Landscaping and Gardening Info

When a plant becomes leggy and is branching out a substantial distance form its base, its time to trim it back. Select the stem you plan to cut and use a sharp razor blade or quality pruning shears to make a horizontal cut straight across the stem directly above a node. If you can manage a four or five inch stem from the section you’ve just pruned, you can use that slip to begin a new plant.

Pinching the process by which the center growth of a young plant is kept low and forced to grow outward rather than up. The center portion of most all plants will grow stronger because it’s in direct alignment with the roots and thus obtains more nutrition. If center growth is removed, that nutrition is transferred to the outside growth. If pinching is to be effective you must do it early. Waiting too ling will create the need to cut the plant way back and you won’t get your desire effect.

An alternate type of pinching that’s done on flowering plants is meant to increase the size of the flowers the plant will produce. If a plant has a large number of buds, you can assure yourself a heartier and more attractive flower if you pinch off some of the excessive buds. This process is meant to produce ‘quality over quantity’ by allowing the plants nutrients to be divided among a fewer number of tasks.

Air layering is a type of plant propagation that focuses on the appearance of a particular plant instead of increasing the number of plants available. This can be done even if your are planning on a certain landscaping design for your garden.

Air layering, sometimes called Chinese air layering, is a method used to cut back long-stemmed, leggy tropical plants. Several inches below the lowest branches on the plant, you should make a vertical incision about two inches long. This incision should be made in the stem and should be as deep as a third of the stem diameter. Use a plastic paper as a cover (polyethylene bags in which potting soil is distributed are excellent for this function) and bind sphag-num moss around the cut. After you complete the steps, water the plant thoroughly.

Keep the cut covered and keep the plant thoroughly watered for around eight weeks. You will notice that new roots have formed at the sight of the cut and the plant can be pinched off just below that point. You may then plant your new growth in a pot of regular potting soil. The old plant can be discarded if you so choose. There is no set time to perform this type of propagation, most gardeners agree that spring and fall are the best times, but in general, the success rate is steady year round.

Tags: landscaping, gardening

When we hear the words composting pile what do we all think about? Is it rural areas, where there are farms with large compost heaps in the corner of them? Do we think of the garden of that local oddball environmentalist who always has some waste stinking away claming its helping the environment? Probably, but that does not make it any less true. Composting is a great way to use your food and other waste, for a renewable resource.

Taking a large container - usually, this is a large box, a huge bin, or a garden barrel specifically designed for the purpose of compositing. The, you will be able to safely throw away your waste and will be able to utilise it to the best of your ability, effectively recycling in your own back yard.

But how do composting piles work.

To start with, what you will put into your composting pile is important, food wastes such as banana peels and rotten apples can all go straight into your compositing pile. Similarly, garden waste can do the same, the leaves which fall in the autumn, or the weeds which you pluck from your garden yourself. These are all great and suitable things for your composting pile. There are other things which must go into your compositing pile however to make it work effectively.

These are things like grass clippings from mowing your lawn, saw dust and wood chips, and also manure from cows, horses, and many other animals that you may have. If you do not have animals, you can buy a bag of manure specifically to put into your composting pile with the rest of your waste.

This waste is then broken down by micro organisms. But, as with any other living thing, a micro organism requires certain things to continue living and working for us. These are easy to provide if you know what they are. The first of these is heat. Make sure that your compost pile is not cold, or it will not decompose as the micro organisms will die in the cold.

The other two things which are required by micro organisms is air and water. Just like with humans and animals. Make sure that whatever container you plan to use is well ventilated with air holes all over it, while also ensuring that it gets enough rain water. If your compost pile is not moist like a sponge would be, then you should water it yourself as it is not getting enough of this from the rain.

The last detail which helps a composting pile to work is how the waste is thrown into this. Composting can be a relatively long process, and this can be made even worse if we do not cut up our food waste and make it smaller. Throwing a whole apple in their will take longer to decompose than throwing a cut up apple for example.

Composting piles take anywhere from two weeks to two years to actually produce something that we are able to use upon our gardens. The only way to ensure that this is going to be a fast rather than drawn out process is to make sure that all the things above are in your compositing pile, and the conditions are suitable.

Tags: garden, landscaping

It is no big secret that everyone has to remove garbage from one’s home. This could be a stinky, ugly task with those unattractive old wheelie bins you see in everyone’s driveway on garbage collection day. Wouldn’t it be great if your wheelie bin was a beautiful addition to your garden decorations?

Wheelie bin covers have been created to remedy the fact that our garbage is a downright hideous eyesore. Using wheelie bin covers can make a drably old wheelie bin come to life with beautiful colors and designs including floral and foliage prints. These can spice up any wheelie bin, making them more aesthetically pleasing while protecting the bin’s exterior.

Your wheelie bin may create a shocking reaction by your neighbors and garbage collectors. Prior to garbage day leave it in the garden as an accent or centerpiece. Wheelie bin covers add beauty and style to any home. Make the stylish choice when keeping the community clean.

There is a large selection of wheelie bin cover designs. Turn it into a flower planter, a hedge edge, a spring meadow with wildflowers! Dull wheelie bins will be a thing of the past. It will be fun to confuse the garbage man on garbage collection day, they might even miss your bin!

Wheelie bin covers are for those who want to get rid of the unappealing look that plain dirty wheelie bins bring to the property. It will make you want to keep it out in plain view more often. The designs are printed on weather resistant vinyl, helping to extend the lifetime of your wheelie bins.

Be able to distinguish your bin from the neighbors the next time they get left in the middle of the street. Keep neighbors from steeling your bins with the beautiful designs available. You can even give them as gifts to make your neighbors like you and keep the neighborhood looking like an urban jungle! Be proud of living in a beautiful community..

Closing Comments

Creating a beautiful landscape that includes your wheelie bin just got a lot easier! Keep the community beautiful with the addition of the wheelie bin cover. Help keep the neighborhood looking clean and turn it into an urban jungle using wheelie bin covers.

Tags: landscaping, gardening