Crisologo's Blog

Gardening – The 5 Vegetables to Plant in Any Garden

2011-01-26T15:27:00.000-08:00

Gardening – The 5 Vegetables to Plant in Any Garden

Growing your own vegetables is a wise decision you should make to produce your organic product without spending too much to buy in the market. This way, you could save money while you’re sure that your vegetables are chemical-free and safe for your family.

If you’re still new to vegetable gardening and you’ve no clue where to start, I have identified some common easy to grow vegetables in your garden.

1. Lettuce – Lactuca sativa

This plant is the favorite by most house wives and vegetable lovers because of its nutritious and tender fresh leaves eaten as raw or mix with other vegetables as salads.

Lettuce is an easy to grow leafy vegetable and can thrives best either in shade location or open field. If you grow them in shade, at least they could get at least 3 -4 hours sunlight a day.

2. Tomatoes – Lycopersicon esculentum

Tomatoes are available in different types from small cherry to meaty types. As a gardener you should select the type that is liked by your family and friends.

You can mix tomatoes with other veggies to make a nutritious salads to add more nutrient to your diet.

Tomatoes can be grown in many ways like in containers, raised bed and simply the traditional gardening methods. Whatever methods you’ll use, take precautions that it should meet its growing requirements.

3. Cauliflower – Brassica oleracea var. botrytis

Another nutritious vegetable that is rich with necessary food nutrients is the cauliflower. It’s eaten as raw with a healthy dip or steamed or mixed with other vegetables as salads. This is an important item in your kitchen not to miss it especially for the nutrient needs of your family.

Cauliflower thrives either in shade or open area. If you plant them in the open field, follow the recommendation in the label to be successful, likewise when you plant them in shaded location.

4. Beans – Phaseolus vulgaris

Beans are either in bush or pole type. If you want a lesser work, try planting the bushy type since the pole type is a little bit laborious and expensive, you need to provide a trellis to grow the pole type which will add your expenses.

Depending on what type you grow, always follow what’s recommended on the label so that you’ll not get lost managing your bean plants. Beans thrives best in a raised bed with enough supply of sunshine the whole day.

5. Zucchini – Cucurbita pepo

Zucchini is used in the preparation for soups, salads, stir fry, bread, or simply eaten raw by itself which is more nutritious when eaten fresh. It can be stored as a frozen product but is not ideal as canned product.

Zucchini is planted by seeds in the open field with enough supply of sunlight and well-drained rich soil type. Planting this vegetable needs a wider space since they spread their vines wide enough to cover the entire space. You should reserve an 18 inches distance between plant to prevent overcrowding as the plant progresses.

Happy gardening!

Growing Sunflower for Flowers and Seeds

2010-11-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

Growing Sunflower for Flowers and Seeds

Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) or Helianthus as the correct plant name is an annual plant which derives their name from two Greek words, “helios” means the sun, and “anthos” means flower, hence, the name sunflower. They belong to the Asteraceae family with a unique characteristics of an aggregate of two different types of flowers, namely ray and disk flowers, which look like a single blossom. They are a native to the American continents.

Before this was domesticated, sunflowers were spread throughout the North and Central American continents growing wild. The use of sunflower for human consumption is known as early as the 29^th century.

The natives use sunflowers for ornamental and ceremonial use, as well as for food and flavoring. The seeds were prepared by grinding them to make flour, and sometimes mixed with beans, squash and corn to make a meal. Usually they pressed the seeds for oil and cracked open for the kernels.

Another use of sunflower seeds was to produce a purple dye used for decoration, face and body painting and on cloth. They also made oil out of sunflower seeds for both skin and hair care, and even the dried plant stalks were used as materials to construct building.

Sunflowers consists of many types. Basically, they are separated by their sizes, such as giant type which grows to a height of over ten feet and miniature type that grows from two to four feet tall. The miniature type is gaining popularity in Asia as border plants.

The mid-sized type are planted by gardeners to attract birds and some insects for pollination to other companion crops.

Methods to grow sunflower

Soil requirements. Sunflowers thrives best with a soil rich in organic materials especially if you’re growing the giant type. Being a deep rooted plant, they don’t withstand with a sandy soil since they’re easily uprooted by strong wind.

Sunlight. To get good flower formation, you should plant them in an open field with sufficient sunlight distribution during the day. They may tolerate in shaded areas, however, there should be at least 4 – 6 hours of sunlight a day.

Planting. The seeds should be sown directly to the field with the following spacing requirements: Giant type, 3 feet apart in rows 3-4 feet apart; Intermediate type, 2 feet apart in rows 3 feet apart; and Miniature type, 1 foot apart in rows 3 feet apart.

Fertilizer needs. To promote a bigger size flowers, you should apply Phosphorous and Potassium fertilizers before the start of flowering stage.

Pest and disease control. Being a hardy plant, sunflowers have no serious problem with insect pests. Only the birds and squirrels are sometimes the one that invades the flowers. Likewise, no disease has been found attacking sunflowers.

Harvesting. For seed purposes, sunflowers are ready for harvest 80 -120 days after planting or sowing. There are also some specific time of maturity for variety you bought based on the labels specifications.

The exact time for the seeds to be harvested is when the flower starts to die back and all the petals have fallen down. Cut the dried heads, leaving a few inches of the stalk, tie the stalks together then hang them in a shaded and ventilated space. Once they’re dried after a month, extract the seeds by rubbing the two loosed heads together to let the seeds comes out.

For flower use as craft projects and flower arrangements and bouquets, simply cut the flowers before they dried out and dry them for a couple of weeks.

Happy gardening!

Growing Lamb’s Ear Plant as Ground Cover

2010-11-22T19:06:00.000-08:00

Growing Lamb’s Ear Plant as Ground Cover

Lamb’s Ear plant (Stachys byzantina), a native of Turkey, Armenia, and Iran with tow common names such as “lamb’s ear, or lamb’s ears”, a dusty gray plant and named from its fuzzy leaves, resembles the shape of real lamb’s ear. They are a herbaceous perennials grown for its silvery gray-green, color and texture of their soft suede foliage rather than their flowers.

They are heat resistant ornamental plant classified as an herb also tolerates in a partial shade area during its growing period. If you intend to let them bear flowers, they bloom in late spring to early summer, so you’ve to time your planting to reach the late spring to early summer season.

Most gardeners used this plant as borders from other flower and foliage plants and is ideal as ground cover and is recommended for children’s garden due to the soft feel characteristics of their foliage.

Growing Requirements

Sowing seeds. Prepare your germinating tray or seed box and fill them with the soil mix you prepared or bought from any agriculture store in your area. Sow the seeds 1 – 2 seeds in every hole. Water them until fully established.

Land preparation. Prepare the field where you’ll plant the seedlings. Using grab hoe, spade and shovel make plot beds. The length depends on the size of your area. Locate your plots in a open field exposed to full day sunshine. Mix compost and manure to the plots to enrich the soil.

Transplanting. When the seedling have at least two true leaves, transplant them in your prepared plots distanced at 60 – 80 cm between hills after frost have been over. Water them immediately not to get stressed after planting. Continue watering until they are fully established.

Note: Lamb’s ear can be also propagated by root cuttings to maintain their varietal characteristics over the seeds.

Mulching. Add a mulching materials around the plant base to maintain the soil moisture and to ward-off weeds interruption during the plants growing period.

Plant maintenance. When the plants begin to spread, trim them to restrain the spread not to cover the entire area. If not trimmed, Lamb’s ear easily spread in the garden. By using a garden shear, trim them regularly to regulate their spreading ability just enough to maintain them for ground cover purposes. Make the area well drained to make your Lamb’s ear grows vigorously and looks attractive as a ground cover.

Plant nutrition. Lamb’s Ear is a hardy plant, once they’re fully established and the soil have been supplied with compost and manure, they can withstand without fertilizer application.

Pest and disease control. Slugs, aphids and mealy bugs are the most common pests of Lamb’s Ear. They can easily be controlled by any insecticides. Or you may use a homemade insecticides by following this formulation; per gallon of water, mix 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons baking soda, and 2 tablespoons powdered laundry soap. Mix the solution properly and spray directly into the affected plants. Continue until all are totally eradicated.

Powdery mildew is the only fungus disease that attacks Lamb’s Ear that causes some white spots on the leaves. To control them, apply a fungicides following the instructions on the label.

Happy gardening!

The Easiest Vegetables to Grow in a Garden

2010-11-22T19:02:00.000-08:00

Growing your own vegetables in your garden is a tedious task, but worth rewarding and helps you supply with your own fresh organic vegetables required for your daily kitchen needs.

You need to investigate the condition of your soil, climate in your area what vegetables thrives best so that you’ll not waste your time and efforts planting them.

But for your guidance, I have listed here some most common vegetables that are easy to grow and does not need too much care, yet gives good yield.

· Tomato. This nutritious vegetable can supply your nutritional needs since it’s rich with niacin, potassium, phosphorous, lycopene, carotene, anthocyanin, and vitamins A, C, and E.

Tomato is easy to grow. It tolerates in a full sunlight location with a soil pH between 6 – 7. It can be grown either in containers or directly in the plots.

· Carrot. Rich in vitamin A, antioxidants and fiber, carrot is also a delicious as a fresh snack (eaten raw) or sometimes bake into a cake as snack items. It can be grown as a single crop or combined with other vegetables in your garden or plant as potted plant.

· Beet. Also known as beetroot, it has a fleshy storage root eaten plain and boiled and combined in salad as ingredient. It carries with it a certain a primary nutrient called Betaine which known to improve cardiovascular health for those suffering from such ailment

It can be planted either in containers or directly into the field. When you decide to plant beet outdoor, the soil should be properly cultivated and make some plots and sow the seeds directly distanced at least two inches between hill. Maintain the moisture requirement until maturity.

· Radish. Consist of existing in shades of red, purple and white, these root vegetables are a great source of potassium, folic acid, magnesium and calcium. They are commonly used as ingredient in salad dressings or as a garnish for salads.

Radishes tolerates in a 6 – 7 soil pH to produce a big size roots. Radishes are fast growers and are ready for harvest in several weeks. Don’t let them over mature since they deteriorate easily.

· Zucchini. This vegetable is rich with potassium, folate and manganese and low in calories. They can be eaten as boiled, fried or steamed. Others make them as stuffed and baked.

They grows will outdoors with plenty of sunlight to support their growth process to produce quality fruits.

· Spinach. High in both iron and calcium, this green leafy vegetable is eaten plain, cooked in a quiche, used as a pizza topping and made into a chip dip. They grows best in the open field with a well-drained rich soil.

· Pepper. This favorite green, yellow, red or orange vegetables range in flavor from spicy to sweet are rich with thiamin, folate and manganese. Peppers can be stuffed with rice and meat or give salads, salsa and pasta a zesty kick to add more for their yummy taste. They tolerates outdoors with the soil rich in compost and Emsom salts which will make it rich in magnesium to help the peppers develop healthily.

Water them frequently, keeping the soil moist, or they may taste bitter once harvested.

There are still other vegetables that are easy to grow, however, I only narrow it down to these listed here to give you some guide to start your own organic home vegetable garden.

Happy gardening!

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2010-09-15T01:58:00.001-07:00

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How to Establish Your Indoor Garden

2010-09-06T00:42:00.000-07:00

How to Establish Your Indoor Garden

Indoor gardening is simply growing of house plants that suits in areas without sunlight or partially shaded areas. There are a varieties of indoor plants you can select. You can use flowering plants or ornamental crops (non-flowering) which are grown for their foliage of varied colors, shapes, and sizes.

