Hot Gardening How-Tos

How To: Tap a maple tree to make maple syrup

Check out this video tutorial to learn how to tap a maple tree from seventh generation maple farmer Arnold Coombs, from Coombs Family Farms. It will explain what you'll need and how easy it is to begin making your own delicious pure maple syrup, the small family farm way.

How To: Plant blueberries in a container

Dave Wilson Nurseries, Ed Laivo shares ideas for growing blueberries in containers. You will need 1/3 acid based potting soil plus 1/3 peat moss plus 1/3 medium sized bark. For the best results, containerize your blueberry plants. We show you the proven way to do it.

How To: Pinch out and pot on sweet peas

Learn how to pinch out and pot on sweet peas with Sarah Raven's step-by-step video guide. This how to video demonstrates how to pinch out sweet peas to get really big stalky, chunky plants. Pinch out the tips of the sweet pea plants. These instructions lend expert advice on the pinch out/pot on process for sweet peas. Pinch out and pot on sweet peas.

How To: Prick out seedlings

Learn how to prick out seedlings with Monty Don's comprehensive video advice. Sow your seeds in a general, all purpose peet compost. Now you want to prick out the seedlings! Follow along with these expert instructions on how to sow your young seedlings. Prick out seedlings.

How To: Propagate delphiniums, campanulas and lupins

Watch Carol Klein as she guides you through the process of propagating delphiniums, campanulas and lupins; from taking basal cuttings and potting them on, to how to stake them. To propagate: get as close as you can right at the base of the plant. You want nice, gritty compost. Plunge your propagation cutting in there as deep as you can get it. Propagate delphiniums, campanulas and lupins.

How To: Take dahlia cuttings and create a propagation tent

Here is a fun how to project on dahlia cuttings and propagation. Sarah Raven shows how to take cuttings from dahlia plants in her step-by-step video guide. She also gives a demonstration on how to make a simple propagation tent from a plastic bag, stakes and an elastic band. You want to take cuttings from dahlia plants in the spring. Take dahlia cuttings and create a propagation tent.

How To: Weed your garden by hand

Monty Don explains the benefits of hand weeding, demonstrating how to keep unwanted weeds at bay. A weed is simply a plant in the wrong place. Weed your garden all year round, particularly in the spring. Learn some handy tips for hand weeding. Weed your garden by hand.

How To: Inflate a wheelbarrow tire

Wheelbarrow tires are a pain to inflate. They are tubeless, the rim hardly holds a seal, and they just fight with you every step of the way. This how-to video shows you how to use an adjustable strap to inflate a tubeless wheelbarrow tire.

How To: Fix a hole in a flat radial tire

If you have a hole in your radial tire or a flat tire on your wheelbarrow, lawn-mower, ATV, learn how to repair it by watching this video tutorial. Instead of buying a whole new tire, which can be costly, patch the old one. Just follow the steps in this instructional video.

How To: Propagate Plants from Cuttings

If you want to propagate plants from cuttings, this horticultural how-to will show you how. Make certain you prepare your pot with a propagating mix and make a small hole with your finger. Take the cuttings and strip your leaves. Next, dip your cutting into a hormone gel or powder before putting your cutting into your pot. For more, including complete step-by-step instructions on the propagation process, take a look.

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: Prune fruit trees in the summer

These helpful instructions will help you trim back apple trees for optimal fruit growth and easy harvesting. Pruning trees is largely an intuitive process but it's important to direct air and light into the center of the tree for healthy, balanced growth. For step-by-step instructions on pruning your own fruit trees, take a look.

How To: Grow a grass lawn in summer weather

Gardener P. Allen Smith give us some tips on how to care for our lawns during the hot summer months. You need to choose the correct type of grass seed and soil to suit your area and local weather conditions. In the summer, let your grass grow a little longer so that the blades of grass can shade the roots. Watch this instructional gardening video to learn how to maintain a fresh summer lawn, without dumping unnecessary fertilizers onto it or over watering the brittle grass.

How To: Grow and care for gardenia bushes

With its glossy green leaves and perfectly shaped, exquisitely fragrant pure, white flowers, it could only be a gardenia. Gardenias are some of the more popular flowering shrubs but they never seem to flower as much as we'd like them to. For a start, it's important to be patient: gardenia flowers consistently is consistently warm. For more information on growing, and caring for gardenias, such that they'll grow well, watch this gardenia flower how-to. Grow and care for gardenia bushes.

