Hot Gardening Posts


How To: Keep your pansies healthy year round
How to keep your pansies healthy year round

How To: Prune & clean a Japanese black pine bonsai for spring
In this Home & Garden video tutorial you will learn how to prune & clean a Japanese black pine bonsai for spring. First you got to prune off the branches that you don’t want and allow only the branches that you want in order to design the tree. After about a year of pruning off the branches cut off the studs created by the left over branches so that the area is flush with the rest of the trunk. Then cut off any dry stubs around the foliage. Next cut off the foliage that is growing out of the ...

How To: Identify and control the pine tip moth
This is a tutorial for controlling the Pine tip moth. Identifying and controlling the pine tip moth consists of studying the small plants of pine. The attacks on pine trees is caused by Nantucket pine tree moth found along the Rio Grande Valley as far north as Espanola, it has spread to South Arizona and California by importing grafts from Mexico. The moths are 3/8 inch long reddish brown to grey in color. They attack the main stem of the baby plant and the pines instead of growing vertical g...

How To: Divide and re-pot onions and herbs
How to divide and re-pot onions and herbs

How To: Indentify problems with the ash & golden rain tree
In this how-to video, you will learn how to identify and control problems with Ash and Golden Rain Trees. If there are discolorations in the tree branch, there may be a few problems. If you see a severe orange color, this will damage the tree. You can paint the tree with a white paint to avoid this problem. Pruning cuts that have been executed poorly will also cause discoloration and rot. If the leaves have tip burn, this may mean that the air is dry and arid. If twigs on Junipers look dirty ...

How To: Grow your own sweet potatoes year round
Sweet potatoes are a popular side dish, especially around the holidays. Save some money and start growing sweet potatoes at home. Not only will they be cheaper, but you'll be able to enjoy them year round.

How To: Start a Vegetable Garden
It's always a pleasure to grow your own herbs and vegetables. Start with good, healthy soil and add lots of organic material. To grow your herbs and vegetables: you can use either seeds or seedlings. Seeds are more cost effective but take longer to grow whereas with seedlings you'll have an instant garden. For more information on starting a vegetable garden, watch this friendly DIY home gardening tutorial.

How To: Become a guerrilla gardener
Check out this super video of basic how-tos to guerrilla gardening. Beautify any run-down or out of the way area with seed bombs. Or stealthily plant seedlings at night for a more beautiful morning. You can make a difference in your city by becoming a guerrilla gardener.

How To: Tie up your ornamental grasses for the winter
Dave explains how to tie up ornamental grasses to prepare them for winter and ensure they add interest to the winter garden. Make your ornamental grasses the focal point of your winter garden with the tips from this video.

How To: Make a tabletop biosphere
In this video, Bre Pettis from MAKE magazine will show you how to make a tabletop biosphere. You need a jar, aquatic plants, shrimp, amphipods, dechlorination chemicals, and chicled salt.

How To: Use peach pits in garden mulch
If your garden needs mulch, here's a peachy-keen new idea: a mulch made of peach pits! Michael Glassman shows how Pits in Pieces™ benefits plants while repelling pests.

How To: Prune roses in container garden
Pruning roses is one of the hottest trends in container gardening is using flowering shrubs. Of course, the king of flowering shrubs are roses. Mindy has several different examples of roses in containers. One was beautiful last year, it bloomed all season long, but this season is out of control. It's too big and gangly. Eric tells us roses bloom on new growth. If cut back it would have blooms again in 6 or 7 weeks. Be bold when pruning, take it back. Mindy doesn't have the nerve to cut so dra...

How To: Prune Grape Vines Using the Four-Arm Kniffin System
This how-to will show you easy step-by-step instructions for pruning your grape vines for growing great grapes.

How To: Grow dry beans in your home garden using soup beans
Did you know that you can grow beans in your garden just by buying ordinary packs of soup beans at your local grocery? Once you start growing beans, you can keep growing them for a lifetime--just keep the seeds around. Soon beans will be sprouting in your garden every year!

How To: Grow Plants With Compact Fluorescent Lights
I like to grow vegetables all year round, and I couldn't afford the big gas bulbs, or the power to run them. The big gas bulbs:

How To: Prune a rose tree (standard)
If you'd like to have a rose tree, or rose 'standard' as opposed to a rose bush, this video will show you what to do. You'll need some pruning shears and of course, a rose bush. This video is really helpful in instructing what to look for when you're trimming, and what branches to take and leave in order to avoid your rose treasure getting a disease. A rose tree by any other name would smell the same, but it would be called a rose standard. FYI.