Depending on your passion of which types you want, what is important is you’ve to study their characteristics and adaptability.

You can grow succulents such as; cactus, bulbs, etc, or you can grow herb varieties. It’s up to you whatever is your desires, but always bear in mind that although they are indoor plants, they still needs some amount of sunlight for their photosynthesis.

To give you some ideas which plants are ideal as indoor plants, here the lists you can select…

Aloe vera – this is a succulent type of indoor herbal plant.

Begonia – grown for their beautiful leaves.

African violets – bears beautiful flowers.

Cactus – there are lots of cactus species you can select to fit your indoor needs.

Amaryllis – This type of bulb plants are known for its attractive flowers.
Geranium – adapted in an indoor situation but needs some small amount of sunlight.

Bonsai plants – these plants are grown for their miniature appearance, ideal as a house plant. But you’ve to bring them out once in a while to get sunlight.

Impatiens – good for shade location. Known for its glossy leaves and attractive flowers.

Palm species – there are lots of these type you can select that fits your taste.

Philodendrons – this is a vine type plant, you’ve to do trimmings when their vines are long enough to maintain their beauty.

Ornamental pineapple – this is attractive when they’re already bearing small fruits. Ideal as an indoor plant.

Poinsettia – Called as Christmas plant, good for its attractive leaves sometimes false flowers.

Rubber plants – Grown for their attractive leaves.

Sansevieria – This is ideal in shaded areas, but also needs small amount of sunlight once in a while.

Herbal plants – There are lots of indoor herbal plants you can grow as houseplants. Some herbs that are ideal as indoor plants are; basil, parsley, chives, onion, garlic, and lots more.

There are plenty of these indoor plants that you can use, depending on your knowledge of their growth, adaptability, and maintenance.

If you’re going to plant them, you’ve to plan them properly so that they will not catch the effect of frost in your area. But if you’re in the tropical climate, you’ve nothing to worry.

I hope this will help you in your indoor gardening.

Happy gardening!

How to Establish Your Container Garden

2010-09-06T00:27:00.000-07:00

How to Establish Your Container Garden

Vegetable production is not only applicable in the countryside or in the gardens but can be grown now within the heart of the city or just in your home even with only a limited space.

If your home has an area with ample sunlight - a requirement for growing vegetables, you can grow them successfully. What are the locations that can be used for container gardening ? You can use your patio, balcony, terrace, rooftop, deck, window sill, pathways, etc.

Be aware of the sunlight requirement for each kind of crop. For leafy vegetables, the required sunlight should be about four hours the whole day, for fruit vegetables, at least 7-8 hours sunlight is needed daily, and root vegetables requires around 6 hours of sunlight a day.

And besides of producing your own vegetables in a safer way, the attack of common pests and diseases can be greatly minimized. You can also improve the soil conditions by adding some soil amendments; like manure, compost, and other essential food nutrients needed by the plants.

Everything in your home that are considered as garbage can be utilized to the maximum by making them into compost. Even your household waste water can be used to irrigate your plants.

In other words, container gardening is considered to be the practice that makes use of useless things.

What Containers Are Ideal For Container Gardening?

Growing vegetables can be executed in any type of containers such as; cans, plastics, pails, split vehicle tires, cement bags, feed bags, bottle water plastics, gallon cans, cylinder blocks, milk container, bamboo cuts or any containers that have been thrown away. Even coco shells, banana bracts, leaves of coconut is ideal as potting materials especially for short season vegetables, like, pechay, lettuce, mustard, etc.

Good growing containers should possess the three important characteristics as suggested by Relf (1996);

They must be large enough to support fully grown plants.

They must have adequate drainage.

They must not have held products that are toxic to plants and persons.

Containers that drain poorly can affect the success of a container garden. It is therefore vital to have your containers above ground or any support that would raise the containers such as; slats, hollow blocks or anything to provide space below them to allow excess water to drain freely.

For bigger plants, you should use big containers and for small containers use small plants.

Small containers (1-2 gallons) are suited for lettuce, spinach, mustard, pepper, radish, green onions, carrots, beans, and dwarf tomatoes. Medium size containers (3-10 gallons) are best for eggplants while for larger ones (bigger than 10 gallons) are good for cabbage, cucumbers and tomatoes.

For most plants, containers should be at least 15 cm deep minimum especially for shot season vegetables.

Recommended Container Size and Type/Crop

5 gal. window box – Bush beans, Lima beans

1 plant/5gal.pot, 3plants/15 gal. pot –Cabbage, Chinese cabbage

5 gal. window box at least 30 cm deep – carrot

1 plant/gal. pot – cucumber

5 gal. pot – Eggplant, tomato, okra

5 gal. window pot – Lettuce

1 plant/2gal. pot; 5 plants/15 gal. pot – Onion

5 gal. window box – Pepper, spinach

Soil Media Composition

Plants grown in containers will depend on the kind of soil mixture to provide a maximum growth development. It is a must that you should provide the best soil media composition to give the possible return of your toil. Failure to give the plants with the necessary food nutrients in their growing period would results to poor growth, lanky, and stunted plants that will results to your failure.

The ideal soil mixture for container-grown vegetables crops are as follows:

1. It should be light in weight and porous.

2. It should easily drain excess water.

3. It should have high water holding capacity.

4. It should be free from soil borne disease, nematodes and insect pests.

5. It should supply the right and balance amount of nutrients for the plants.

The best mixture of soil media should compose the following; synthetic mix of horticultural-grade vermiculite, peat moss, limestone, superphosphate and complete fertilizer.

Compost can also serve as an excellent growing medium.

In your country where the above media are not available, you can make your own potting media by mixing 1 part loam soil or compost manure, 1 part fine river sand, and coconut coir dust.

If your country is producing rice you can replace coconut coir dust with the rice hull charcoal (carbonized). But this should be thoroughly sterilized to kill some deadly microbes that are detrimental to the plants.

Sawdust is another medium that could be used in preparing your growing medium in the absence of coco coir dust and should also be sterilized.

Sowing Seed and Transplanting

Before going into the sowing procedure, give your utmost attention to the selection of seed you’ll use as planting materials. Good quality seeds should be your first concern.

Good quality seeds possesses the following characteristics:

1. damage free

2. free from other mixture with other varieties

3. free from seed borne diseases

4. and with good vigor and germinating capacity.

To get a quality and reliable seeds, you should buy from certified seed producers or seed suppliers.

All vegetables that undergoes transplanting are excellent for container gardening. Transplants can be purchased from local nurseries or other successful gardeners in your locality.

Before transplanting, fill plastic or germinating tray with the growing media preparation using the following ratio: 60% rice hull charcoal(carbonized), 30 % coconut coir dust, 10% chicken manure (60-30-10 ratio).

In the absence of the above materials in your country, you can use the old soil media preparation – 1 part sand, 1 part compost, and 1 part garden soil (1-1-1 ratio). Make sure to sterilize them before the seed are sown. This is to kill some microorganisms that may cause damage to the seedlings.

You can also purchase a prepared growell medium sold in local agriculture stores in your respective country. Inquire from your agriculture experts available in your area.

Once the growing media is ready, fill the holes of the germinating or potting containers. Press the soil medium lightly with your fingers in every hole filled with the medium. Then follows the sowing of seeds.

In sowing seeds some techniques should be followed to insure germination:

l Watermelon (Seeded) (Citrulis lunatus). Soak seed 30 min.- 1hour in top water. Incubate by using moist cotton cloth. Spread the seeds and cover. Place in an improvised cartoon for 24-36 hours. After this period, sow the seeds at I seed per hill. Seed must be level in the soil guided by a finger or stick at 1 cm deep. For the seedless type the procedure is the same as the seeded but the tip near the embryo should be cut with the use of a nail cutter before inserting to the soil. Cutting the end portion of the seed hastens germination.

l Bitter Gourd/Ampalaya (Momordica charantia). Soak seeds for 30 min.-1 hour. Cut the tip near the embryo and sow with the seed deep of ¾ of the soil at 1 seed per hole.

l Upo ( Lagenaria siceraria ) and Patola ( Luffa cylindrica ). Cut the tip covering only near the embryo and sow seed at 1 seed per hole.

l Squash (Cucurbita spp). Soak seeds 30 min.-1 hour. Then pinch the tip near the embryo and sow seed at 1 seed per hole.

l Pepper (Capsicum annum L.), Eggplant (Solanum melongena), and Tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum). Sow the seed directly to the germinating tray at 1-2 seeds per hole.

l Pechai /Pechay (Brassica pechai), Lettuce (Lactuca sativa), Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis ), and Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. Italica ). Sow seed directly to the germinating at 1-2 seeds per hole.

l Cucumber (Cucumis sativus), Honey Dew / Muskmelon (Cucumis melo). Sow the seed directly to the germinating tray at 1 seed per hole.

l Carrot (Daucus carota) and Raddish (Rafanus sativus). Directly sow the seed to the field at 2-3 seeds per hill.

l Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis ) and Beans (Phaseolus limensis ). Sow the seed directly to the field at 1 seed per hill.

l Corn (zea mays). Sow the seed directly to the field at 1 seed per hill.

l Papaya (Carica papaya). Soak the seeds for 30 min.-1 hour then sow to the germinating tray at 1 seed per hole.

l Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus ). Directly sow the seed in the field at 1-2 seeds per hill.

Container size for specific crops.

· Medium – Beans, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, broccoli

· Large – Cuccumber, eggplant, tomato, pepper, okra, squash, papaya

· Small – Onions, parsley, radish

Light Requirements

· Sun – Beans, cucumber, eggplant, tomato, pepper, carrots, okra, squash, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli papaya

· Partial shade – Lettuce, onions, parsley, radish

Fertilizer Requirements

To get the right amount of fertilizer for your vegetables, you should analyze your soil media mixture. And if you can do it, organic or inorganic fertilizer should be used.

Fertilizer combination of organic and inorganic would be much better with the correct proportion depending on the plant requirement.

When using inorganic fertilizer you should prepare a base nutrient solution by dissolving 2 cups of complete fertilizer in 1 gallon of warm water.

A growing solution is prepared by diluting 2 tablespoons of the base solution in 1 gallon of water.

Application starts by pouring 2-3 tablespoons of the growing solution on the soil media around the plants at the time of transplanting.

The frequency of application may vary from one crop to another, but one application per day is adequate. It is advisable to leach all unused fertilizer out of the soil mix once a week by watering tap water to cause free drainage through the holes in the bottom of the container.

This practice will prevent buildup of injurious materials in the soil media. If you want to use organic fertilizer, you should use pure or 2/3 compost in the growing media.

If both the organic and inorganic fertilizer will be used, at least one part of the growing media should be compost and one tablespoon of the growing solution applied at least once a day.

If you’ll use synthetic mix growing medium, which is already enriched with superphosphate and complete fertilizer subsequent fertilization may not be necessary for early maturing crops.

For late maturing crops, daily application of the growing solution is necessary until maturity or shortly before harvesting.

Water Management

Water is the life for container garden plant. It’s important that you should not neglect this requirement. Proper water management is vital for a successful container gardening.

Basically, one watering a day is enough for container-grown crops. But for vegetables grown in small containers may require 2 times of watering a day.

Plants grown in clay pots needs more frequent watering since pots are more porous and extra water is allowed to drain out from their sides.

If the growing medium appears to be excessively dry and as the plant shows signs of wilting, the containers should be grouped together so that the foliage creates a canopy to help shade the soil and keep it cool.

Poor drainage of the growing media or container can lead to water-logged condition that may results to plant death due to lack of oxygen.

To make sure you have a vigorous plants, always check the containers at least once a day and twice on hot, dry, or windy days and to feel the soil to determine whether it is dump.