How To: Nurse a sick houseplant back to health

When should you try to save a houseplant? If you have sick houseplants, there are several things to consider. How healthy, for example, is the new growth? If your new growth is healthy, then your tree can be restored. For a step-by-step look at the plant rescue process, watch this horticultural how-to.

How To: Remove a plant without digging

In this video tutorial, you'll find step-by-step instructions on how to remove an unwanted rose, or any other unwanted plant, without digging it out of the ground and without the use of pesticides. For full instructions, watch this garden how-to.

How To: Clone any plant for hydroponic or conventional gardens

In this video gardening tutorial, you'll find step-by-step instructions for cloning any plant from a clipping (or "cutting"). Plant propagation is very simple and can save you a lot of money in the long run. To learn more about the cloning process, watch this cloning how-to. (NB: Do NOT, as the video suggests, put freshly cloned plants in direct sunlight while in a hot house or you will have steamed plants!)

How To: Perform spring cleanup in a daylily bed

Spring cleanup involves removing dead foliage from your perennials as growth resumes. The cleanup process is simple, provided you know what to do. Happily, horticulturist Greg Stack is her to show you what to do. Learn how to do spring cleanup in your daylily garden with this horticultural how-to. Perform spring cleanup in a daylily bed.

How To: Prune summer-flowering spireas

With this video pruning tutorial, you'll learn how to prune your summer-flowering spireas (also known as Anthony Waterer and goldflame), rose of Sharon, abelia, honeysuckle, beauty bush, hydrangea arborescens grandiflora, and butterfly bush (or buddleia davidii). For more information, or to get started pruning your own summer-flowering spireas watch this landscaping how-to. Prune summer-flowering spireas.

How To: Prune multistem shrubs

In this video pruning tutorial, horticulturist Barbara Larson shows you how to prune multistem shrubs, like lilac, forsythia, shrub dogwoods, spirea vanhouttei and other spring blooming Spireas, Mockorange (Philadelphus), Viburnum, Physocarpus, and Deutzia. For more, or to get started pruning your own multistem shrubs, watch this video pruning tutorial. Prune multistem shrubs.

How To: Build backyard planters

Planters or organized beds with planter borders can not only provide mowing definition, but contain the flowers and hopefully keep out weeds that may grow into them from surrounding areas. Backyard planters can be big or small, permanent or portable. The simplest planters consist of edging for flower or vegetable beds. In the past, many used recycled railroad ties for this, and they still add a distinctive rustic appeal to garden beds. In recent years, however, pressure-treated landscaping ti...

How To: Propagate plants

Plants propagate themselves through the structures we know as flowers. At the base of the flower, one finds developing seed. The plant will eventually shed flowers and the seed with be propagated on its own. Or we can harvest the seed, dry them down, and germinate them. For more information on the propagation process, watch this green video tutorial.

How To: Fertilize plants

How does one fertilize plants? Well, a fertilizer is a material that supplies the essential elements for plant growth. Most fertilizers are concerned with nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. It isn't always easy to know which type of fertilizer to use. In this video tutorial, you'll find a guide to selecting the right fertilizer type for your application. Grow strong, healthy plants for a green garden with this how-to.

How To: Troubleshoot plant problems

There are a lot of things that can cause decline in plants. Some are caused by insects or diseases and some are caused by environmental conditions, known as abiotic factors. Consequently, it can be hard to diagnose which, or what combination, of the above factors are resposnible for the poor health of your plant. In this green video tutorial, you'll learn how to troubleshoot plant problems. To learn what it takes, take a look.

How To: Build an aeroponic fogger for your hydroponic system

In this gardening tutorial, you'll find instructions for building an aeroponic fogger, or mister, for a hydroponic growing system. Nutrified fog is accepted by the roots at a much faster rate than nutrients from spray or soak system. So I modified my Aerospray system to have both nutrifog and timed sprays. To learn more about this method for constructing an aeroponic fogger, take a look!

How To: Prune and trim trees

As a home owner, you should pay careful attention to the trees that surround your house. Dead limbs and some smaller "roughage" can pose a danger to you and your family, as well as your home, if your trees are not cared for properly. Essentially, proper pruning is essential for a healthy and aesthetically pleasing tree. Pruning is needed when first planting a tree to control its growth and to help develop its shape. Pruning can help spur growth in foliage, fruit and flowers as well as remove ...

How To: Hand-pollinate tomatoes and peppers

With the bees inexplicably dying off, they may not be a reliable source of pollination anymore. Fortunately, hand pollination is not particularly difficult, and maybe even a little fun. Watch this video gardening tutorial and learn how to hand-pollinate tomato and pepper crops in your own yard.