How To: Prepare a raised bed garden for planting
In this video, we learn how to prepare a raised bed garden for planting. First, clear some of the debris that was left from last year. Then, take a pitchfork and loosen the soil all around the bed. Bring the soil from the bottom up to the top to make it stay loose throughout the bed. Then, start shoveling the soil around the bed and then add in some manure to the bed and mix together with the shovel. Worms in the compost will give you a lot of nutrients and help break down the manure. When fi...

How To: Grow a bonsai tree from a seed
Bonsai is a beautiful art that focuses on manipulating a tree to any shape you desire! If you've wanted to grow your own bonsai from a seedling to the full thing and are wondering where to start, check out this video! In it you will learn what sort of trees that you can plant to make into bonsai, as well as how to grow it from seed to seedling!

How To: Keep cut flowers fresh with alcohol and sugar
Hey, here's a quick and easy tip for you! Did you ever wonder how other people can keep their flowers looking fresh and perky for days? All it takes is a quick little trick. Just add a little bit of gin and vodka and a teaspoon of sugar to your water, and your flowers will be fresh and perky for a few extra days!

How To: Prune roses in the spring
In this video, we learn how to prune roses in the spring. When you prune the roses, you want to cut the branches with shears at the bottom of the plant. Cut any of the dead parts that you see before the flowers start to grow back. If you see any short stubs that haven't and won't grow out, trim those off as well. Leave any healthy branches to keep growing, but trim the tops of them. When you finish, you should end with just a few branches left that are ready for the new growing season. Remove...

How To: Grow tomatoes upside down in a bucket
Interested in less-conventional container gardening methods? Say, growing tomatoes upside-down in a bucket? This video will show you how it's done! It's easy. So easy, in fact, that this clip can present a complete overview of the process in about 7 minutes' time. For more information, including detailed, step-by-step instructions, take a look.

How To: Prune a young blueberry plant
If you plan on growing various fruits in your yard, know that each plant needs to be pruned at certain times of the year. Blueberry plants need to be pruned or burned over every two years so that any pests that may distrupt it can easily be taken care of. The result is a plant that will help produce beautiful fruit that is not only good for the body, but for the mind.

How To: Style a yamadori Japanese larch shohin bonsai tree
When practicing bonsai, you have two different types of trees on which you can practice on: large ones and small ones. Large trees are actually trees themselves, while the smaller ones aren't necessarily trees but give off a similar look. In this tutorial, you'll find out how to style a yamadoru Japanese larch shohin tree using bonsai techniques and methods. It takes time and patience so good luck and enjoy!

How To: Construct a hydroponic growing tower with HydroHarvest
In this tutorial, learn how to set up a hydroponic tower for growing easy and healthy plants.

How To: De-Hull leafy sprouts
In order to de-hull leafy bean sprouts, you will need a salad spinner. The type of salad spinner you use will make a big difference. Separate the sprouts. Work your way through the sprouts. Separate them as much as you can.

How To: Water seedlings from the bottom up
This Survival Podcast teaches how to water seedings from the bottom up. After you have transfered your plants to new pots, preferably sterilized bins, you put holes in the bottom of the pots. If they are too high, the watering technique will not work. The plants in the pot are placed into a larger bucket. You just add water to the outter bin and allow the plants to "draw up" the moisture through the soil. You want to make sure not to add too much water or the plants will "over-draw". About on...

How To: Choose plants that love shade with Lowe's
If you have a shady yard, you can still have a colorful garden. You just need to pick the right plants that do well in the shade. Caladium is a leafy plant with bright colored red, pink and green leaves. They do not tolerate cold weather and should be brought in over winter. Impatiens are popular annual flowers that grow in the shade. They look nice planted around the base of a tree or in containers. The flowers come in shades of pink, coral, white and red. Fuchsia is a beautiful flowering pl...

How To: Vertical mulch a tree
This video will show you how to take good care of your trees by feeding the roots with verticle mulching. Drill holes in the soil about 15" deep, and put in compost and nutrient materials. Use an auger to drill several 3" holes around the tree. It works best when you moisten the soil first. Use a spade and trowel to fill the holes with the compost and nutrient mixture. You can also use a spading fork to break the soil, sprinkle the mixture on, and the mixture will fall into the cracks in the...

How To: Revive an orchid
Orchids are amazing flowers to grow, but you have to do it just right. If your orchid is starting to wilt or is no longer growing properly, check out this tutorial and get useful tips on how to revive it. In this video, Tom and Joani Maccubbin show you the best ways to re-pot and clean up orchids to keep them living for years. So, before you add this lovely flower to your garden or home decor, make sure you check out this advice, so you can enjoy them for a long, long time.