To reduce water evaporation for container plants, you should apply mulching materials such as plastic mulch or putting windbreaks.

You can also install trickle or drip irrigation system to the plants base if you think you can’s attend to your plants daily.

Pests and Diseases Control

Control of pests and diseases in containers needs your careful assessment because wrong use of pesticides may cause damage to the environment, especially children who may often come closer to your container plants.

To be safe, you should implement the Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This approach is focused on the so called systematic pest management which means to prevent problems before the pests and diseases appears.

How you can do this?

It is done by monitoring pest population, identifying pests, and choosing a combination of control methods to keep pests population at a minimal level. These methods includes cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical methods.

Recommended Practices…

· Select insect and disease-resistant varieties of vegetables. Avoid insect attracting plants in the garden or those that are susceptible to pests. Beans, peas, cucumbers, spinach, lettuce and squash are more resistant to insect pests.

· Water the plants adequately to keep them healthy. Fertilize and thin plants to reduce competition for moisture and nutrients.

· Remove weeds to conserve soil moisture and eliminate hiding places of pests.

· Encourage natural enemies of insect pests, such as predators and parasites. Attract beneficial insects like; Western Damsel Bug, Lady Beetle, Green Lace Wing, and Minute Pirate Bug into your garden by planting small flowered plants such as; daisies, cosmos, marigold, and clover. Be sure they are in flower bloom throughout the growing season.

· Avoid growing the same types of vegetables in the same spot year after year. A 4-year rotation cycle is recommended.

· Exclude pests from plants by using fiber materials, row cover, and other barriers such as plastic bottles and plant collars.

· Remove infested part of the plant right away. Remove all plant residues from the containers after harvesting all the crops.

· Use traps to disrupt mating cycles of insects. Yellow sticky boards catch winged aphids, whiteflies, and leafhoppers.

· Handpick pests or knock them off plants with a stream of water from a garden hose. Kill the insects by putting them a soapy water.

· If all other control methods fails, the least toxic insecticides includes botanical control such as neem and pyrethrin. Insecticidal soap, horticultural oil may also be used for insect control. Always identify the pests before choosing a pesticide and use according to label directions.

Harvesting

Harvesting varies with vegetables. Leafy vegetables may be harvested when the desired leaf size is required for every use they are intended. Others harvest leafy vegetables after the required age is meet. For fruit vegetables such as, Luffa, Cucumber, Eggplant, beans, Okra, and Upo they are harvested when their size are big but tender. For squash varieties, they are harvested either matured or big but tender depending on the preference of users.

Cabbage, cauliflowers, and broccoli should be harvested when their heads are already compact. Peppers and tomatoes may be harvested when their fruits have started to ripen.

If you’re growing container-grown vegetables just for home consumption, you can harvest only some part of the plant and retain the rest for future use. But if you think you have more than enough for family use, you can harvest them all and sell or give them to your neighbors.

Never allow your vegetables to bear flower before harvesting them except when your purpose is to collect the seeds for future planting.

Maturity Indices of some Vegetables

· White potato, onion, garlic – Tops begins to dry and topple down

· Cowpea, sitao, snap beans, batao, sweet pea, winged bean – Well-filled pods that really snap

· Okra – Full-sized fruits with the tips that can be snapped readily

· Lima beans, pigeon pea – Well-filled pods that are starting to lose their greenness

· Upo, luffa – Immature (if thumb nail can penetrate easily)

· Tomato – Seeds slip when fruit is cut, or green color turning pink

· Sweet pepper – Deep green color turning dull

· Musk melon – Color of lower part turns creamy yellow, produces dull hallow sound when thumped

· Cauliflower – Curd compact (over mature if flower clusters elongates and begin to loosen)

· Broccoli – Bud cluster compact (over mature if loose)

· Cabbage – Heads compact s (over mature if heads cracks)

· Sweet corn – Exudes milk sap when thumbnail penetrates kernel

· Eggplant, ampalaya – Desirable size is reached out but still tender

· Honey dew – White color cream with aroma

· Squash – Big enough with dried leaves

· Watermelon – Dull hollow sound when thumped and lower color part turns yellow

· Water spinach – Leaves at their broadest and longest

Problems Encountered in Container Gardening

In container gardening you’ll meet some problems that may hinder your daily operations. This is sometimes discernible when you’ll not attend the plants due to negligence.

However, you can prevent these problems if you’ll religiously observe your plants closely. Small pests and diseases can’t be seen visibly if you’ll not see the plant appearance closely. You’ll only see the affected plants once you come closer and actually touch them.

Some symptoms, causes, and corrective measures you should observe…

· Tall, spindly and not productive. The plants receives insufficient sunlight and excessive supply of Nitrogen. To correct them, you should transfer the containers to a place where there is sufficient sunlight.

· Yellowing from bottom, poor color, and lack vigor. The plants receives too much water and low fertility. To correct this, you have to reduce watering intervals and check the pots for good drainage.

· Plants wilt even with sufficient water. The plants has poor drainage and aeration. To correct, you should use a potting mix with high percentage of organic matter. Increase the number of holes of the container for good drainage.

· Burning or firing of the leaves. The soil medium is high in salt. To correct this problem, you have to leach the container with tap water at regular intervals.

· Stunted growth, sickly, and purplish color of leaves. The temperature is low and low phosphate. To correct, you should relocate the containers to a warmer area. Increase phosphate level in base solution.

· Holes in leaves and distorted in shape. The plants are pests infested. To correct, you should use non-chemical insecticides or other biological control for insects.

· Spots on the leaves, dead dried areas or powdery or rust occurrence. The plants are affected with a disease. To correct them, you should remove the disease affected parts or the whole plant in serious condition. You can use non-chemical pesticides if the disease is in the early stage of infestation.

Resource Box

Crisologo Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes articles on home gardening and Internet marketing tips. Get a copy of his latest ebook FREE, titled; “ Discover How to get Started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy” , and Free articles, tools, tips and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com

Gardening Tips For Senior Citizen

2010-09-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Gardening Tips For Senior Citizen: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Growing and Maintaining Orchids

2010-08-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

Growing Orchids (Cattleya spp.)

Orchid Flower

Considered as a herbaceous plant, orchids belongs to one of the largest and colorful families of plants, where the big number is mostly found in the tropics growing in the mountainous places.

Its flowers are elongated, lasting, and mostly pollinated by insects – peculiar variation of shapes and colors, usually range in sizes from a centimeter to several centimeters in diameter.

Most orchid species are terrestrial but others are epiphytic that grows in the air which find support on branches of trees or on top of rocks.

Roots of orchids are classified into three types

1. Provides mains of support.

Orchids roots are used to cling to its support to stand its own. Being an epiphytic plant they look for some strong support to survive.

2. For feeds.

The roots of orchids are the ones that get food nutrients from the air. They are dependent from the moisture provided by nature. In order to survive you should supplement their water needs.

3. Aerial, which usually hangs downward and extract moisture from the air.

Most of the leaves of orchids are parallel-nerved and look almost like those of grass while others have long and wide leaves.

Culture of Orchids.

They are grown easily, especially in moist and shady places. Other species may be grown in sheltered rocks in the corner of the gardens, under trees which don’t get direct sunlight.

But there are some new species that can withstand direct sunlight, however, they need frequent watering morning and afternoon – a tedious work especially if you’re on a commercial venture.

You have to make sure they are protected from strong wind.

Orchids needs ample amount of light , but not to the extent of excessive sunlight for it may cause scorching of the plants.

If you can make it see to it that orchids can receive the morning sun than the afternoon sunshine, because afternoon sunlight is too intense to the leaves and flowers.

For sun tolerant species, you can select Vandas, Renantheras, and some Dendrobiums, while for shade loving varieties, Phalaenopsis and Cattleyas response better.

A simple rule in orchids growing is to expose them gradually to sunlight, to increase light intensity without getting them sun-sunburned.

A little amount of light produces dark green leaves with few flowers, while those exposed to too much light makes them slower growth with yellow and tough leaves.

Its unsightly when the leaves are scorched since dark spots appears with too much light intensity.

For best result, and to produce more flowers, you should grow orchids in the nursery, terrarium or greenhouse. In the greenhouse, although costly to establish, you can control sunlight distribution, temperature and humidity are controlled to suit the plant needs.

The advantage of a greenhouse is, you can control pests and diseases attack since it’s properly screened.

For Phalaenopsis, the temperature is not a problem if grown in the open – putting a roof over them will do. You may also raise orchids in a plastic-roofed slat house.

Propagation.

Generally, orchids are propagated by seeds. The seeds are extremely small and numerous.

They are hard to propagate because they are easily killed by sudden changes in their physical environment and they are attacked by parasitic fungi which are apparent during its early plant growth.

However, you can produce better propagation by placing the seeds in sterile agriculture tubes and incubate for about one year

Some new and other varieties of orchids are being raised and improved through breeding and selection. Cattleya, butterfly orchids, vandas, and dendrobiums are propagated easily from the divisions of their root sections.

The waling-waling and mariposa produces few branches at their bases when very old. Roots grew on these branches, where propagation is done through these roots.

How to Mount Orchids.

Proper mounting is very important to promote faster and vigorous growth and produce them in abundance.

Some common mounting materials available are coconut husks (for countries that grows coconut), wooden basket, piece of wood, wire basket and earthen jar.

If you’ll use an earthen jar, select the one with openings at the bottom as against with openings on the sides because it provides better drainage and with better moisture retention which is ideal for orchids.

If you’ll use a piece of wood for mounting, select the hard wood type with thick bark to withstand a longer usage.

Tie or strap firmly the plant to the wood with moss and shredded coconut husk making the plant lie closely to the wood and strapped firmly to promote faster recovery. Water the newly mounted plants at least once or twice a day.

To make a longer support for your orchids, a living tree is usually advisable to make them comfortable in their natural habitat.

Orchids does not compete with the tree for food nutrients because they are not parasitic, but epiphytes, meaning they are only using the plant as support but not their nourishment from the tree.

Plant Medium.

A mixture of moss, pieces of charcoal, and adobe stones for weight and firmness are a good plant medium for growing orchids.

Some orchid species needs no use of any plant medium. Other gardeners just simply tie the plant directly to the support and place in a shaded area.

However, frequent watering is advised to retain enough moisture.

Establishing Your Water Garden

2010-08-31T15:38:00.000-07:00

ESTABLISHING YOUR WATER GARDEN

When you plan for your water garden, you’ve to decide the size of your garden, the amount you want to spend, since establishing it, requires big amount especially if you’re on a large water garden with full of plants, rocks, light, and some species of fish.

Also consider your capacity to handle base on the size of your area, the time required and maintaining your garden.

All of these factors rests on the success and failure of your project.

However, if you’re determined to go on with your plan, the bottom line is your will power to act according to your plan.

Water gardening is a peasant hobby especially if your water gardens is blooming with water lilies, hyacinths and lotus are beautifully and pleasingly in good sights.

Combined with ferns and evergreens and filled with exotic fishes, your water garden becomes charming aquatic garden full of life and beauty.

Preparing the garden

Generally, there are two types of water gardens: the formal and informal.

The type of water garden should harmonize with the home flower garden or with the surrounding premises.

Concrete pools, tubs and aquariums are artificial water gardens which adds beauty and elegance to a place.

You should treat your water garden like a well-balance aquarium to maintain clear water. The bottom should be filled with rich clayey soil to provide enough plant food.

Add sad, fine gravel and rocks on top to prevent the water from having a muddy appearance caused by the movement of fish and other aquatic animals.

