Garden Plants Information

Planting a tree is a wonderful experience, and helps enhance the beauty of the earth we live on. But care and forethought should be exercised in advance to help insure that each tree can reach its full potential.

In general, it’s best to try to plant young trees if you can. It’s certainly possible to plant a mature tree, but it’s very difficult to do for the average homeowner, and very expensive to pay for if you hire someone to do it for you. If it is necessary to have a mature tree for any reason, then it may justify the expense. But otherwise planting smaller trees that can grow into your home landscaping design may be your best solution.

The best time of year to plant trees is the springtime. The second-best time of year is late fall or even winter. You may choose to plant a young tree during the summer, but if so, then be sure to use one of the new wilt-proof sprays that help the leaves avoid moisture loss until the roots get well established. And if you are planting a tree that is taller than 6 ft., try to make sure that it’s moved with a burlap root ball to protect the roots.

Preparing the soil is extremely important for both tree and shrub planting. Generally speaking, it’s good to dig a hole about 2 ft. deep and about a foot wider in each direction than the full spread of the trees roots. Then make sure that the soil at the bottom of the whole is loosened quite a bit and is mixed with peat, loam, and fertilizer, before placing the tree in the hole. If for any reason you come across a layer of hard clay or building rubble as you dig your hole, be sure to remove a good portion of a that material and substitute in its place good soil that will promote growth for the tree right away. If you fail to do this, a new tree will most often not be able to get the nutrients that it needs and stands a good chance of dying.

A lot of people overuse manure as they feel that a lot ot it will benefit the tree. However manure should only be used sparingly on the top of the tree hole and not around the roots, as it can actually burn the tree instead.

For planting seedlings that are not balled in burlap, it’s a good idea to protect it before planting by giving it a mud bath, or puddling it. This protects the roots from exposure to the air before planting. When you have dug the hole to the proper depth for the seedling, fill the hole with water to allow the soil to settle at the bottom. Once the water is drained, then put the tree in position and apply the soil and settle at around the tree’s roots. Be sure to work the soil in closely to the roots, and don’t allow air pocket’s to develop in the hole. When the hole is two thirds full, pack it with soil tightly again and fill with water. Then go ahead and fill the soil up to ground level afterward.

Planting a balled tree root is somewhat easier because the root ball is being held in place by the burlap. So dig a hole about twice the size of the root ball and plant immediately. If the ground is dry when planting, fill the hole with water and let it soak in well before you actually insert the tree. Once the tree is in position, cut the top of the burlap and roll it back a few inches. It will eventually rot away into the soil that way.

After the first year, cultivate the tree as much as you can and keep weeds away by applying straw or mulch in both the spring and fall. This will also help keep moisture in the ground as well.

By following the guidelines listed here in this article you should be able to plant any tree correctly and successfully, and enjoy it’s beauty for years to come.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including home improvement. You can find free landscaping ideas and front yard landscaping ideas by visiting our Home Improvement website.

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Harvesting

While I think everything about growing herbs is a wonderful experience (well, maybe not the weeding!), harvesting is one my favorite things. It is, after all, the biggest reason to grow your herb garden.

Harvesting the herbs is very easy if you remember a few small guidelines. For one thing, you should never take more than 2/3 from a mature plant, and preferably less than that. It’s tempting to take a bunch of the herb when it first begins to grow toward maturity, but limit yourself to a few leaves in the beginning. Taking too much from a young plant can kill it.

Use a pair of small gardening scissors to cut herbs. Make gentle cuts just above tender, new sprouts. If you make sure that there is still fresh growth, your herb plants will continue to flourish and give you a large crop. With some herbs, such as sage, cut back the thick, woody stalks first.

Cut back your herbs after the flower buds first appear, but before the flowers open. If you wait until the flowers bloom, the volatile oils and therefore most of the flavor are greatly reduced. On the other hand, if you harvest too early, the oils haven’t fully developed. An exception to this “rule” is lavender, which should be harvested just after the delicate purple flowers have faded. Try to do your cutting in the morning after the dew is dry but before the sun gets hot.