How To: Repot a Japanese black pine bonsai
Hi everyone, happy new year. Today we will be repotting a Japanese black pine bonsai tree with Charles M. We will first check the health of the pine tree by checking the fungus cultures. It is a healthy tree if there is a lot of fungus. We will first prune some of the roots to be used in the new soil. We will loosen up some of the roots to be able to repot it. We will make sure not to throw away any fungus cultures to make sure to preserve the tree. Enjoy the video on how to repot a bonsai tree.

How To: Identify tree damage from a natural gas leak
In this how-to video, you will learn how to indicate if tree damage has occurred due to a natural gas leak. In this example, a Mexican Elder tree has been damaged by the gas leak. You can tell by the brown leaves. The plastic around the soil has trapped the gas in the soil, cutting off the oxygen from the tree. The Indian Hawthorne in this example has also been damaged. There is some foliage burn on the leaves. The bush will have to be trimmed back in order to save it. There are several plant...

How To: Choose fruit trees
Doña Ana County Extension Agent John White and Master Gardener Benny Knudsen look at stone fruit trees on their tour of the "Garden of Weeden". The Mariposa Plum, the dwarf Stella Sweet Cherry, Elberta Peach, Tilton Apricot and the almond tree (which also belongs to the stone fruit family) are featured in this segment of Southwest Yard and Garden series. The suitability of these trees for a small garden is mentioned. Besides this, also discussed is the problem of late frost and its effect on ...

How To: Germinate a seed in a small cup
This video is how to germinate a seed in your home using as an example, a watermelon seed. Take a container and fill it about three quarters full with potting soil. You could use a Styrofoam cup, for example. Now take a seed or several seeds and put it on top of the soil. Cover the seeds with soil that is about three times the size of the seed. Press lightly on the soil. We the container soil with some water. Then place the container in a sunny and warm location in your home until it starts g...

How To: Plant 100 tulip bulbs in 50 minutes
This video shows that it is possible to plant 100 tulip bulbs in less than 50 minutes, and it is easier and less expensive than you think.

How To: Trim rose bushes
In this how-to video, you will learn how to trim rose bushes. You will need a pair of shears and roses. Cut anything growing from the summer. You should also cut any old wood as well. This will leave new growth for the rose bushes. The best way to remove this is to go in and cut it with almost an inch of cane left. Continue to cut the dead wood. Next, prune above the buds on the top. Do this all around the bush. Make sure they are all about the same height. Look for a good outside bud before ...

How To: Grow paperwhite narcissus bulbs in a vase
We are shown by a nursery manager how to grow Paper White Narcissus. While not hardy outdoors they are simple to grown indoors. We are shown how to grow in a vase or pot. For the vase, pebbles are placed on the bottom then about two inches of water. The bulbs are put tips up roots down, then a little more pebbles on top. The potted version is filled with a moist soil and water mixture. The bulbs are placed identical with soil lightly on top. With the pot a flowering support structure is place...

How To: Repot a plant into a larger container
This video from Lowe's shows you how to successfully repot a plant into a larger container. You will know it is time to repot your plant when the roots are visible on the surface, or when they start growing through the drainage hole. If you need to repot one of your plants into a larger container, simply follow these steps: You will need a clean pot that is no more than two sizes larger than the old one. Place a wire mesh or pieces of broken clay pot over the drainage hole. Add a layer of pot...

How To: Manage garden insects & pests in an eco-friendly way
In this Home and Garden video tutorial you will learn how to manage garden insects and pests in an eco-friendly way. For plant lice or aphids, blast them with a strong blast of water. That will dislodge them and they won’t climb back. You can also put some soap water in a yellow jar, they will get attracted to it, drown and die. Lady bugs are good insects that will eat the aphids. For mosquitoes, put the mosquito larva killing flakes into the water and that will take care of the mosquitoes. F...

How To: Grow tomatoes in a container
Nothing says fresh and delicious like a ripe tomato from your home garden. This horticultural how-to will walk you through the fundamentals of container tomato gardening and present you with a list of the basic materials you'll need to get started growing your very own tomatoes.

How To: Prune a flower carpet rose for the spring
Even though flower carpet roses aren't as susceptible to disease as are other rose species, you'll still need to care for them to ensure that they stay healthy. In this horticultural how-to, Dave, of Growing Wisdom, will tell you how to see to it that your flower carpet roses have a healthy summer and fall.