A Little Known Secret To Successful Outdoor Gardening
|
Pruning...
Outdoor gardening is so much easier when you know how.Outdoor gardening is much more enjoyable when you know a few secrets.
Much of the enjoyment of outdoor gardening comes from the care and proper maintenance of the garden.
Not many plants will look their best without some help, and pruning is one of these techniques considered essential to outdoor gardening if plants are to flower and fruit well, and to keep pests and diseases at bay.
For those inexperienced in outdoor gardening, pruning can often be a reason for concern.Questions may arise, such as when is the best time to prune, and how, and where.
We prune our trees and shrubs mainly to increase flowering and fruiting, to control diseases, or to change the size or shape of the plant.
Some shrubs such as Forsythia need an annual prune of their older wood to help maintain vigor and to produce new flowering shoots.These new shoots are produced from the base of the plant.If Forsythia was left un pruned it could soon become overcrowded, allowing little room for new shoots to grow and flower.I recommend that after flowering each year you cut out a good quarter to one third of the old wood around the base of the shrub.
A number of shrubs can be encouraged through pruning to develop larger foliage with no flowers.This is usually done in late winter or early spring.The shrub is either cut back to the ground, or cut back very hard whilst removing dead wood and twigs.
Some trees are suitable for this type of pruning, and this can totally change the appearance of these plants.
Ornamental fruit trees will produce much more flowers and fruit when pruned correctly.As a rough guide for outdoor gardening the plants that flower early in the season should be pruned as soon as flowering has finished,whilst late flowering shrubs can be done at the beginning of the growing season.
Many shrubs are grown for the color of their stems, and will need to be pruned at frequent intervals if the color is to be kept.A technique called "coppicing" where the shrub is pruned hard close to the ground is usually involved.
Coppicing is also used for the production of wood suitable for fencing.In outdoor gardening however, it is used most often to stimulate fresh new growth in the colorful stems of trees and shrubs.The shape of trees and shrubs in the outdoor garden can be changed by pruning and crossing branches that are close together.The object here is to construct a natural open shape so that air can circulate freely.
If some of your older shrubs are getting a bit woody and ugly you could try cutting the plant back hard whilst trying to keep some leaves on the lower branches, before deciding to pull them up.It's worth giving the plant a feed and mulch at this time too.
What pruning tools will you need for outdoor gardening?
For outdoor gardening you will need secateurs for soft shoots and small branches, or loppers for branches that are too thick to be cut with secateurs, and a saw for even bigger branches.Always use good quality tools and make sure they are sharp.
It is essential to the health of your plants that you prune correctly.Cut out all diseased, weak and dead growth.Always cut back to healthy wood, free from the staining of infected tissue.Generally when pruning cuts are made on trees and shrubs it should be made to a bud, which will then grow away without leaving a dead stump.You should choose a bud that is facing the direction you want the branch to grow away to, then make a slanting cut about 2 inches above the bud.If the plant has opposing buds, then cut straight across.
A good tip for creating cleaner, easier cuts on lighter stems and branches with secateurs is to hold the stem in your free hand and bend it slightly with light pressure before cutting.To remove a branch from a shrub or tree, you first need to cut the branch back to about a foot from the trunk. This will help to prevent the branch tearing.Don't however cut the remaining stub flush with the trunk, but leave a small swelling which can heal on its own.Pare off ragged parts left on sawn surfaces.
Collect all your prunings and compost them if soft and healthy, but burn them if woody or diseased.
Enjoy your outdoor gardening by pruning successfully.Make the right cut to improve your outdoor gardening skills.