You have to place around the water garden some flower beds, wooden or concrete benches ad sculptured garden ornaments to cast reflections on the water surface.

Some plants ideal for water garden

The followings are floating, submerged or semi-aquatic plants that may be grown in water garden …

1) Water lily hybrids

2) Lotus, Nelumbium elumbo

3) Umbrella plant

4) Water hyacinths

5) Pickerel weed

6) Quiapo

7) Striped corn plant

8) Corn plant

9) Baston de San Jose

10) Fragrant dracaena

11) San Francisco

12) Aglaonema

13) Varieties of papua

14) Varieties of dieffenbachia

15) Coleus, mayana

16) Philodendron

17) Yellow water plant

18) Wandering Jew

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Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. You can get a copy of his latest ebook “Discover How to get started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”, also get lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com

How to Grow and Manage Cucumber

2010-07-19T20:00:00.001-07:00

How to Grow and Manage Cucumber

Cucumber is a vine annual crop that is in demand as a salad dessert item in every meal for the entire family and a commercial crops. It’s grown and tolerates in an acidic soil between 5.5 - 6.8 pH and 2.5 Ec tolerance of salinity.

It response satisfactorily in a full sunlight exposure as against a shady areas.

It could adapt to a temperature at an early planting on the last spring frost, that’s when the first apples bloom.

Plant care requirements

First and foremost, select the variety that’s not taste bitter. There are some cucumber species that are bitter.

But you can reduce this bitterness by planting them in a moderate weather condition. Avoid planting cucumber in high temperature especially with inadequate water supply, since the fruits well develop a bitter taste.

Most bitter portion of the fruit is found near the skin, and the parts close to the stem.

Select some varieties that are bitter-free even under stress condition.

To have a good fruit quality, plant them at distance of 48”-60” apart . Train the plants by putting support like; fences, trellis or cages.

Pruning

Cucumber needs to be pruned to provide a better fruit quality and reduce some pest and disease attacks. Pruning also improves the plant stand and eliminate unnecessary branches that competes nutrients requirements.

Here are the steps in pruning cucumber…

1) Remove the lateral vines including flowers and fruits up to the 5^th node.

2) Allow to develop fruits on the 6^th node up

3) In every secondary vines allow two fruits to develop then cut the tip after the 3^rd node.

Fertilizer Requirements

For better result, basally apply an all purpose fertilizer before planting, followed by applying side dress in between rows with urea during fruiting stage at about I tablespoonful of 33-0-0 in every plant.

Water Requirement

Cucumber does not tolerate in waterlogged soil. You should select a well-drained soil but avoiding a dry soil. Apply water when the soil dries up. Keeping the soil moist at all times.

Pests and disease control

Cucumber and other cucurbits have similar pests and diseases. In any stages of the plant growth, these pests and diseases attacks.

Insect Pests	Chemical Control	Natural Control
· CUCURBITS (Ampalaya, upo, patola, squash, cucumber, melon, kondol, chayote) -Squash beetle -Fruit fly -Leaf folder -Aphids -Cutworm -Cucurbit bugs -Thrips & Mites -White flies -Root grub	Azodrin 168 EC, Decis, Seven, Malathion Attractant, Malathion Malathion, Lannate Tamaron, Confidor Actara, Selecr54on, Malathion, Cymbush Lannate Dicarsol Malathion, Azodrin Furadan	Predators, cultural, botanical Parasites, Predators Cultural, Parasites, Predators, Botanical Botanical. Predators Botanical, Predators, Parasites Cultural, Botanical, Predators Predators, Botanical Cultural, Botanical, Predators Cultural, botanical

Harvesting

Cucumber can be harvested 40 Days after planting, or you can see by ocular inspection where you’ll select the fruit when they reach at a desired size.

You can harvest them for whatever purpose you intend to use them.

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Cris Ramasasa is a freelance writer, retired horticulture teacher. Writes on home gardening and Internet marketing tips. Written ebooks, titled; “Discover How to get Started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”. Subscribe his Free articles at: www.crisramasasa.com

How to Grow and Maintain Asparagus

2010-07-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

How to Grow and Maintain Asparagus

Courtesy of www.showshown.com

An annual plant, asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is a delicacy especially made for the kitchen lovers of fresh vegetables. It’s delicious taste is very in demand for every household and become a part of the ingredients for every dish.
It’s a sun loving plant that thrives best and grows vigorously when grown
in full sunlight exposure.

Asparagus is a hardy plant and well adapted when planted in early spring. It tolerates at a pH from 6.0 to 6.8 pH level and very tolerant to salinity.

The pollination process in asparagus is made possible with the aid of some friendly insects. So don’t destroy some insects that are roaming in your garden. Try to investigate first the kind of insects in your garden, they may be a friendly insects.

Preparing the land

The land should be well-prepared to destroy all weed seeds and to make the soil properly pulverized. Asparagus does not tolerate weed presence, therefore, weed control should be your priority
.
Planting

During planting, put about two inches of soil over the roots and replace more soil as the plant grows. As much as possible, don’t cover the tips of the spear with soil.
Maintain a vigorous and healthy fern growth during the first two years to ensure a long production in the succeeding years.

Note: Asparagus should not be harvested in its first year of growth to get a maximum harvest in your first harvest.

Weed control

Weeds are the number one competitors for asparagus. To ensure a vigorous plant growth, you should maintain strict and complete field sanitation. To avoid weed growth, you should apply mulching materials at least two to three inches of pure compost every year.

Note: Don’t till the soil around the plant to avoid disturbing the delicate root system.

Fertilizing

Asparagus is a fertilizer tolerant crop and responds well with proper fertilizer application.
To get a better result, apply nitrogen fertilizer two times a year, at least once in the spring at early growth and follows up again at the end of harvesting.

Water requirement

Maintain its water requirement especially during the first two years of growth period and apply mulching materials around the plants to conserve its soil moisture content and controls weed presence.
At its fourth year of plant growth, you should reduce water supply thus reducing them every two to three weeks. This is to let the water penetrate to the soil at least four feet below the soil surface.

Harvesting

To make a white asparagus spears – which is considered a delicacy, make a mound soil about 8 inches high over the asparagus plant in early spring before the spears emerges from the ground.
As soon as the tips of the spears emerge through the top of the 8 inches mound, push a long-handled knife into the base of the hill and spears well below the surface and cut the shoots out by the tips and level the mounds again after harvest.

That’s it, you’ve your tasty asparagus ready for the kitchen or you may sell the extra harvest to add your family income.
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Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. You can get a copy of his latest ebook “Discover How to get started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”, also get lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com

2010-07-19T19:27:00.003-07:00

HOW TO GROW YOUR HOMEMADE TOMATOES

Growing tomatoes is fun and a lucrative home gardening business. Besides being nutritious, it could provide you with a real fresh fruits

coming directly from your garden.

You can produce them the way you want it. Producing tomatoes can be done without using chemicals because you’re the one controlling their growth processes.

If you’ll plant tomatoes with other vegetables, the occurrence of pests and diseases attack could be totally minimized or even none at all. Companion cropping or multiple cropping can control pests and diseases attack since they’re protected by the other plants.

Steps in growing tomatoes…

1) Provide a seed box or germinating tray for sowing seeds. Sow the seeds 12 mm or .5 inch deep in the seed trays or germinating tray. Slightly cover the seeds with thin soil to cover them.

2) Cover the seed trays or germinating trays with newspaper or polyethylene plastic. Germination will take about 7-10 days from sowing.

3) After the seeds have germinated, remove the cover. Gradually expose the growing seedlings to the morning sunlight to harden them

4) Prepare a separate seed trays or germinating trays the same manner as when sowing seedlings. Fill with the growing medium and level at least 12 mm or .5 inch below the rim.

5) Use a dibber to form holes about 36 mm or .5 inch apart, the outer ones 12 mm or .5 inch from the sides.

6) As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick or transfer them to the individual holes in the prepared seedling or germinating trays. This is to provide the seedlings a wider space to avoid over-crowding while in the seedling or germinating trays.

7) Now set the individual seedlings to a growing bags or pots.

8) Support the plants with sticks tied with wires or strings to hold in place.

9) Feed the growing plants every ten days from planting up to the time when the first truss (bunch fruit) in formed.

10) Remove all shoots growing in the angles of the leaves-snap them sideways. Also, gradually remove the lower leaves to induce ripening of the fruits.

11) Harvest your fresh tomatoes when they’re ripe. You can give or sell your surplus harvest to your neighbors. And they’ll thanks for your generosity.

See, it’s very easy to grow your own chemically free tomatoes for your family’s needs.

Why not try planting your own homemade tomatoes. You’re sure you’ll enjoy it.

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Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. You can get a copy of his latest ebook “Discover How to get started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”, also get lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com

Growing Red Palm Made Easy

2010-07-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

GROWING RED PALM MADE EASY

The red palm is the most attractive of the Palmaceae family and favorite for landscaping and potted decorative plant because of its bright red color that adds it attractiveness.

A native of Indonesia red palm is actually growing in lowland areas submerged in water bordering tidal rivers. It only shows that they thrives best when the place is abundant with moisture and humidity.

Red palm grows successfully in acidic soil (pH 5 or less), where it produces an intense bright red color. It has also the clustering habit producing numerous suckers from the base of the plant and developed into a big clump.

The leaf bases which wrap around the stem are an exotic crimson. The red color extends to the leafstalk that bears the leaflets.

How to propagate Red Palm

Propagating red palm needs your skill to do it because it is a delicate plant. Home gardeners usually fails since they don’t know the proper way to separate the suckers from the mother plant.

However, the most practical way of propagating red palm is by division where the plant is grown in a size 12 pot using a very loose growing soil medium.

When you see lot of suckers with roots of their own, you have to take them out from the pot and shake off some loose soil that stick to the roots.

Separate the suckers carefully with sufficient roots then plant individually in pots with a porous soil. Place the newly potted plants in a cool shaded area and keep them moist.

After a couple of weeks from the shade when they are already fully well established you can transfer them to a place where they can be exposed to the sun.

Propagating by Seeds

Growing seeds is done by collecting seeds from a ten year old growing plants. When the seeds are ripe, pick them from the tree. Don’t wait for them to fall to the ground, but others prefer to let the seeds sprout before collecting the growing seedlings from the ground.

But if you want to have a more vigorous seedlings, it is advised to sow the seeds in the germinating tray. Seedlings uprooted from the ground may not survive because some roots may be damaged that may affect the growth of seedlings.

I recommend to pick the ripe fruit since fresh seeds are easier to sprout. Palm seeds have short viability period (1 month), so that they should be sown within that period.

However, their viability can be extended by placing the seed in a refrigerated container.

To grow the seeds in germinating or pots, prepare the soil medium with a mixture of coco coir dust and sterilized garden soil.

Don’t bury the seeds too deep, just barely covered. Maintain the moisture content of the soil not to let them dry out. In doing so, the seeds will be delayed in sprouting.

Fresh seeds that are moderately moist throughout will germinate in less than a month. There are instances, however, when the seeds take much longer time to germinate.

Seedlings grow very slowly, that within the first three -year period, they only reach a mere one foot height and the red color will not show up.

Once the plant has developed a good number of roots, that’s the time the growth becomes faster.

To make elongation faster, place them in a shady place, and give them ample amount of fertilizer.

That’s it!

You have been given the right procedure to propagate Red Palm.

Follow the steps correctly, and wow! You’ll get the vigorous growing Red Palm tree.

And yes. You can earn lots of money raising Red Palm.

Red Palm command a high price. A six inch seedlings cost around $1-$2 dollars.

