Hot Gardening Posts
How To: Build a wormery
If you don't have room for a full-scale compost heap, you can always employ the services of some worms. In this handy vermiculture how-to, you'll learn how to build your very own wormery.
How To: Multiply red fountain grass
In this video, Shirley shows her viewers an effective way to multiply your red fountain grass in order to create more grass from a single plant. After the growing season, find a large, overgrown patch of grass and use a shovel to dig out a section by the roots. After planting the grass in a pot, it is crucial that you shear the top of the plant so that the grass is only 4 to 5 inches tall. This will ensure that the plant focuses on growing roots rather than its blades at the moment. This meth...
How To: Feed and mulch roses properly
This video shows you how to feed and mulch your roses properly. Choose a fertilizer that is labeled as being especially for roses. It will have the right balance of nitrogen for top growth, phosphorus, which stimulates the bloom, and potassium for root development.
How To: Plant garden roses in containers
Planting roses can make your home beautiful, but there is more to planting roses than just picking one from your local nursery. Selecting a rose that will stay in scale with the container without much heavy pruning can make all the difference in having healthy, long-lasting, producing rose bushes.
How To: Install drip irrigation
Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, from GardenGirltv, brings us this step-by-step video about how to install what's called a drip irrigation system in her urban sustainable garden with this square foot gardening technique. She illustrates this process in a very detailed way, describing all the tools and various parts you will need to create an irrigation system for your garden that will allow you to save money and water, not to mention time spent watering each plant individually, for under $200.
How To: Create drainage holes for a container garden
In this video, Patti the Garden Girl will show you how to put drainage holes in your container garden from galvanized steel containers. To avoid your plants sitting in water, you simply need a hammer and a nail that is about a quarter of an inch thick. You then should hammer about 10 small holes in the bottom of your galvanized steel planter. This should allow proper water circulation in your planter, preventing your plants from drowning. This is a perfect and easy way for any gardener who wo...
How To: Identify & remove clearweed
Clearweed is a member of the nettle family and it comes up all over the country. The easiest way to identify the plant is by the little white flowers that grow along its stem. There really isn't anything wrong with the plant but it is a weed that covers up other stuff in the garden. An interesting point about it is that it pollinates by the wind. So when the wind blows the seeds of the plant are blown about. You will typically find it growing in clusters because it is blown by the wind. Four ...
How To: Wake up your plants for spring
Have you ever wondered how to revive a dying plant after a long winter? Well, most plants actually hybernate and, with a few simple tricks, you can easily wake up your plants for spring.
How To: Plant flowering bulbs with Lowe's
Flowering bulbs require some few common tools before planting such as compost or peat moss, work gloves, fertilizer, garden trowel or bulb planter and the garden bulb of your choice. During the spring season you can plant tender bulbs such as, irises, gladiolus and elephant ears. In terms of fall plantings you can plant bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocuses which could give a beautiful bloom in the spring. In general the blooms will last till three to four weeks, bulbs such ...
How To: Construct a raised bed vegetable garden
Did you ever want to have your own garden but shelved the idea because there was not much space to work with. Well! This is the video you got to watch then. It’s a very innovative approach to gardening in limited space. After watching this video you would pretty much want to have a garden of your own in your home and what's more, you can have it too!
How To: Grow an olive tree in a container
Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, describes how to grow an olive tree in a patio container garden. She will be able to bring the trees indoors for the fall and winter. If the sapling comes in a 4-inch pot, plant it in a 10-inch container. If your container does not already have drainage holes, use a hammer and nail to poke holes in the container bottom. Put a layer of crushed stone in the bottom of the container for drainage. Fill the container with organic soil and a trowel full of organic fert...
How To: Plant Lamb's Ear as a ground cover in your garden
When watching this video, you will realize why Lamb's Ear, or stachys byzantin, may be a perfect choice of plant to set in front of your other plants. With a sea green color and low profile, it will set the rest of the garden off beautifully. Place it along borders of the garden or even along your driveway. Lamb's Ear is a hardy, drought resistant plant that is easy to care for and will do well in sunny areas. It does shoot up and grow a large flower later in the season. This would be your op...
How To: Water deciduous trees in autumn
Watering requirements for deciduous trees is dramatically different in autumn than at other seasons throughout the year. In the autumn there is less wind, less evaporation, the temperatures are lower and so there is less of a problem with dehydrating the plant. When you plant the tree. Dig a hole and put the tree in the hole. Fill the hole half way full of soil and flood the rest of the hole with water. Let is soak in and then fill it again. This will soak the roots and also the ground around...
How To: Trim shrubs and prune hedges with Lowe's
This is another great video from Lowe's, which shows you how to trim shrubs and prune hedges. This video shows Lowe's Home Improvement expert Mike Kraft sharing some tips and tricks on how to make your garden even a better place. This Lowe's do-it-yourself video shows you step-by-step instructions on how you can trim the shrubs in your garden and prune the hedges in your garden. A good video for those who care how good their garden looks.