Leonard Mutch makes it easy to improve your gardening skills. Subscribe now to his monthly newsletter for tips and savings. Visit this site:outdoor gardening flower gardening
|
|
|
Drying Roses
There are many reasons why you might want to dry your roses. Some people just want to keep a memento of a special moment. Perhaps they are a part of a wedding that you went to; maybe they were a gift from a mate, friend, or family member. What...(related: Landscaping Gardening)
8 Simple Tips To Keep Your Lawn Mower Running
1. If you have a non-electric mower which runs on petrol or gas have a look in the instruction manual to find out how to check and change the oil. Check the oil level often, add more oil when necessary and cha...(related: Landscaping Gardening)
High Intensity Discharge Grow Light (generic)
HID lamps are categorized in three groups :Mercury Vapor , Metal Halide, and Pressurized Sodium. For plant cultivation, Metal Halide (MH) or Pressurized Sodium (HPS and LPS) are the ones commonly used in grow rooms.Mercury Vapor - Mercury Vapor lamps are common, but they are not the most energy effici...(related: Landscaping Gardening)
Basic Lawn Care - Mowing, Scarifiers, Aeration, And Watering Tips
The arrival of summer heralds a time of increased wear and tear for the average garden lawn. Children's yard games, barbecue parties, outdoor sports and generally more activity in the garden means your lawn is set to come in for something of a beating and without a little TLC is likely to start showing more than a little worse for wear. Stomp all over any living thing and it doesn't respond too kindly but with a little help, your lawn can remain looking great all through summer and beyond!FertizilerFor a lusher, healthier, faster-growing lawn you can't beat a bit of fertilizer. Test your soil type and choose a fertilizer to compliment this for best results. Most lawns will benefit from around three to fou...(related: Landscaping Gardening)
Wildflower Seeds - Ten Reasons Why You Should Plant...
Native wildflowers are those that were growing naturally in the landscape before the first settlers arrived from Europe. Ever since that time more and more plants have been introduced from around the world with very mixed results. Although many of the import...(related: Landscaping Gardening)
Backyard Bird--the Catbird
It's quiet now.Gone is the constant chatter, whistles and meowing sounds as you jump from branch to branch safeguarding your territory against all trespassers.Gone too is the uniform gray body offset with the bla...(related: Landscaping Gardening)
How To Mow A Lawn
Although push lawn mowers are wonderful machines that do a great job in keeping the lawn looking lush and well groomed, sometimes you need something with a bit more power to get the job done.Ride on mowers can turn an all day chore into an enjoyable job that lasts only a few hours. Instead of pushing your mower back and forth over several acres of lawn, you can sit on your ride on mower and relax as it does all the work. You can choose a rear sweeping model, that pushes long grass away to prevent clogging or you can choose to have the grass bagged so...(related: Landscaping Gardening)
Earthworm Friends In The Garden
Earthworms are a gardener's best friend.Research has shown that earthworm excrement, also calledcastings or vermico...(related: Landscaping Gardening)
Porch Swing Places: Where To Put A Porch Swing
So you've purchased a Porch Swing (or are about to) and you plan to hang it on the Porch? Not so fast!Where you install your Porch Swing is as much a function of the need you are trying to satisfy as tradition and practicality. If nostalgia is your motivator, then the porch may well be the best place for your Patio Swing. But if you want a "Swing with a View", you might want to...(related: Landscaping Gardening)
The Rich History Of Chrysanthemums
Did you know that those lush, colorful blooms called chrysanthemums are rooted in beliefs of human immortality and perfection? Today the "mum" graces gardens, cut flower arrangements and even salads (yes mums taste great), but they were taken much more seriously after T'ao Yuan Ming started it all in China around 500 A.D.Over long periods of careful cross-pollination and selection, he developed stunning varieties of the flower and when he died, his birthplace was renamed Chuhsien. The City of...(related: Landscaping Gardening)
Are You Being Taken Advantage Of When Ordering Flowers Online?
Did you know that you can send flowers many different ways on the internet? With a few different options of delivering and ordering flowers online, you must be aware of security...(related: Landscaping Gardening)
Five Tips For Garden Sanctuaries
The design of your garden has an amazing affect on your family's health and well-being. Here is how you can create harmony in your garden-which is considered a living entity-and bring peace and happiness within your home.Vastu Shastra is an environmental science written about some 7,000 ? 10,000 years ago in India by rishis, or men of great wisdom. They observed the workings of Nature and recorded how different rays of the sun, the magnetic poles, the makeup of the land, soil, slope, structures, etc. affected all living things. It is the oldest recorded architectural treatise known to man and it is from this science that some of the world's most enduring structures have been created.According to the science of Vastu Shastra, all five elements (earth, water, fire, air and space) need to be in harmony. When a seed is planted, it...(related: Landscaping Gardening)
Funniest Pond Stories-part 1, May 2004
Get ready for some gut-wrenching, laugh out loud hilarious pondstories from all over the world...(Continued from May Issue of PondStuff!)We had some hilarious, truly gut wrenching, laugh out-loudstories sent in by some of you. Here we're going to highlightsome of the funniest stories for you to ...(related: Landscaping Gardening)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Landscaping Gardening