You see, if you have 1000 seedlings, that’s money. And you don’t have to work that hard.
Once they are fully established, your only work is watering them to maintain moisture requirements of the plant.

Resource box:

__________________
Crisologo Ramasasa is a freelance writer who writes articles on Home Gardening and Internet marketing tips. Subscribe his Free gardening and Internet marketing tips. Visit his site at: www.crisramasasa.com. Get a Free copy of his latest ebook “Discover How To Get Started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”. There are lots of information you can get with this materials.

How to Preserve Our Garden Friends

2010-07-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

HOW TO PRESERVE OUR GARDEN FRIENDS

Lets first talk about some friendly insect pests. Not all insect pests are destructive. If you’re not extra careful in your garden, you might as will kill those insect pests that are useful and especially important as friends in the garden.

These insects get their livelihood from other insects as their source of food, and most of these food are the ones that destroys our crops.

Next time you visit your garden, be observant. Look closely each insect you see, verify if they’re enemy or friend.

To give you the idea how to indentify our garden friends, here they are…

· Parasitoids - Are natural enemies of destructive insect pests that host inside the body of insect pests to complete their development to adulthood.

Examples of parasitoids are the following…

1) Diptera (Fly and Miners) – Syrphid fly and flies

2) Hymenoptera (Wasp and Sawflies) – Wasp

· Predators - This kind of insect pests feed and damage directly to the destructive insects as their main source of food.

Predators includes the following…

1) Hemiptera (Bugs) – Bugs

2) Orthoptera (Predatory crickets) – Predatory crickets

3) Neuroptera (Lace wings) – Lace wings

4) Dermaptera (Earwings) - Earwings

5) Mantodea (Praying mantis) – Praying mantis

6) Araneae (Spiders) – web-forming spiders, Big jawed spider, Jumping spider, Combed-footed spider, Lynx spider, Crawling/Ground spider

7) Coleoptera (Beetles and Weevils) – Carabid beetles, Black beetles (like ants), Coccinelid, Lady beetle

Preserving Beneficial Insect Pests in our Garden

· Go Organic. Organic gardening is the most effective way of controlling insect pests, and besides environmental friendly.

· Practice companion cropping. Plant different kinds of crops in every cropping season to ward-off destructive insects. Insect pests are crop specific, meaning, they only attack a certain specific plant.

Next time you see these insects in your garden, try to identify them carefully so you’ll be aware which one is a friendly or destructive insect pests.

Your knowledge in identifying insect pests would increase your awareness to protect those beneficial insect pests and eradicate those destructive pests.

Insect pests that does not damage economically to vegetables are not considered enemies and are only in small population.

Other beneficial insect pests gives benefits to mankind in the following aspects…

1) Pollinators – Bees pollinates flowers in magnitude all day long which form flowers into fruits. Without pollination, no fruits will formed.

2) Decomposers – Maggots and grubs of beetles helps improve the soil by exuding decomposed excreta.

3) Source of food – Mole crickets, locusts, etc. are good source of food.

4) Biological control agents – There are some insect pests that eats another insect pests (e.g. praying mantis) and other predators.

5) Source of important products – Honey bees provides honey and wax that are used as ingredients in the manufactures of medicine and beauty products.

6) Silkworm are the source of silk which are used in the manufacture of fabrics.

There are insect pests our gardeners love, protect them and let them multiply into manifold.

Happy gardening.

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Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes home gardening and Internet marketing tips. Get a copy of his latest FREE ebook “Discover How to get started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”, and get lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com

How to Establish Your Container Garden

2010-07-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

How to Establish Your Container Garden

Vegetable production is not only applicable in the countryside or in the gardens but can be grown now within the heart of the city or just in your home even with only a limited space.

If your home has an area with ample sunlight - a requirement for growing vegetables, you can grow them successfully. What are the locations that can be used for container gardening ? You can use your patio, balcony, terrace, rooftop, deck, window sill, pathways, etc.

Be aware of the sunlight requirement for each kind of crop. For leafy vegetables, the required sunlight should be about four hours the whole day, for fruit vegetables, at least 7-8 hours sunlight is needed daily, and root vegetables requires around 6 hours of sunlight a day.

And besides of producing your own vegetables in a safer way, the attack of common pests and diseases can be greatly minimized. You can also improve the soil conditions by adding some soil amendments; like manure, compost, and other essential food nutrients needed by the plants.

Everything in your home that are considered as garbage can be utilized to the maximum by making them into compost. Even your household waste water can be used to irrigate your plants.

In other words, container gardening is considered to be the practice that makes use of useless things.

What Containers Are Ideal For Container Gardening?

Growing vegetables can be executed in any type of containers such as; cans, plastics, pails, split vehicle tires, cement bags, feed bags, bottle water plastics, gallon cans, cylinder blocks, milk container, bamboo cuts or any containers that have been thrown away. Even coco shells, banana bracts, leaves of coconut is ideal as potting materials especially for short season vegetables, like, pechay, lettuce, mustard, etc.

Good growing containers should possess the three important characteristics as suggested by Relf (1996);

1. They must be large enough to support fully grown plants.

2. They must have adequate drainage.

3. They must not have held products that are toxic to plants and persons.

Containers that drain poorly can affect the success of a container garden. It is therefore vital to have your containers above ground or any support that would raise the containers such as; slats, hollow blocks or anything to provide space below them to allow excess water to drain freely.

For bigger plants, you should use big containers and for small containers use small plants.

Small containers (1-2 gallons) are suited for lettuce, spinach, mustard, pepper, radish, green onions, carrots, beans, and dwarf tomatoes. Medium size containers (3-10 gallons) are best for eggplants while for larger ones (bigger than 10 gallons) are good for cabbage, cucumbers and tomatoes.

For most plants, containers should be at least 15 cm deep minimum especially for shot season vegetables.

Recommended Container Size and Type/Crop

5 gal. window box – Bush beans, Lima beans
1 plant/5gal.pot, 3plants/15 gal. pot –Cabbage, Chinese cabbage
5 gal. window box at least 30 cm deep – carrot
1 plant/gal. pot – cucumber
5 gal. pot – Eggplant, tomato, okra
5 gal. window pot – Lettuce
1 plant/2gal. pot; 5 plants/15 gal. pot – Onion
5 gal. window box – Pepper, spinach

Soil Media Composition

Plants grown in containers will depend on the kind of soil mixture to provide a maximum growth development. It is a must that you should provide the best soil media composition to give the possible return of your toil. Failure to give the plants with the necessary food nutrients in their growing period would results to poor growth, lanky, and stunted plants that will results to your failure.

The ideal soil mixture for container-grown vegetables crops are as follows:

1. It should be light in weight and porous.

2. It should easily drain excess water.

3. It should have high water holding capacity.

4. It should be free from soil borne disease, nematodes and insect pests.

5. It should supply the right and balance amount of nutrients for the plants.

The best mixture of soil media should compose the following; synthetic mix of horticultural-grade vermiculite, peat moss, limestone, superphosphate and complete fertilizer.

Compost can also serve as an excellent growing medium.

In your country where the above media are not available, you can make your own potting media by mixing 1 part loam soil or compost manure, 1 part fine river sand, and coconut coir dust.

If your country is producing rice you can replace coconut coir dust with the rice hull charcoal (carbonized). But this should be thoroughly sterilized to kill some deadly microbes that are detrimental to the plants.

Sawdust is another medium that could be used in preparing your growing medium in the absence of coco coir dust and should also be sterilized.

Sowing Seed and Transplanting

Before going into the sowing procedure, give your utmost attention to the selection of seed you’ll use as planting materials. Good quality seeds should be your first concern.

Good quality seeds possesses the following characteristics:

1. damage free
2. free from other mixture with other varieties
3. free from seed borne diseases
4. and with good vigor and germinating capacity.

To get a quality and reliable seeds, you should buy from certified seed producers or seed suppliers.

All vegetables that undergoes transplanting are excellent for container gardening. Transplants can be purchased from local nurseries or other successful gardeners in your locality.

Before transplanting, fill plastic or germinating tray with the growing media preparation using the following ratio: 60% rice hull charcoal(carbonized), 30 % coconut coir dust, 10% chicken manure (60-30-10 ratio).

In the absence of the above materials in your country, you can use the old soil media preparation – 1 part sand, 1 part compost, and 1 part garden soil (1-1-1 ratio). Make sure to sterilize them before the seed are sown. This is to kill some microorganisms that may cause damage to the seedlings.

You can also purchase a prepared growell medium sold in local agriculture stores in your respective country. Inquire from your agriculture experts available in your area.

Once the growing media is ready, fill the holes of the germinating or potting containers. Press the soil medium lightly with your fingers in every hole filled with the medium. Then follows the sowing of seeds.

In sowing seeds some techniques should be followed to insure germination:

 Watermelon (Seeded) (Citrulis lunatus). Soak seed 30 min.- 1hour in top water. Incubate by using moist cotton cloth. Spread the seeds and cover. Place in an improvised cartoon for 24-36 hours. After this period, sow the seeds at I seed per hill. Seed must be level in the soil guided by a finger or stick at 1 cm deep. For the seedless type the procedure is the same as the seeded but the tip near the embryo should be cut with the use of a nail cutter before inserting to the soil. Cutting the end portion of the seed hastens germination.

1. Bitter Gourd/Ampalaya (Momordica charantia). Soak seeds for 30 min.-1 hour. Cut the tip near the embryo and sow with the seed deep of ¾ of the soil at 1 seed per hole.

2. Upo ( Lagenaria siceraria ) and Patola ( Luffa cylindrica ). Cut the tip covering only near the embryo and sow seed at 1 seed per hole.

3. Squash (Cucurbita spp). Soak seeds 30 min.-1 hour. Then pinch the tip near the embryo and sow seed at 1 seed per hole.

4. Pepper (Capsicum annum L.), Eggplant (Solanum melongena), and Tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum). Sow the seed directly to the germinating tray at 1-2 seeds per hole.

5. Pechai /Pechay (Brassica pechai), Lettuce (Lactuca sativa), Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis ), and Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. Italica ). Sow seed directly to the germinating at 1-2 seeds per hole.

6. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus), Honey Dew / Muskmelon (Cucumis melo). Sow the seed directly to the germinating tray at 1 seed per hole.

7. Carrot (Daucus carota) and Raddish (Rafanus sativus). Directly sow the seed to the field at 2-3 seeds per hill.

8. Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis ) and Beans (Phaseolus limensis ). Sow the seed directly to the field at 1 seed per hill.

9. Corn (zea mays). Sow the seed directly to the field at 1 seed per hill.

10.Papaya (Carica papaya). Soak the seeds for 30 min.-1 hour then sow to the germinating tray at 1 seed per hole.

11.Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus ). Directly sow the seed in the field at 1-2 seeds per hill.

Container size for specific crops.

• Beans, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, broccoli

• Cuccumber, eggplant, tomato, pepper, okra, squash, papaya

• Small – Onions, parsley, radish

Light Requirements

• Sun – Beans, cucumber, eggplant, tomato, pepper, carrots, okra, squash, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli papaya

• Partial shade – Lettuce, onions, parsley, radish

Fertilizer Requirements

To get the right amount of fertilizer for your vegetables, you should analyze your soil media mixture. And if you can do it, organic or inorganic fertilizer should be used.

Fertilizer combination of organic and inorganic would be much better with the correct proportion depending on the plant requirement.

When using inorganic fertilizer you should prepare a base nutrient solution by dissolving 2 cups of complete fertilizer in 1 gallon of warm water.

A growing solution is prepared by diluting 2 tablespoons of the base solution in 1 gallon of water.