How To: Mist houseplants
This video demonstrates how to mist your plants and to keep insects away. Plants that like high humidity will benefit the most from misting. Use an empty spray bottle that already has a mister. Clean the bottle well and spray a few times to get residual material from the tube. The best time to mist is in the morning, but you should mist at least once a day. Using a humidifier along with the misting process in the winter will make your plants happy.
How To: Care for a lawn in drought conditions
Regardless of where you are, there will probably be a period when your lawn will turn brown and possibly go dormant when there is a drought. Contrary to popular belief, it is okay to use fertilizer on your lawn when there is a drought. Using a higher setting on your lawnmower will allow the grass blades to be longer, allowing them to retain more moisture. When you are finally able to water your lawn again, make sure to water it twice a day, hopefully in the early morning to avoid the heat of ...
How To: Install a simple garden retaining wall
Patti the Garden Girl shows her viewers how to install a retaining wall in her urban garden. Garden Soxx is a product that will allow you to make a retaining wall in your garden that will prevent and fix any erosion problem you may have in your yard. After making a small shelf on the eroding section of dirt, place the round Garden Soxx inside the hole, forming a wall against erosion. Create a second layer of the Garden Soxx that overlaps with the first for maximum protection again any soil er...
How To: Plant a 30 minute vegetable garden
You can have a garden in less than 30 minutes. The key is a product called garden socks. They are two cubic feet long and they have one cubic foot of compost inside of them. One thing that makes this product useful is that they are very light and easy to carry around and they provide a weed free garden. All you have to do is build your raised box and then fill it with these lightweight two-foot socks of compost. Next take the plants that you are going to plant and arrange them in the box in t...
How To: How to plant with the "Three Sisters" method
To prepare for planting take a fork and poke it into the ground and loosen up the ground. Do this throughout the beds so that the ground is completely loosened up. After you finish loosening the soil take a shovel and dig to the bottom of the bed and turn the soil over. If there are leaves in the bed go ahead and turn the leaves over into the soil. It will provide extra compost for the soil. Add some rabbit manure to the soil to provide extra nutrients. Turn the manure into the soil so that i...
How To: Water Phalaenopsis orchids
This video shows the viewer how to correctly water Phalaenopsis orchids. According to the video these are the type of orchids that most people have in their homes. The instructions are to water your orchid with Luke-warm water once every 7-10 days, or as often as is needed. The creator, Dave Epstein, also suggests adding 1/4 strength plant food to the water. He also recommends checking the medium that the orchid is planted in to judge whether watering is necessary. For more information on how...
How To: Install an eco-friendly lawn
Patti Moreno the Garden Girl shows how to grow an environmentally friendly, low maintenance, drought and insect resistant Eco-Lawn, a blend of 7 Fescue grasses for shady, rocky, and sandy soils. Prepare the bare ground by raking debris. Spread the seed, and then water the seed once a day for the first month. The grass sprouts in 7-14 days. Fill in patches with more seed. Remove leaves, but don't disturb soil and seeds. To convert to an Eco-Lawn, mow the old grass very low, and then spread new...
How To: Build a raised garden bed & hoop house
In this video you are taught how to build a raised garden bed and hoop house. You first begin with a layer of gravel and then place the layers on top of it. You can use leaves you can find to fertilize the soil. The video also teaches you how to build a hoop house using PVC pipes. This video is for urban gardeners or anyone who wants total control during the planting process of beautiful plants and flowers.
How To: Set up drip irrigation for a container garden
Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, shows how to install a drip irrigation system in a container garden for growing herbs and vegetables. Container plants also need more fertilizer. First, at the spigot, connect a manifold/timer with a fertilizer dispenser and a filter to remove particles. Then run a half-inch main tube line to the patio, using clamps to secure the tubing to fencing and elbow joints at any corners. For each container, punch a hole in the main tube and attach a quarter-inch tube wi...
How To: Plant lingonberry in a container garden
Lingonberries are really popular in Sweden. One fact about Lingonberries that people don't know is that they are high in vitamin C. Lingonberry plants produce berries once in the summer and once in the fall, so you get two harvests from this crop which is a really nice. The Lingonberry bushes grow to be one and a half feet wide and one and a half feet tall. So they don't get too large. Take the plants out of the containers very gently. Place the plant in a pot and add some potting soil to fil...
How To: Sprout a home terrarium
You can use either an open or a closed container for your terrarium. Because there is no drainage hole in the container it's really important to have a false drainage system. So you can add river gravel or rocks to the bottom of the terrarium as a drainage level. Put about one inch of rocks in the bottom of the terrarium. Add a layer of charcoal on top of the rocks and it will help to keep the whole terrarium fresh. The charcoal will help keep mold and bacteria from growing in the terrarium. ...