Drying

Most people like to dry their herbs for later use. Drying them is extremely easy, even in humid climates. There’s no need for large screens or elaborate set-ups; a ball of twine, some paper bags, and a place for hanging is all you need.

After you’ve harvested your herbs, rinse them thoroughly in a bath of lukewarm water. Gently swish them about in the water. You may need to gently coax stubborn dirt or sand off some of the leaves, or remove leaves with cocoons or egg sacks stuck beneath them. Look carefully for these kinds of things — it certainly wouldn’t be any fun to find a family of spiders living in a jar of carefully dried herbs!

Remove excess water from the herbs with a large towel. Fold the towel in half, and gently press the stalks between the folds. You can also place them in a dishdrainer, laying them carefully to prevent crowding.
Gather several stalks together in a bundle. With a length of twine, tightly wrap the base of the bundle 3-4 times around, then tie securely, leaving a large loop for hanging purposes. You can then hang the bundles somewhere to dry. If you would like to keep dust off the herbs while they dry, put the herb bundles upside down into small paper bags. Gather the top of the bags around the tied base and secure with a rubber band, more twine, or even a long twist-tie.

Some people like to hang bagged herbs in a garage or spare room and open up the bags whenever they need some of the herbs. I prefer to clean the dried leaves from the stalks and store them in clean bottles, which I then label with the appropriate name. Herbs will keep best in bottles of darkly colored glass, such as those from powdered coffee creamer, but if they are stored in a dark place you can use any color bottle you have on hand.

As you can see, herbs are easy to work with from growth to use. A little planning and a modicum of care are all that is needed for you to have a delightful source for culinary, medicinal, and craft uses. Take a chance — there’s a bountiful harvest waiting for you!

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Melinda Robinson is controlling partner in Rodeo City Technology Group, a Texas-based company that offers TMS (Total Marketing Solutions) — including custom content creation — that fit your business and bring maximum ROI. http://www.rodeocitytech.com

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Constant vigilance is the best way to keep weeds under control. You should never allow the weed to flower or set seed.

1. Couch Grass - This perennial weed is found in beds and borders. It is being spread by underground stems with small fibrous roots at every joint.

It is hard to eliminate by cultivation; however, constant hoeing will exhaust the perennial root system. Remove by hand the moment you notice them. Use a fork in order to avoid cutting up the stems, because even a small part left in the soil will immediately create another plant.

Frequent close mowing will kill off the majority of infestations in the first season. Spray with a systemic weed killer, such as one that contains glyphosate.

2. Creeping Buttercup - This spreading perennial weed is very aggressive and can take over large areas. In the lawn it creates a rosette at soil level; for this reason, it is not affected by mowing. It spreads by runners that creep along and takes root at intervals, forming new plants.

This weed is sensitive to all weed killers so it is easy to control it in the lawn. Spraying with one that contains 2,4-d, such as Verdone will eliminate this weed.

3. Daisy - This weed can stand close mowing and still flower. It is spread by seed so can colonize the lawn quickly.

They are fairly easy to eliminate because they are susceptible to weed killers and one application is typically enough to kill them. If infestations are sparse then weed them out using a hand fork known as a daisy grubber.

4. Dandelion - This perennial weed has large rosettes and bright yellow flower head. It can stand close mowing so hand weeding it typically is the best control method. However, the long tap root needs to be removed, as new plants will form from them. A long probe, two-pronged fork is specially made for the purpose of removing them.

You can pour salt on to the centre of the weed; this will kill the weed overnight; then remove it by hand. Spraying with weed killer will also do the job.

5. Moss - This is the most troublesome weed in the lawn. It is a tiny non-flowering plant. To permanently remove it, the basic principles of good lawn maintenance must be meticulously followed. Apply a moss killer in spring and autumn.

Do not cut the grass too short; also, your grass should not be too long; reduce shade on the lawn. And most importantly, scarify and aerate the lawn in autumn.

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