Application starts by pouring 2-3 tablespoons of the growing solution on the soil media around the plants at the time of transplanting.

The frequency of application may vary from one crop to another, but one application per day is adequate. It is advisable to leach all unused fertilizer out of the soil mix once a week by watering tap water to cause free drainage through the holes in the bottom of the container.

This practice will prevent buildup of injurious materials in the soil media. If you want to use organic fertilizer, you should use pure or 2/3 compost in the growing media.

If both the organic and inorganic fertilizer will be used, at least one part of the growing media should be compost and one tablespoon of the growing solution applied at least once a day.

If you’ll use synthetic mix growing medium, which is already enriched with superphosphate and complete fertilizer subsequent fertilization may not be necessary for early maturing crops.

For late maturing crops, daily application of the growing solution is necessary until maturity or shortly before harvesting.

Water Management

Water is the life for container garden plant. It’s important that you should not neglect this requirement. Proper water management is vital for a successful container gardening.

Basically, one watering a day is enough for container-grown crops. But for vegetables grown in small containers may require 2 times of watering a day.

Plants grown in clay pots needs more frequent watering since pots are more porous and extra water is allowed to drain out from their sides.

If the growing medium appears to be excessively dry and as the plant shows signs of wilting, the containers should be grouped together so that the foliage creates a canopy to help shade the soil and keep it cool.

Poor drainage of the growing media or container can lead to water-logged condition that may results to plant death due to lack of oxygen.

To make sure you have a vigorous plants, always check the containers at least once a day and twice on hot, dry, or windy days and to feel the soil to determine whether it is dump.

To reduce water evaporation for container plants, you should apply mulching materials such as plastic mulch or putting windbreaks.

You can also install trickle or drip irrigation system to the plants base if you think you can’s attend to your plants daily.

Pests and Diseases Control

Control of pests and diseases in containers needs your careful assessment because wrong use of pesticides may cause damage to the environment, especially children who may often come closer to your container plants.

To be safe, you should implement the Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This approach is focused on the so called systematic pest management which means to prevent problems before the pests and diseases appears.

How you can do this?

It is done by monitoring pest population, identifying pests, and choosing a combination of control methods to keep pests population at a minimal level. These methods includes cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical methods.

Recommended Practices…

• Select insect and disease-resistant varieties of vegetables. Avoid insect attracting plants in the garden or those that are susceptible to pests. Beans, peas, cucumbers, spinach, lettuce and squash are more resistant to insect pests.

• Water the plants adequately to keep them healthy. Fertilize and thin plants to reduce competition for moisture and nutrients.

• Remove weeds to conserve soil moisture and eliminate hiding places of pests.

• Encourage natural enemies of insect pests, such as predators and parasites. Attract beneficial insects like; Western Damsel Bug, Lady Beetle, Green Lace Wing, and Minute Pirate Bug into your garden by planting small flowered plants such as; daisies, cosmos, marigold, and clover. Be sure they are in flower bloom throughout the growing season.

• Avoid growing the same types of vegetables in the same spot year after year. A 4-year rotation cycle is recommended.

• Exclude pests from plants by using fiber materials, row cover, and other barriers such as plastic bottles and plant collars.

• Remove infested part of the plant right away. Remove all plant residues from the containers after harvesting all the crops.

• Use traps to disrupt mating cycles of insects. Yellow sticky boards catch winged aphids, whiteflies, and leafhoppers.

• Handpick pests or knock them off plants with a stream of water from a garden hose. Kill the insects by putting them a soapy water.

• If all other control methods fails, the least toxic insecticides includes botanical control such as neem and pyrethrin. Insecticidal soap, horticultural oil may also be used for insect control. Always identify the pests before choosing a pesticide and use according to label directions.

Harvesting

Harvesting varies with vegetables. Leafy vegetables may be harvested when the desired leaf size is required for every use they are intended. Others harvest leafy vegetables after the required age is meet. For fruit vegetables such as, Luffa, Cucumber, Eggplant, beans, Okra, and Upo they are harvested when their size are big but tender. For squash varieties, they are harvested either matured or big but tender depending on the preference of users.

Cabbage, cauliflowers, and broccoli should be harvested when their heads are already compact. Peppers and tomatoes may be harvested when their fruits have started to ripen.

If you’re growing container-grown vegetables just for home consumption, you can harvest only some part of the plant and retain the rest for future use. But if you think you have more than enough for family use, you can harvest them all and sell or give them to your neighbors.

Never allow your vegetables to bear flower before harvesting them except when your purpose is to collect the seeds for future planting.

Maturity Indices of some Vegetables

• White potato, onion, garlic – Tops begins to dry and topple down

• Cowpea, sitao, snap beans, batao, sweet pea, winged bean – Well-filled pods that really snap

• Okra – Full-sized fruits with the tips that can be snapped readily

• Lima beans, pigeon pea – Well-filled pods that are starting to lose their greenness

• Upo, luffa – Immature (if thumb nail can penetrate easily)

• Tomato – Seeds slip when fruit is cut, or green color turning pink

• Sweet pepper – Deep green color turning dull

• Musk melon – Color of lower part turns creamy yellow, produces dull hallow sound when thumped

• Cauliflower – Curd compact (over mature if flower clusters elongates and begin to loosen)

• Broccoli – Bud cluster compact (over mature if loose)

• Cabbage – Heads compact s (over mature if heads cracks)

• Sweet corn – Exudes milk sap when thumbnail penetrates kernel

• Eggplant, ampalaya – Desirable size is reached out but still tender

• Honey dew – White color cream with aroma

• Squash – Big enough with dried leaves

• Watermelon – Dull hollow sound when thumped and lower color part turns yellow

• Water spinach – Leaves at their broadest and longest

Problems Encountered in Container Gardening

In container gardening you’ll meet some problems that may hinder your daily operations. This is sometimes discernible when you’ll not attend the plants due to negligence.

However, you can prevent these problems if you’ll religiously observe your plants closely. Small pests and diseases can’t be seen visibly if you’ll not see the plant appearance closely. You’ll only see the affected plants once you come closer and actually touch them.

Some symptoms, causes, and corrective measures you should observe…

• Tall, spindly and not productive. The plants receives insufficient sunlight and excessive supply of Nitrogen. To correct them, you should transfer the containers to a place where there is sufficient sunlight.

• Yellowing from bottom, poor color, and lack vigor. The plants receives too much water and low fertility. To correct this, you have to reduce watering intervals and check the pots for good drainage.

• Plants wilt even with sufficient water. The plants has poor drainage and aeration. To correct, you should use a potting mix with high percentage of organic matter. Increase the number of holes of the container for good drainage.

• Burning or firing of the leaves. The soil medium is high in salt. To correct this problem, you have to leach the container with tap water at regular intervals.

• Stunted growth, sickly, and purplish color of leaves. The temperature is low and low phosphate. To correct, you should relocate the containers to a warmer area. Increase phosphate level in base solution.

• Holes in leaves and distorted in shape. The plants are pests infested. To correct, you should use non-chemical insecticides or other biological control for insects.

• Spots on the leaves, dead dried areas or powdery or rust occurrence. The plants are affected with a disease. To correct them, you should remove the disease affected parts or the whole plant in serious condition. You can use non-chemical pesticides if the disease is in the early stage of infestation.

Resource Box
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Crisologo Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes articles on home gardening and Internet marketing tips. Get a copy of his latest ebook FREE, titled; “ Discover How to get Started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy” , and Free articles, tools, tips and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com

How to Grow and Manage Sweet Pepper

2010-07-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

HOW TO GROW AND MANAGE SWEET PEPPER

It’s fun and a lucrative home gardening business in growing your own fresh sweet pepper, especially to provide a ready available supply of sweet pepper to your table. Besides being nutritious, it could provide you with a real fresh fruits coming directly from your garden.

You can produce them the way you want it. To grow sweet pepper can be done organically without using chemicals because you’re the one controlling their growth processes.

If you’ll intercropped sweet pepper with other vegetables and common herbs, the occurrence of pests and diseases attack could be totally minimized or even none at all. Companion cropping or intercropping can control pests and diseases attack since they’re protected by the other plants. Insect pests are crop specific, meaning they only attack to certain crop.

When planted with different crops, the possibility of crop failure could be minimized since you’ve different crops grown in one place. If one crop is attack, other crops would be spared.

How to Grow and Manage Your Sweet Pepper

1) Provide a seed box or germinating tray for sowing seeds. Sow the seeds 12 mm or .5 inch deep in the seed trays or germinating tray. Slightly cover the seeds with thin soil to cover them.

2) Cover the seed trays or germinating trays with newspaper or polyethylene plastic. Germination will take about 7-10 days from sowing.

3) After the seeds have germinated, remove the cover. Gradually expose the growing seedlings to the morning sunlight to harden them

4) Prepare a separate seed trays or germinating trays the same manner as when sowing seedlings. Fill with the growing medium and level at least 12 mm or .5 inch below the rim.

5) Use a dibber to form holes about 36 mm or .5 inch apart, the outer ones 12 mm or .5 inch from the sides.

7) Now set the individual seedlings to a growing bags or pots.

8) Support the plants with sticks tied with wires or strings to hold in place.

9) Feed the growing plants every ten days from planting up to the time when the first truss (bunch fruit) is formed.

10) Remove all shoots growing in the angles of the leaves-snap them sideways. Also, gradually remove the lower leaves to induce ripening of the fruits.

11) Harvest your fresh sweet pepper when they’re ripe or dark green when use for cooking chop suey (a Chinese dish). You can give or sell your surplus harvest to your neighbors. And they’ll thanks for your generosity.

See, it’s very easy to grow your own chemically free sweet pepper for your family’s needs.

Try planting your own home grown sweet pepper to have your ready supply for your kitchen. You’re sure you’ll enjoy it.

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How to Grow Your Tasty Eggplant

2010-06-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

HOW TO GROW YOUR TASTY EGGPLANT
(Solanum melongena Linn.)

Growing your own eggplant is fun and a lucrative home gardening business Besides being nutritious, it could provide you with a real fresh fruits coming directly from your garden.
You can produce them the way you want it. Producing eggplant can be done without using chemicals because you’re the one controlling their growth processes.
If you’ll plant eggplant with other vegetables, the occurrence of pests and diseases attack could be totally minimized or even none at all. Companion cropping or multiple cropping can control pests and diseases attack since they’re protected by the other plants.

How to Grow Your Tasty Eggplant

1) Provide a seed box or germinating tray for sowing seeds. Sow the seeds 12 mm or .5 inch deep in the seed trays or germinating tray. Slightly cover the seeds with thin soil to cover them.
2) Cover the seed trays or germinating trays with newspaper or polyethylene plastic. Germination will take about 7-10 days from sowing.
3) After the seeds have germinated, remove the cover. Gradually expose the growing seedlings to the morning sunlight to harden them
4) Prepare a separate seed trays or germinating trays the same manner as when sowing seedlings. Fill with the growing medium and level at least 12 mm or .5 inch below the rim.
5) Use a dibber to form holes about 36 mm or .5 inch apart, the outer ones 12 mm or .5 inch from the sides.
6) As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick or transfer them to the individual holes in the prepared seedling or germinating trays. This is to provide the seedlings a wider space to avoid over-crowding while in the seedling or germinating trays.
7) Now set the individual seedlings to a growing bags or pots.
8) Support the plants with sticks tied with wires or strings to hold in place.
9) Feed the growing plants every ten days from planting up to the time when the first pork is formed.
10) Remove all auxiliary buds growing up to the pork. Also, gradually remove the lower leaves below the pork.
11) Harvest your fresh eggplant when they’re big enough, a desirable size is reached out, but still tender. You can give or sell your surplus harvest to your neighbors. And they’ll thanks for your generosity.
See, it’s very easy to grow your own chemically free eggplant for your family’s needs.
Why not try planting your own tasty eggplant. You’re sure you’ll enjoy it and you’ll have a continuous supply of fresh fruits in your kitchen.
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Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. You can get a copy of his latest ebook “Discover How to get started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”, also get lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com

2010-06-15T17:29:00.001-07:00

How to Grow Hybrid Hibiscus

(Hibiscus rosa-sinensis “Estrella F. Alabastro”)

An addition to the Hibiscus species, a new hybrid of gumamela was bred locally by the Department of Plant Breeding at the UPLB-IPB, UP Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines.

