GARDEN HINTS 

Thursday October 06, 2011 01:27:20 PM
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Always use good potting mix to pot your plants. Using this instead of general soil from garden gives your plants plenty of oxygen in the soil. Add some sugar to mix also.

Be creative when it comes to containers. Some possibilities: Egg cartons; use to start plants.

Cardboard boxes; use on a temporary basis for short-lived plants.

Cartons: Cracked mugs and bowls; use on the bottom of containers for good drainage.

Clean pots before re-potting, rinse with vinegar to remove excess lime. 

Cracked mugs and bowls; use on the bottom of containers for good drainage.

Don't over water. Buy a gauge to measure the rain your lawn gets.

Egg cartons: use to start plants.

Accelerate the germination of grass seeds. Mix two tablespoons of cold, strong brewed Lipton tea into each pound of seed, cover, and set in the refrigerator for five days. Before sowing, spread the seed to dry for a day or two on newspapers on the garage or basement floor.

Freshen cut flowers. Add 2 tablespoons Vinegar and 1 teaspoon Sugar for each quart of water. 

Getting ready to plant a small garden? Soak seeds in water overnight before planting and they will germinate much faster.

Grow beautiful azaleas: Occasionally water plants with a mixture of two tablespoons Vinegar to one quart water. Azaleas love acidic soil. 

If you go purchase Vinegar, 10% acidity, 20% acid would be better, and spray it on the weeds in the heat of the full sun, you will have an effective weed killer. Roses love crushed egg shells. They help keep snails out of the garden.

Increase soil acidity. In hard water areas, add a cup of vinegar to a gallon of tap water for watering acid loving plants like rhododendrons, gardenias, or azaleas.

Keep Cactus plants out of the way of children and pets.

Invigorate house plants. Water ferns and other houseplants once a week with a weak, tepid brewed Lipton tea.

Keep swing sets clean and in good working order or remove them.

Keep your yard picked up and mowed so that any sharp objects can be spotted and removed.

Kill grass on walks and driveways.

Kill weeds. Spray full strength on growth until plants have starved. 

Kneel on a stack of old newspapers to cushion your knees while gardening.

Landscape with plants that need less water.

Make sure your sprinkler system isn't watering the sidewalk, driveway or street.

Most houseplants only need to be watered once a week. Pick a day of the week for watering and fertilize with a plant food spike every 60 days.

Mulch plants well to retain moisture.

 Newspaper Weeds Away: Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants, overlapping as you go, cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

Neutralize garden lime. Rinse your hands liberally with vinegar after working with garden lime to avoid rough and flaking skin.

No flowers on your Gardenias - use Epson Salts.

Old shoes, cute for ornamentals.

Old tyres: stacked them up, and filled with straw to grow potatoes, or use to transport soil, rocks, or water. Cut tiny holes and place by plants for drip irrigation.

Over-fertilization increases your lawn's need for watering. Don't over feed.

Plant Marigolds in between your tomatoes to stop pests.

Plastic milk and ice cream containers; cut to size and add drainage holes, or use to transport soil, rocks, or water. Cut tiny holes and place by plants for drip irrigation.

Pour full strength on unwanted grass. 

Prolong the life of flowers in a vase. Add two tablespoons of vinegar plus three tablespoons of sugar per quart of warm water.

Put a child safe fence around all ponds and water fountains.

Put a timer on your sprinklers so you don't forget to turn them off.

Research plants, shrubs and trees for toxins before using them for landscaping.

Roses love crushed egg shells. They help keep snails out of the garden.

Save money growing your own food. Get a jump on the gardening seasons by starting your plants indoors in potting soil placed in empty egg cartons.

Set a trash can with a lid in your yard for unexpected litter.

Set your lawnmower blades to 3 inches or higher to encourage you lawn to grow deeper roots and hold moisture better.

Toss your roses a tea bag and blooms will be brighter and prettier.

Try using a child's wagon for hauling plants, pots, garden tools, mulch and other materials you need while working in the yard.

Use old mothballs can be scattered around the garden to prevent cats and rats.

Use a soaker hose instead of a sprinkler system to better target the water to your plants.

Use an old trashcan for a compost container. Place holes in the bottom and a few in the sides, fill with old leaves, table scraps and such. Cover with the lid. No need for turning. Place in a convenient working area.

Use native plants for carefree landscaping when at all possible.

Use water-saving filters in your pool.

USES FOR EGG SHELLS IN THE GARDEN: When egg shells are dry, crush them up and spread the pieces at the base of your plants. Slugs and snails won't crawl over the shards. If there’s enough of them-snakes won’t crawl over them either. Birds need finely crushed egg shell to help make their own egg shells hard and thick to protect the embryos as they develop. You can use them like this for seed starters .

Vegetable or flower seeds can be started in Styrofoam or paper cups indoors in a sunny window and then planted outside in the cup by simply cutting the bottom half of the cup away and planting in a prepared location. Use an object such as a nail to make a single hole in the bottom of the cup for drainage and place a napkin or folded paper towel under the cup along the length of the hose, and lay along plants.

Visualize an objects potential as a planter before tossing it in the trash.

Water lawns during the time of day when temperature and wind speed are lowest to reduce evaporation.

WEED KILLERS:  Mix 1 gallon white Vinegar, 1 cup table salt, and 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid together and spray on weeds. To do so, remove approximately 2 cups of Vinegar from the jug, pour in the salt and dishwashing liquid, then return the 2 cups of vinegar to the jug. Close the lid and shake to mix. Transfer to a spray bottle (after shaking to mix the ingredients) as needed. It works as well, if not better, than Chemicals, but is much cheaper. Be careful, it will kill whatever you spray it on!

When starting your garden seedlings indoors, plant the seeds in egg shell halves. Simply crack the shells around the roots of your plants and transplant them outdoors. The shell is a natural fertilizer.

You can use bread ties to fasten a tomato plant to a stake or to tie up a vine.