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How To: Plant and care for Rhododendrons

Rhododendrons must have lime-free soil and that can make them tricky for some of us that garden on neutral or limey soils. Planting in the garden is a waste of time and money. If you want, you can make a raised bed and fill that with acid soil but digging a hole in your garden and filling it with acid (ericaceous) compost only works for a while. The water from the surrounding soil will drain in and spread the lime and although you can acidify soil with sulphur chips you really are making life...

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: Start tomato plants from seed

This video is a tutorial on how to start growing tomato plants from seeds. The instructor first explains that it is important to make sure your seeds are fresh and within the proper date frame and that you pick a good artificial soil mix for proper growth. The tutorial goes over a few different fertilizer products that you can choose from, yet they are not completely necessary for growth if the soil is of a high quality. The instructor then fills plastic mini pots with soil and then uses a pe...

How To: Plant and care for rhubarb

Learn how you can plant and care for rhubarb with this gardening tutorial. As rhubarb is likely to be in one position for many years, ground preparation is very important. Plenty of organic matter in the form of garden compost or rotted manure should be worked into the soil and base of planting hole.It's also time to cover any clumps of rhubarb outside that you want to force into early growth. The idea is to exclude light from the new shoots which forces them to grow tall and light pink in co...

How To: Identify problems with snails & slugs

Snails and slugs can really be a problem sometimes if you are a gardener. They feed on plants and can be considered pests, sometimes even getting inside your house. They are identified by their tell-tale slime trails. A bad infestation can be very hard to deal with. However, specialized cleaners or fertilizers can help your garden snail-free.

How To: Organically fertilize a garden

Allen shows us how to organically fertilize your vegetable garden. Insect and pest control as well as fertilizer can be used to keep a garden safe for the whole family, as well as pets, as well as producing food free of chemicals. Watch this video gardening tutorial and learn how to organically fertilize a garden.

How To: Identify fruit tree problems

This video describes problems with fruit trees and how to deal with them. One problem is Chlorosis, identified by yellowing leaves with green veins between the sections of the leaf. This is caused by a micronutrient deficiency (usually iron) that results when the tree roots are unable to absorb all the nutrients from the soil. This problem can be temporarily treated with a foliar spray of iron. Another problem is pruning wounds with decay that results when trees are not pruned correctly. They...

How To: Harvest garlic scapes

Harvesting garlic scapes is a simple and very easy task. Grab some small clippers and then head out into the garden. Make sure you have harvested it before it has sprung its flower. Also make sure you cut it before the scape has curled around (at the top of the scape and where the flower will form), it tastes better and is nice and tender. Locate the scape and make a small mental note on where your going to cut it. The best location to do that is, as far down as the last set of leaves (near t...

How To: Pick the right tool for weeding the garden

This is a "Southwest Yard and Garden" episode that details the proper selection of gardening tools for fighting seasonal weeds. Horticulturist and host Curtis Smith takes us to meet with Ron Jobe, an Albuquerque Master Gardener, to discuss the options available for such a task. Ron covers the various conditions a gardener is faced with, including the soil and the weeds themselves. Some suggested tools are: the Wing Hoe, Skimming Hoe, Raker, Pointed Hoe, and Stirrup Hoe. The use of each is off...

How To: Grow clematis

Dave shows us some unusual types of clematis with striking flower colors and shapes and resistance to disease. Any plants that are resistance to disease are a good choice.

How To: Spread mulch at the right time to improve your garden

Spring is a great time to put down mulch. Dave Epstein helps you figure out whether yours needs replacing this spring and, if so, how much to put down. Mulch improves the look of your garden bed, keeps weeds down and keeps moisture in the soil. You want to be careful not to add too much soil as it can keep moisture out and rain or water will not be able to reach the soil.

How To: Identify problems when your wisteria is not blooming

On Southwest Yard & Garden, John White, a Dona Ana County Extension Agent, gets together with Master Gardener Virginia Podmenik to discuss some common problems with typical garden plants. Having trouble getting your Wisteria or Bouganvia to bloom? John White has several solutions. Baffled when your Dianthus and Artemsia grow into beautiful green mounds, then split and turn brown in the center? John White will help you find out why and what you can do to help. Not sure if it’s the right time t...

How To: Plant garlic in your garden for a plentiful harvest

David Epstein provides tips and shows garlic lovers how to plant garlic in their very own garden. It is best to grow garlic in the fall season from the months of September to November when the temperatures are cooler. Some people grow garlic in the spring, but it’s been found that growing garlic in the fall time will give a better crop. To begin, gather some plantable garlic bulbs making sure that you find ones that are either organic or from a seed catalog. At all cost, avoid conventional ...

How To: Dry & perserve flowers

Preserve the beauty of your flowers by pressing them. One of the simplest ways in doing that is to press between pages of a book. It's wood, over cardboard, over absorbent paper. The flowers are placed between the paper and then held and pressed down by the cardboard and wood. It's then going to dry over time to preserve your flower. Now some flowers don't dry as well as others. What you can do is purchase some silica sand and burn the flower within it. It usually takes a couple weeks this wa...