How To: Water Evergreens in the fall
First of all, he explains that evergreens will have problems if you don't water them late enough into the season. He introduces Ken Mayer who compares two types of evergreens. He shows a tree which has lost its coloration and explains that that tree lost water over the winter. Its roots have been frozen and if the roots are frozen the water cannot circulate where it is needed. When the spring comes, the plant will need water and it will not be able to be supplied with it. It then gives tips o...
How To: Grow Brussels sprouts
If you plant brussels sprouts you have to be prepared to wait a long time before the plant produces anything for you. It takes roughly five months for the plant to produce brussels sprouts. The brussels sprouts grow at the intersection where the the leaf meets the main stem of the plant. When the brussels sprouts are near the end of the growth cycle you can break the tops of the plants off to help force nutrients down into the plant.
How To: Make your own worm bin
Patty Moreno shows us how to make a worm compost bin with cheap, everyday, household items. • Get an 18-gallon rubber storage bin and at least two tops.
How To: Create a worm farm
Don't know what to do with your your dinner scrapes or garbage? This video shows you how to create and care for your very own worm farm. Using coya fiber, a proper bin to help maintain about two thousand worms, dirt, and your garbage you'll have your very own worm farm in no time. This is a quick and easy to follow tutorial from a worm farm expert. Remember, to water your worms, and cover there home for strong, healthy worms.
How To: Sow small seeds (begonia semperflorens)
This video tutorial shows you how to sow the seeds of the Begonia Semperflorens. 1. Obtain an already grown flower pot.
How To: Choose the right garden mulch
This video will show you how to choose the right mulch for your garden. The first thing to learn is that you have a lot of choices when it comes to selecting a garden mulch. The first type is organic mulch. Organic mulch is a kind of mulch that will break down into the soil over a period of time. Wood chip is an example of organic mulch. You can put a weed mat down under the mulch to keep the weeds from growing up. A second way to mulch the garden is with a decorative pebble. They come a wide...
How To: Keep insects away from your organic garden
When it comes to pest control, why work against nature when you can just as easily put it to work for you? In this insect control how-to, you'll learn how to use fossilized algae ("diatomaceous earth" for the highfalutin) to keep bugs away from your organic garden the easy, natural way.
How To: Blow-up and remove a large rock from the ground
Is there a rock in your yard that's bothering you? This video will show you how to get rid of it. First you dig around the rock to figure out where you want to drill your holes. Then you drill holes into the sides of the rock. It’s important to clean the dust out of the holes because you might have a misfire. Put two cartridges in each hole (the number of cartridges depends on the size of the rock). Extent the hoses about 25 ft away and attach the hoses to the air source. Make sure the area i...
How To: Plant banana trees
This video shows you how to plant banana trees. There is a kind of banana tree that is winter hardy. It's called an Orinoco Banana Tree. Use a pitchfork to loosen the soil where the banana tree is going to be planted. Just poke the dirt with the pitchfork until the area that the tree will be planted in is loose. It should be about 2 times the size of the pot the tree is in. Take a shovel and shovel the dirt out of the hole. Take the tree out of the pot and put it in the hole. Center the tree ...
How To: Use a Hydroponic Seed Starter to produce seedlings
Learn how to make and use a hydroponic seed starter to produce seedlings with this video tutorial. This is a very easy setup to make. Start with a basic metal shelving unit. Hang florescent lights above each of the shelves on the shelving unit. Make sure the lights are balanced for day time. Put a plastic container on each shelf that is about the size of the shelf and tall enough for the rim to sit just below the florescent light tubes. You will need some pecks tubing and some plastic clamps....
The Urb Garden: The City Dweller's Solution to Growing Food at Home
Designer Xavier Calluaud offers a simple solution for the urban dweller with a green thumb. The "urb garden" enables those living in small spaces (without a yard) to grow food at home, or more specifically, herbs. The best part? The eco-conscious system has an integrated worm farm.
How To: Extract raw cork from the cork oak tree
Have you ever bought a cork product? Cork liner? Cork coasters? Wine… with a cork? Well, did you ever wonder where it comes from? Watch this video demonstration and you'll find out how raw cork is extracted from the Cork Oak.
How To: Revive a dying plant
Don't throw out your wilting plants! There's a chance you can bring it back from the dead. Your wilting plant can be spared and revitalized with a little help & these easy steps.
How To: Grow wheatgrass
Looking to grow your own wheatgrass? Wheatgrass is equated with health benefits and contains provide chlorophyll, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. Growing your own wheatgrass is easy and fun – even if you don't have a green thumb!
How To: Make a window planter
Looking for a new DIY project? Follow the steps in this video to get a great view of big blooms and colorful posies with box planters hung beneath your windows.