Organic garden tips that work

Garden, April 13 (Photo credit: jon.roberts)

Most gardeners like to keep their garden as organic as possible, the list below are suggestion that I have tried and have worked for me, this is not saying that they will work in all gardens but they are worth a try.

Using a mixture of 1 oz. of hydrogen peroxide with 32 ozs. of water can help your plants grow a stronger root system.

Here is one my grandmother did to increase the color of her roses - sprinkle one half cup of epsom salts around the base of your mature bushes.

An inexpensive way to avoid getting blackspot and powdery mildew on your roses is to mix about 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 2 or 3 drops of dish soap in a gallon of water and apply to your roses with a spray bottle.

Used coffee grounds and crushed egg shells spread around the base of your plants will kill slugs, snails and ants. Coffee grounds have proven to get rid of ant mounds – you may have to apply a few times over because of rain but it does work.

To keep ticks away from your garden, plant lavender and peppermint to keep the fleas away. Plant parsley and tansy to attract ladybugs.

Very finely crushed egg shells mixed in your soil will increase the calcium in your soil, that in turn will raise your soil pH making your plants stronger.

Reduce your plant risk

To reduce the risk of plant problems, one must practice good garden hygiene. Providing the right amount of water and maintaining the right levels of nutrients in the soil will keep your plants growing, healthy and strong; but to keep them growing that way, maintaining your garden throughout the season is required. Annual or biannual rotation of planting materials can lessen the buildup of pests and diseases.

Controlling weeds

Most weeds produce seed, freely or reproduce from bits of roots left in the ground, tubers, rhizomes. Controlling weeds requires the use of hand pulling, hoeing, mulching, or planting specimens close enough together to prevent weeds from growing. The use

of herbicides can be tricky to use in a vegetable or prized flower garden and must be used with great caution and is not really recommended. A far better way would be the use of mulch, laying down a fresh layer every four months, as a very effective way to keep weeds down; if you use organic mulch you will be adding nutrients to the soil as it breaks down.

Any plant can become a weed, yes, even your most prized specimens. A plant is considered a weed when it becomes invasive and starts taking over your garden or area that you do not wish it to; there are several very well known invasive plants that one would not consider a weed in most cases; Norway maple, some varieties of honeysuckle, purple loosestrife, ostrich fern, to name a few. These types of invasive plants should be identified early on in the growing season in order to prevent them from taking over any or all areas.

Pests

Pests can devour any part and in some cases the entire plant. You have your insect group, such as sowbugs, mites, millipedes, and nematodes. In your larger animal group-rabbits, deers, raccoons, and squirrels. Once again, prevention is the key. There are many organic controls one can use to reduce the risk to plants. You can handpick eggs or slugs from the soil, there are also sticky paper, collars and other easily constructed organic traps. Remedies also include biodegradable soaps, dormant oils, diatonaceous earth and pepper-garlic solutions. Organic solutions for larger animals include fencing off the area, don't plant any plant they would desire or use automatic deterrents as solar powered water spray or sound with a motion detector.

To maintain a healthy garden always remove dead and/or diseased plants and debris. It is important to evaluate any garden problems and effectively take care of the problem in a timely manner. Whether you use biological or chemical solutions always read the instructions before using and always take all necessary precautions as per instructions.