The plant was carefully screened for beauty, hardiness, ease of propagation, and vigor which are important qualities to attract buyers and plant lovers.

The propagation is the same to the other hibiscus species except that this new hybrid needs a thorough understanding of plant propagation techniques.

To have a successful hibiscus production, the following management activities should be properly given due consideration.

Cultural Requirements

Hibiscus plant thrives best in an open field with enough supply of sunlight since they are tropical in nature that need enough light. Full sunlight is essential to make the plant develop fully and bear flowers profusely.

Those grown in shaded place are lanky and only bears few flowers. So, avoid planting them in shaded place.

Soil Requirement

Hibiscus are not choosy in their soil requirements, especially in their productive period. However, at the early stage of plant growth, hibiscus should be grown in porous, sandy soil with manures and organic compost.

The soil should be in good drainage. Hibiscus don’t thrives best in heavy soil and poor drainage because they can’t stand in waterlogged areas.

Plant Nutrition

Hibiscus planted in pots should be fertilized regularly with complete fertilizer either granular or foliar. Dilute 1 tablespoons of complete fertilizer in a gallon of water and apply every 2 weeks.

For those planted directly in the field, the following amount of fertilizer requirement should be strictly executed: 5-10 grams for small plants, 20-25 grams for medium plants, and 30-40 grams for large plants. After applying the fertilizer, water the soil to dissolve the fertilizer.

To improve the quality of flowers of your hibiscus, you should mix the complete fertilizer with a high level of Potassium and apply the mixture once a month.

Water Management

Though hibiscus doesn’t like waterlogged areas, they are water lovers but not to the extent of over-watering them.

Regular watering of hibiscus gives you a continuous supply of flowers the whole year round. On sunny days, water them every 3 days. During rainy days, you should water only when needed to avoid root rot infestation. Root rot is prevalent during this period.

To conserve water and to control pests and weeds accumulation, put mulching materials especially in the open field. The ideal mulching materials are: plastic mulch, rice hull or rice straw.

Don’t limit only the above materials as mulch, but you can use other mulching materials available in your country as a substitute of the above materials.

Plant Maintenance

As a gardener, you should be observant to your plant needs. Though they don’t talk, their physical appearance will give you signs for your immediate attention. Hibiscus are showy plants. They response productively when they are properly taken cared and pruned at least once a year.

Pruning hibiscus encourages the development of new plant growth from the pruned area from which new flowers will bloom for the next season. The best time to prune hibiscus is from May and September (under Philippine conditions these are dry months).

In your country they may not be the same with the Philippine conditions. Just observe the dry months in your country when you apply pruning to your hibiscus.

To produce healthy growth and beautiful flowers the succeeding season, cut the plant approximately 1/3 of its height.

You have to remove dead branches and those lying near the ground. Also thin out branches on the center of the plants to have a balance branches and flower distribution. This will add the appearance of the plants attractiveness once the flowers starts to bloom.

Pests and Diseases Control

The presence of pests and diseases in your hibiscus plants affects their growth performance and flower production. Therefore, always check your plants for possible attack of the pests and diseases.

The most common pests of hibiscus are…

1. Flower worms. This pest usually infest the leaves, flower buds and flowers.

2. Aphids. Aphids causes the curling of the young foliage which may be unattractive when the attack is serious.

3. Spiraling white flies. This pest attack the leaves which causes the malformation of the entire foliage.

4. Green hoppers. Serious attack of the pest to the leaves will results to cupping and yellowing of the leaves.

5. Black flea beetles. Also attack the leaves and the result will lead to shot holes in the entire leaves.

To control the damage of your entire hibiscus plants, apply the recommended insecticides specifically for the specific pests. Ask from any agriculture store in your area the specific pesticides for the insect pest.

The most common diseases of hibiscus identified are…

1. Leaf spot. The plant affected with leaf spot causes the browning and black spots on the leaves.

2. Root or collar rots. This disease attack the root and stem which results to the rotting of the entire stems and roots.

You can control these diseases by controlling water application and improve soil drainage. Check your pots if the water are properly draining out after watering. If planted in the open field, check the drainage canal of any obstacles for the free flow of water.

To chemically control these diseases, use Dithane 45 by drenching into the plant base of the plants to kill them.

But, if you can avoid chemicals, use the natural control methods by applying some plant repellants or homemade insecticides.

Get a copy of my FREE articles “Natural Control of Flowering Plants’ Insect Pests” at: www.articlesbase.com /category home improvement –gardening.

Visit my website: www.crisramasasa.com for more tips and Free resources about home gardening or mailto: cris@crisramasasa.com for more details.

Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. You can get a copy of his latest ebook “Discover How to get started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”. You can also get lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com

How to Grow Bromeliads the Easy Way

2010-06-15T17:18:00.000-07:00

HOW TO GROW BROMELIADS THE EASY WAY

Bromeliads are native of South America. Growing them are quite easy as long as they are provided with the basic growth requirements. They have several genera. Some are giants while some are tiny. Many of them though are in between.

Bromeliads are very versatile and sturdy plants. They can be grown even without soil. They require very little insecticides and minimal fertilization.

They are also prized for their colorful foliage. Some have also very long-lasting flowers that are not only colorful but also have usual shapes.

Common genera of Bromeliads

• Aechmea
• Billbergia
• Cryptanthus
• Neoregelia
• Nidularium
• Tillandsia
• Guzmania
• Vriesea
• Ananas or ornamental pineapple

How to Propagate Bromeliads

The most common way of propagating bromeliads is through separation of their suckers or pups as soon as they are 1/3 the size of the mother plant. Usually, bromeliads produce a lot of pups (sometimes more than 10 pups) as soon as they flower. Others produces suckers or pups before the produce flowers.

To produce more suckers from your mother plant, you have to remove the suckers or pups as soon as they are ready for separation. If you’ll not remove them, only few pups will come out.

Other method of propagating bromeliads is by seeds. But not all bromeliads produce seeds. Some Aechmeas readily produce seeds which could be grown in fine chopped fern chips or chopped coconut husk that are constantly kept moderately moist.

The problem with those grown by seeds, because it will take more than a year to grow the seeds into a medium- size plant. This will delay your venture for a faster way of producing more plant especially if you’re on commercial production.

Use the right potting medium

You should select a potting medium that easily drains and does not easily deteriorate. If you have a fern tree in your country, you can chopped them. They are ideal as potting medium.

You can also use a mixture of coconut coir fiber and coconut coir dust. You have to use more coconut coir fiber so that the medium will not breakdown fast. You should repot the plant once the medium becomes soggy.

If the above potting mediums are not available, use a chop dried coconut trunk. If you’ll use the fresh ones, dry them before using.

Where to place your bromeliads?

To get a more attractive foliage colors of your bromeliads, place them under proper light conditions. You can attain this by placing them under a three layers of fishnets. Guzmanias and vrieseas generas requires more shady conditions.

You can readily see if your bromeliads are under proper light conditions. If under too much shade, the colored ones will become green. If placed under too much sunlight, their leaves becomes scalded or bleached.

Another important requirement in growing bromeliads is proper air ventilation. Good air circulation will bring out the best color of the plants and will also prevent fungal infection that could eventually result in rotting.

To attain a proper ventilation, place your plants atop a bench. If that is not possible, seat them atop inverted clay pots so they will be at least one foot above the ground.

Plant nutrition

Fertilize your bromeliads so they will grow faster and healthier. Don’t over-fertilize them in order not to lose their bright colors.

A sign of over-fertilization, the leaves becomes too long and they will not look attractive.

Use a slow-release fertilizer. If not, use the ordinary urea or complete fertilizer and apply them to the potting medium. Or you can apply foliar spray.

Remember this, to get a better result, fertilize only at half the usual dose.

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Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. Get a copy of his latest ebook “Discover How to get started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”, also get lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com

How to Grow Chrysanthemum for Fun and Profit

2010-06-12T15:06:00.001-07:00

HOW TO GROW CHRYSANTHEMUM FOR FUN AND PROFIT

Chrysanthemum is one of the most popular cut flower by most florist and flower arrangers. They are identified through its flower classifications…

1) Single. This includes varieties which approximately has five rows or ray florets and a visible central disk still prominent.

2) Semi-double. This has two or several rows petals but with the central disk still prominent.

3) Double. This includes such categories as…

· Incurves. Its heads are nearly globular in outline with no visible disk florets. The ray florets are curved upward toward the center of the flower. This is the most popular of the market-type large flower because of ease of handling since it’s not easily bruised.

· Reflex. Its head is similar to the incurves in outline but the ray florets are curved downward toward the base of the flower.

· Pompon. It has either globular or flat head but they ray florets are short and firm.

· Decorative. It has he4ad with many flat ray florets and its outline is flat rather than globular.

· Novelty type. Flowers with tubular ray florets. Novelty has four types…

- Spider. Also called “Fuji Chrysanthemum”, it has hidden disk florets with long arching ray florets hooked upward at the tip.

- Quill. Similar to spider type but the tip of the ray florets are not

hooked.

- Spoon. The end of its tubular ray florets is spatulate and,

unlike the spider and quill types, its central disk may be distinct.

- Anemone. This type has blooms that are either single or double with

a pincushion-like center as the most prominent part. The ray florets

play only a minor role.

Environmental requirements to grow Chrysanthemum

Soil. Chrysanthemum grows best in a well-drained soil with high moisture holding capacity. It should have a pH between 5.8 to 6.8, but the ideal one should be 6.0 to 6.5. The percent organic matter content must be at least 4% or higher.

Climate. Chrysanthemum being an open plant grows well in areas with plenty of sunshine but should be cool during the night. They grow well and bear productive flowers in a cool place.

Too much rainfall is not favorable for chrysanthemum because the attack of some pests and diseases is prevalent during this period.

But this can be remedied by providing protective structures to the growing plants.

If you have the financial capability, constructing a greenhouse is the ideal solution to protect your flowers from serious damage.

Water. Adequate water supply is vital during the growing period of this plant. Don’t ever attempt to plant your flower plant if you think there is no available source of water.

You’ll be frustrated if you’ll limit the supply of water to your chrysanthemum, because they love water during their growing period.

Light. Although chrysanthemum thrives best to sunlight, they are also tolerable in an artificial light bulbs. This is true when you grow them in greenhouse where sunlight is limited.

You can supply artificial light during the months where sunlight is critical. Under Philippines condition, it’s from July to March where light is critical.

The best site location for Chrysanthemum

You have to consider a good location especially if you’re for commercial production.

The following 7 considerations should be your best choice for site location…

1) Accessibility to good road. Good road is an important area of concern if you’re into commercial production. Naturally, customers wants a good road network to have an easy access to your garden.

2) Relatively flat or slightly rolling land with adequate windbreak. Your area should be a little bit flat but slightly rolling and of course with a reasonable windbreak to protect the plants from strong wind during storm or typhoon.

