind of like a mosaic painting. So, how do you make your small garden look natural? You would plant the same plant in several areas of your garden or scatter it in several areas. You do not have to use a bunch of that plant the key is more to have it in several areas. Using a self sowing plant is a good way to get a natural look in your garden.
Ecology: The study of the relationship between animals, environment and plants.
Ecosystem: The complex web of life that exists in one area. there can be multiple ecosystems lives right next to one another.
Habitat: A home for a particular animal or plant.
A Plant Community: a group of interdependent plants grow together. Plant communities are very predictable: the same plants grow over and over next to each other in the same place.
Micro habitats: small habitats which differ from the surrounding habitat.
Bio Diversity: The richness and complexity of life in an area. The higher the biodiversity the more plant and animals species that will live in that habitat.
Sustainability: Our ability to continue operating without demanding too much from the plants resources or overloading its ecosystem with pollutants.
Basic rules for a natural Garden-
To have a successful natural garden you must make a effort to have as many habitats and micro habitats as possible. This will give your garden more biodiversity. It will also make your garden more visibly appealing.
One must "use what you've got" when gardening. In other words always choose plants suitable for the area you want to garden.
Choosing native plants for your area has many benefits: Native plants are already adapted for a particular area. non-native plants sometimes escape into the wild choking out the nature flora. Native plants host a good micro habitat for local insects. You can usually find a list of Plants that are forbidden in an area because they are known to cause problems, I would highly recommend doing this so you are able to decide what you would like to plant native and non-native in your garden without causing harm to the local environment.
Do you have a problem with Slugs and other insects? Install a pond, frogs and toads will come. Both frogs and toads eat large numbers of slugs and insects.
Always have complexity in your garden plants. Having a wide variety of plants not only creates corridors for natural to safely travel around in your garden but it makes sure that when something does attack your garden that your entire garden is not killed. EX: deers love eating fresh rose branches and flowers. If all you have in your garden is roses you will have no survivors.
In the area where you are going to put your garden you might have to watch and record the environments in that area for a year to find out what parts hold more water, what gets more light or less light. Once this is done you will know what to plant in the certain areas.
When you are limited in garden space you must think vertically. Growing vertically gives depth to your garden making it more visibly appealing. Example growing climbing plants on the back wall of the garden ending with moss on the ground of the front of the garden.
If the look you are going for in your small garden is a woodland look add ferns this will immediately invoke woodland in the mind of the viewer. If you are going for a meadow look plant grasses and heathers . When planting a natural garden one must keep in m ind that plants in the wild grow intertwined. Meaning many species growing together and next to each other, which looks kind of like a mosaic painting. So, how do you make your small garden look natural? You would plant the same plant in several areas of your garden or scatter it in several areas. You do not have to use a bunch of that plant the key is more to have it in several areas. Using a self sowing plant is a good way to get a natural look in your garden.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Simply Hydroponics and Organics North Store is Moving
Hello everyone. What better way to kick off the new year. Simply's north store is moving to a BIGGER, BADDER, BETTER location. The new shop is just under 1.5 acres. Plans are in the works to make the new north store a SUPER GARDEN CETER. I will post picture for everyone once we are moved in hopfully in next couple week. I will also update you guys once it is open. They are going to be having a grand opening I hope to see you there
Friday, July 10, 2009
Butterfly Gardening with Native Plants
Butterflies are one of natures greatest gifts. They have brilliant colors. They love sunlight. Butterflies occur in areas where thier specific needs are meet. The best thing to do is find out what kind of butterfly's you like that are native to your area and tailor your garden to supply that butterflies requirments.
Butterflies undergo 4 stages in thier lives. They begin as eggs. Female butterflies seek out the tend green new plant growth for laying thier eggs. They usually lay thiers eggs singlely or in small patches. This insures that each catterpillar gets the most nutricious food supply possible.
Eggs normally hatch in 4 days to a week. When they hatch the second stage begins. The caterpillar.
Caterpillars are eating machines. Thier appetites are what causes the gardener to use pesticides to protect thier perfect plants. Gardeners must keep in mind the caterpillars rarely do real damage to the plants.
While butterflies consume nearly every lots of plants they normally only eat one kind of plant ex: monarchand queen caterpillars feed only on milkweed. This is the way they naturally reduce competition.
Caterpillars cycle only last around 2 weeks. At the end of that time they will stop eating for a day and shed thier skin. Wen that stage is finished it becomes a chrysalis. The adult butterfly hatches in about 9 days. When it hatches the wings are badly crumpled and the body is fat with posion.
The butterfly almost always emerges from it egg first thing in the morning. once out they begin waving thier wings pumping the excess body fluid into thier wings until the wings are straight and hardened. By mid morning they are ready to search for thier food and mate. This stage which we so favor is shortly lived.
The presence of the appropriate larval food plants in your garden will attract females. The females attract the males.
Butterflies have specific recurments in food, water, and shelter. Understanding these componates is neccesary when designing your garden.
Cover gives them shelter from predators and weather.
In most cases the wooded plants provide the shelter while the flowers provide nectar. Butterflies perfer the sun for feeding.
Butterflies also need water. They DO NOT drink from open water pond or bird baths. They need puddles of very wet sand or mud. The best way to provide them food is with saucer of sand kept wet.
Make sure you find out what kind of butterflies in your area you like and plant according to the food tat they like. DO not waste your time trying to attract butterflies not found in your area. You also want to make sure you planta varity of plnts that bloom year around for themt o have food all year long.
Butterflies undergo 4 stages in thier lives. They begin as eggs. Female butterflies seek out the tend green new plant growth for laying thier eggs. They usually lay thiers eggs singlely or in small patches. This insures that each catterpillar gets the most nutricious food supply possible.
Eggs normally hatch in 4 days to a week. When they hatch the second stage begins. The caterpillar.
Caterpillars are eating machines. Thier appetites are what causes the gardener to use pesticides to protect thier perfect plants. Gardeners must keep in mind the caterpillars rarely do real damage to the plants.
While butterflies consume nearly every lots of plants they normally only eat one kind of plant ex: monarchand queen caterpillars feed only on milkweed. This is the way they naturally reduce competition.
Caterpillars cycle only last around 2 weeks. At the end of that time they will stop eating for a day and shed thier skin. Wen that stage is finished it becomes a chrysalis. The adult butterfly hatches in about 9 days. When it hatches the wings are badly crumpled and the body is fat with posion.
The butterfly almost always emerges from it egg first thing in the morning. once out they begin waving thier wings pumping the excess body fluid into thier wings until the wings are straight and hardened. By mid morning they are ready to search for thier food and mate. This stage which we so favor is shortly lived.
The presence of the appropriate larval food plants in your garden will attract females. The females attract the males.
Butterflies have specific recurments in food, water, and shelter. Understanding these componates is neccesary when designing your garden.
Cover gives them shelter from predators and weather.
In most cases the wooded plants provide the shelter while the flowers provide nectar. Butterflies perfer the sun for feeding.
Butterflies also need water. They DO NOT drink from open water pond or bird baths. They need puddles of very wet sand or mud. The best way to provide them food is with saucer of sand kept wet.
Make sure you find out what kind of butterflies in your area you like and plant according to the food tat they like. DO not waste your time trying to attract butterflies not found in your area. You also want to make sure you planta varity of plnts that bloom year around for themt o have food all year long.
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