How To: Deal with broken tree branches & problems with grapes

This video illustrate us how to deal with broken tree branches and problems with grapes. Here are the following steps:Step 1: First of all clean the broken branch with water.Step 2; Now apply some tree primer or tree paint on the exposed area for quick healing and to prevent any infection.Step 3: To deal with problems in grapes first of all look for any infection on the leaf, stalk or the fruit.Step 4: If in case there is some infection ,identify the problem and sprinkle the pesticide for tha...

How To: Build a shaded vegetable garden

This video explains how to build a shaded vegetable garden. The instructor begins the video my explaining the benefits using a shaded garden as it offers protection from hail, heavy rains and gives you the ability to control the outdoor temperature better. The simplest way to build your shaded building is to place large wood forms into the ground and place wood planks over the top of each and nailing them into place. The entire frame is then covered with a plexiglass roofing to keep out rain ...

How To: Identify if you have aphids and webworms on mesquites

The video shows how to effectively be aware and get rid of possible webworms or aphids on your mesquites so they won't get damaged later. Here, John White invited Annete Peterson to show how to do so. She starts by informing from what she saw that many mesquites from her neighborhood have deformed leaves and mainly several of them have stripped branches at the tips of the trees. He explains that one of the problems is a webworm on the leaf of the mesquite, and it eats the leaves of the plant ...

How To: identify problems with the cotton wood and aster tree

In this Home & Garden video tutorial you will learn how to identify problems with the cotton wood and aster tree. Curtis Smith, extension horticulturist, presents this video along with Judy Nickell, master gardener. Female Junipers make berries and male Junipers make pollens. Lot of people are allergic to the pollens. So, you will be better advised to avoid male junipers in your landscapes. On the other hand berries of female junipers attract birds and are good for increasing bird activity. F...

How To: Grow healthy and productive fruit trees

In this tutorial, we learn how to grow healthy and productive fruit trees. Pest management is an issue with growing plats, so use something that can grow in a small area. Only use disease resistant varieties of trees, so you won't lose any while they are growing. You can grow some trees in a small area so they maintain in their space and they are very active. Make sure you prune the trees once they reach a certain heights and you remove any pests that are around. Use these tips to grow health...

How To: Plant bulbs

Scott from Spring Hill Nursery with Step by Step Gardening talks about planting fall bulbs. Planting bulbs is very easy. You just need a shovel, good soil, and lots of water. The bulbs he plants are tulips bulbs, lily bulbs, glad corms, and iris rhizomes. All of these must be planted in the fall to bloom in the spring. It's easiest to dig one big hole - about 6-8" deep - and plant all of your bulbs at once. A random pattern yields a natural look. Once you've placed your bulbs, put about 2"-3"...

How To: Plant and grow basil plants

This is how to plant and grow basil. First pick out a pot with a drain hole. Put some crushed cans in it. Fill it with dirt. The dirt should be part potting soil, part compost, and part normal dirt. Take off the peat moss pot the plant is in, break up the roots, and set your basil in the pot. Then put your dirt all around the plant, making sure it has good drainage, then pack it. Don't forget to put in your sign so you know what plant it is later. Then put a mixture of root starter and miracl...

How To: Re-pot house plants

This video shows you how to re-pot your houseplants. When your geraniums have overgrown, cut your clippings. Let the clipping cure: i.e. the wound that you created needs to seal and cure, before planting. Set them aside, in order to allow them to cure. Once that is done, submerge the tip of the fresh clipping in a pot filled with fresh soil. Remember to remove dead leaves.

How To: Build a cheap worm composting box

In this tutorial, we learn how to build a cheap worm composting box. Start out by using a large plastic box that has a lid, a storage box works great. Also, grab two vents that you will place on the sides. Lay your vents down on the sides of the box and outline how large they are. Now, cut the box and place the vents on the sides with screw to keep it in place. This box is made to keep worms inside, so it doesn't need to look fancy or be decorated on the outside. Once you're finished drilling...

How To: Care for house plants

In this video series, our expert will teach you how to care for house plants. You will learn easy to follow instructions for caring for tropical house plants, cactus and other unusual house plants. Get tips for avoiding common gardening mistakes, using the right soil, and providing the right amount of light for plants.

How To: Design a perennial garden

In this series of gardening videos, our perennial plant expert Martha Cycz tells you how to design a great looking garden that is healthy and inexpensive. She discusses how to tell if your plants are getting enough sun and how to determine if you have left enough space for them to expand. She even offers tips for controlling pests. The key to a great looking garden is planning: after watching these videos, you will know exactly how to map out your backyard work of art.

How To: Grow salad lettuce from seeds

Salad leaves can be grown on a cut-and-come-again basis; harvesting the larger leaves by cutting them, allowing the smaller leaves to grow for a second crop. If you make successional sowings of seeds every three weeks, you will have a constant supply of salad throughout the year. You can sow seeds indoors from March, but from late-May you should be able to sow seeds directly into pots outside.

How To: Check the pH levels in the soil of your garden

Testing the pH level of your garden soil can tell you a lot about your garden. Depending on the results of your test you can see what the acid/neutral/alkaline levels are and you can even change the levels by adding different kinds of elements so that you can grow just about anything you want and keep your garden healthy. You can purchase a SoilStick test at Plumstone to see what type of garden you've been working with.