3) Chemical-free location. Your site should be far from possible sources of harmful chemicals like factories, refineries, and other hazardous objects.

4) Source of organic manures. As much as possible locate your garden near the source of organic materials, such as poultry farms, piggery, barns, etc.

5) Source of electric power. As mentioned earlier, chrysanthemum is a sun-loving plant. In the absence of sunlight, artificial light can be supplemented. It’s therefore important to locate your garden near the source of electric power for emergency purposes.

6) Proximity to market. Near to the market place is an advantage in your part because you’ll minimize handling cost in transporting your flowers.

7) In demand in the market. Survey the market and observe what cut flowers are in demand. Knowing the demand in the market, will give you an idea and in turn minimize your losses in the production cost because you know before hand which flowers will give you the best return on your investment.

Your site initial preparation

Before you start your actual cut flower operations, you should provide the following infrastructures…

1) Rooting plots or beds. You should construct your rooting beds about 50 square meters for every hectare of effective land area to be planted.

2) Nursery. Your nursery is the place where you’ll stock your plants prior to market. It’s also the place where you’ll groom and do some finishing touches before delivering them to the market or garden shows.

3) Electrical and misting fixtures. Electrical fixtures are connected to the misting fixtures for automatic water mist supply to the plants. Irrigation system requires for the supply of water to the stock nursery. This may includes the installation of water tanks, light timer and other facilities needed.

4) Packing area. The packing area is your place for the preparation of the plants for marketing. This is also your rest area for farm workers and utilities.

5) Storage room. Your storage room serves as the place for storing your farm implements, chemicals, and other farm supplies.

6) Farm block. If you’ve enough space in your garden, you should have your area blocked into quarters. One quarter of the area is always in bloom and the rest are in various stages of operation, one quarter being transplanted or at seedling stage and the other quarter near flowering.

This way you’ve a continuous supply of flower the whole year round.

How to prepare the land

After the major farm operations was performed, such as clearing, leveling, terracing, plowing and harrowing, the construction of raised beds follows.

You should construct raised beds with a size of .5 to 1 meter wide with a lengths from 25 to 50 meters.

After bedding, you’ve to spread organic manures like chicken ,hog, horse, or bat manure, whatever is available in your country. These manures should be spread over the bed at a depth of about 2 – 4” then incorporate into the soil 1 – 1.5 months before transplanting. This will depend on how fresh your manures will be.

If you can get an aged manures, it’s much better because the decomposition process is much faster, and can be utilized by the plants earlier.

Together with the manures, you’ve to apply basal phosphate fertilizer which usually consists of a single super phosphate (20 P2O5) at the rate of 0.1 -0.2 kg/sq. m. and liming material to adjust the soil pH and to ensure that calcium level in the soil is adequate.

How to propagate chrysanthemum

Most often chrysanthemum is propagated by stem tip cutting if you’re into commercial production. For home gardens or small cut flower ventures, you can use suckers, stem cuttings and seeds.

Usually, you can obtain your cuttings from your stock/mother plant which you should perpetually keep in vegetative state by providing supplementary lighting.

No more than 5 – 6 flushes of stem tip cuttings should be obtained after which the stock plants are replanted with a new one.

Here’s what you’ll do…

1) Construct a rooting beds using sand or volcanic cinder as support rooting medium, about 1 foot thickness.

2) Cut the stem tip at least 2 – 3” long or irrespective of length, there must by at least 2 to 3 fully developed leaves.

3) Soak cuttings in a root hormone to hasten root development.

4) Set cuttings in misted rooting beds distanced at 1 inch apart.

5) Rooting beds should be misted to ensure high growth survival of the cuttings.

6) Cuttings treated with rooting hormone are ready for transplanting in about 10 – 14 days.

7) You can plant the rooted cuttings when the roots reached a length of .5 – 1”.

8) If the cuttings are ready for planting but the area is not yet prepared, you can dry-packed and store them in cold-storage at 0°C for 3 weeks, longer if unrooted.

How to transplant chrysanthemum

In your prepared raised beds, transplant the rooted cuttings at a density of 16 – 24 plants per square meter depending on the variety and the quality of the flowers you desired.

If you’re aiming for better quality flower and more vigorous varieties, you can set them at a lower plant densities.

Once cuttings have produced roots, the become responsive to photoperiod, so your rooting beds should be lighted.

Light should also be installed in the flower production area even before transplanting.

During the first 3 – 5 days from transplanting, you should maintain mist to avoid wilting. Or you can use an overhead sprinkler irrigation. But you’ve to discontinue this as soon as the plants are already established to minimize leaf diseases.

Maintain your plants’ sanitation by removing some weeds up to flowering stage.

Remember! Weeds are the number one competitors for plant nutrients.

Always keep the soil moist at all times but not too much water accumulation.

How to initiate fertilize application

Although your plots have been applied basally with phosphate fertilizer, you should apply supplementary fertilizer after the 4^th week from transplanting.

Dissolve the fertilizer in water at the rate of ½ lb per one gallon of water.

On a square meter area, the transplants requires at least .04 - .05 kg/sq. meter of nitrogen and potassium. This amount may be applied in three equal installments or weekly as follows…

1) Prior to pinching (about 2 weeks after transplanting).

2) Prior to start of short day or lights off.

3) Shortly after appearance of petal color.

Weekly application of fertilizer should start about a week from transplanting.

How to pinch, prune, and disbud

Pinching is the removal of the terminal shoot to force the break out of the auxiliary buds.

Consequently, several lateral stems are produced per plant. To have a quality flowers, it’s not advisable to allow these lateral stems to grow.

The ideal number should be 3 – 4 lateral stems per plant. In this numbers, you’ll be having some quality flowers – a case where you’ll flowers commands good price.

In reducing the number of stems, you should select those vigorous laterals that are distanced from each other preferably those at a more basal location.

By pruning the unnecessary laterals, you’re minimizing over-crowding and competition among laterals which will ultimately affect the quality of the flowers.

The more the number of laterals, the greater the competition for the food manufactured by the leaves.

You should pinch the plants about two weeks from transplanting. You should pinch about .5 – 1 inch the terminal either by a pruning shear or simply by pinching between your finger nails.

The use of the finger nails is preferred to minimize the transfer of diseases through the infected cutting instrument.

However, you should wash your hands properly with ethyl alcohol or, if available with fresh milk before doing the operation to make sure your hands are clean.

Your disbudding operations should start as soon as the terminal flower buds appear and have reached a bigger size and is easy to handle.

Usually, there are about 4 – 5 number of buds that appears at the terminal. The standard recommendation is, only one bud is allowed to mature. The rest should be removed by disbudding.

The ideal size of the buds to be removed should be about the size of a mongo seed. If disbudding is made earlier than the prescribed time, the remaining bud might be injured, and will affect the flower quality.

On the other hand, if you’ll disbud when the buds too big, the possibility of big scar left is too big and unsightly thus affecting flower quality.

Large wounds scars also take longer to heal and they may also serve as entry point for disease microorganisms.

For spray mums, disbudding is usually not necessary. However, the removal of the central terminal crown bud usually ensures a more uniform development of the remaining lower buds.

Take note, that long straight stems are among the desirable features of a quality flower of chrysanthemum.

Therefore, you should provide support for the growing plant. You can use any support, say a nylon cords or anything available.

The first layer should be placed when the plants are about 1 foot high and the next layer are about 2 feet high or the first layer may be raised to about 1.5 feet, when the plants are about 2 feet high.

How to control pests and diseases

The most common insect pests of chrysanthemum are…

1) nematodes

2) leaf roller

3) mites

4) thrips

5) aphids.

They’re not serious types of pests. In fact, they can be controlled easily by Companion cropping with other aromatic herbs and other biological control methods. If the infestation is beyond control, you can use chemical insecticides as the last recourse, but you’ve to follow the manufacturer’s recommendation to totally eradicate them.

But, my position is still on NATURAL CONTROL METHODS. If you can avoid it, don’t ever use any chemical to control pests and diseases.

On the other hand, some of the common diseases of chrysanthemum are the following…

1) Cercospora leaf spot

2) Fusarium stem rot

3) Powdery mildew

4) An unidentified bacteria

These diseases can be easily controlled by the use of the following fungicides, following the recommendation from the manufacturers…

1) Difolatan

2) Daconil

3) Dithane

4) M45

5) Maneb

6) Delsene MX

As I have said before, and this will be my position, by all means…

IF YOU CAN AVOID IT, DON’T EVER USE ANY CHEMICAL TO CONTROL PESTS AND DISEASES.

There are so many natural control methods you can apply. Just look around, you can find them.

How to harvest a quality flowers

Chrysanthemum flowers are the ones that are sold to the market. It’s therefore vital that proper harvesting should be done with care to get an attractive and good looking flower appearance.

Here are some recommendations that you should follow…

1) The flowers should be nearly fully opened when harvested.

2) The spray type, should be cut when the central flower is open and the surrounding flowers are well developed.

3) For varieties that shed pollen badly, should be cut before they become unsightly.

4) The standards should be cut before the center florets are fully developed.

5) The stems should be reasonably soft where the cut is made since very hard woody tissues may not absorb water. However, the entry of water into the hard woody stem can be facilitated by slightly crushing the tip end.

6) The lower 1/3 portion of the foliage on the stem should be stripped off to prevent the leaves from fouling the water or holding the solution.

7) For standards that are to be opened artificially, the flowers should be cut in the bud stage (about the size of a quarter coin).

How to do post-harvest handling of chrysanthemum flowers

In order to extend the life span of your flowers, the following steps should be strictly followed…

1) Shortly after harvest, they should be held in water at 5°C.

2) Post harvest life may be extended by dry storage at 0 - 1°C for 3 weeks.

3) When the flowers are to be stored, they should, however , be conditioned by recutting the stem end, then soak their stems in warm water (about 37 - 42°C) to facilitate rapid dehydration.

4) An opening solution which may be used consists of 5 – 10% sucrose + 200 ppm 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate or sulfate (200 ppm Physan 20 or Likosan which may be a substitute for 8-hydroxyquinoline). The flowers opened in 7 – 9 days and the maximum flower diameter for Albatros at full opening is 12.5 cm.

Source: Rimando, Tito J. 1989. A courseware of the Technology Correspondence Program, Technology And Livelihood Resource Center, Module III, UPLB, Laguna, Phil.

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Cris Ramasasa, Freelance writer, writes about home gardening and Internet marketing tips. You can get a copy of his latest ebook “Discover How to get started in Flower Gardening” and “Vegetable Gardening Made Easy”, also get lots of tips, Free articles, and bonuses at: www.crisramasasa.com

How to Grow Your Homemade Tomatoes

2010-06-12T14:56:00.001-07:00

HOW TO GROW YOUR HOMEMADE TOMATOES

Growing tomatoes is fun and a lucrative home gardening business. Besides being nutritious, it could provide you with a real fresh fruits coming directly from your garden.

You can produce them the way you want it. Producing tomatoes can be done without using chemicals because you’re the one controlling their growth processes.

Steps in growing tomatoes…

1) Provide a seed box or germinating tray for sowing seeds. Sow the seeds 12 mm or .5 inch deep in the seed trays or germinating tray. Slightly cover the seeds with thin soil to cover them.

2) Cover the seed trays or germinating trays with newspaper or polyethylene plastic. Germination will take about 7-10 days from sowing.

3) After the seeds have germinated, remove the cover. Gradually expose the growing seedlings to the morning sunlight to harden them

4) Prepare a separate seed trays or germinating trays the same manner as when sowing seedlings. Fill with the growing medium and elvel at least 12 mm or .5 inch below the rim.