Importance of Testing Your Soil

Have you thought about testing your soil or getting it tested? This testing is not as difficult as you might think.

Since most plants have specific soil preferences — for example, azaleas prefer slightly acidic, while others such as geraniums prefer less acid — a PH test can save you money by helping you know which plants will do best in your garden.

Because some adjustments may require a few months to take effect, early spring is one of the best times to test your soil. Samples should be taken when the soil is fairly dry because wet soil can give a false reading.

How To Test Your Soil:

There are two ways you can get your soil tested. You can use a home testing kit or send the sample to be tested.

Home testing kits can usually be found in most garden centers and hardware stores. You can choose the one that tests one thing, such as the PH, or one which test for nutrients and PH. These are usually not expensive and fairly accurate. Click to see a pH and fertilizer analyzer.   If you click “soil testing” in the link just above the picture of the fertilizer analyzer, you will see three other types of soil testers.

Some kits are easier to use than others. Some require steps while others involves simply pouring water and mixing soil.

The keys to success are collecting good soil samples and following directions. Make sure you test your soil more than once to double-check your results.

Rather than buying a kit, you can collect soil samples and send them to your local agricultural extension offices who will test your soil’s PH and nutrient levels for a small fee.

Most offices provide a sterile container for your sample and a form to fill out . This form will ask you to provide a little information about your garden, where you live, and the plants you wish to grow.

You should receive a soil analysis approximately two to three weeks after you have sent your samples. This analysis should include suggested changes to your soil and detailed results re your samples. If you choose this option, be sure to take your samples early in the spring. Once you have tested your soil, you will be in a better position to know how to remedy soil deficiencies or buy the plants which best fit your soil.

On the next post, I will explain how you can determine soil drainage and how to take the soil sample. Until then, ….

Happy Gardening!

Marcie

A Gardener s Paradise!
http://www.A1Gardening-LandscapingSupplies.com

. . .How the different parts of a plant work together to make the plant grow? I can almost see your reaction!!! However, we sometimes forget that plants are composed of many parts and that if one of those parts is not healthy, the plant will not survive. Like any thing you can think of, whether it be people, pets or plants, their basic needs must be met to ensure a happy, healthy life.

Plants, of course, are alive, and so have both general and specific needs, depending upon the variety of plant in question. In this article, we’ll learn about the different parts of plants – root, stem, leaf and flower – and how they work together to help plants grow.

Roots

Most often overlooked and neglected, the root system of any plant plays a critical role in overall plant growth, health and vigor.

The root system is responsible for supplying a plant with water, vitamins and minerals, all necessary ingredients that promote and maintain healthy vigorous growth.

As the nutrients around the plant are consumed, the roots will continue to grow out and down, searching for new sources of food and water.

Soil

As you may have guessed, the type of soil in your garden plays an important role in overall plant health and vigor. In general, most plants like a loose, well-drained soil with lots of organic material.

Organic material helps to maintain moisture content levels in the soil and helps to prevent soil compaction Organic material can be peat moss, shredded bark, composted or decomposed plant material, some form of manure (generally cow manure), or even worm castings or rice hulls to name a few.

Potting soil is usually some combination of the above list and may have little or no actual “dirt” in it.

Stem

The stem, stalk or trunk is the “super highway” of the plant. It starts at ground level and supplies the food and water from the roots to the leaves and flowers or fruit.

Leaves

The leaves of a plant take the food and water from the roots through the stem and with the help of sunlight will turn the water and nutrients into energy. That energy is then sent back through the stem to the entire plant, including right back down to the roots — nature’s example of Solar Energy at work.

Flowers

The flower or fruit of a plant is responsible for the reproduction of the plant. Whether it’s strawberries, lemons, tomatoes, pansies or pine-cones, their sole purpose in life is to reproduce more of their own kind.

Humans have found over time that various plants either taste good, have a nice scent or are pleasant to look at and have therefore selected out of millions of varieties just a few types to cultivate

Gardening Tip 1: Growth above ground mirrors growth below ground. For example, if your bell pepper plant is 1 foot tall and 1 foot wide, its root system is 1 foot deep and 1 or more feet wide.

Gardening Tip 2: Always follow the directions for any gardening product (fertilizer or pest controls). If you’re not sure, using less is always safer than using too much. However, using the right amount will help ensure consistent results.

The information in this article will help you better understand what could be wrong if your plant is slowly wilting and which part of the plant needs the extra tender loving care.   Whether  a beginner or not, you will definitely want to understand how the various parts of a plant work together to promote healthy growth.

Remember that like any thing you can think of, whether it be people, pets or plants, their basic needs must be met to ensure a happy, healthy life.

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Authors Bio – With over 20 years of gardening and Landscaping experience, Bill Watson now shares his tips and advice on creating and maintaining lush and healthy gardens. Visit his website at www.your-healthy-gardens.com. For Webmasters visit: www.your-healthy-gardens.com/website.html to Build a Website that Works!

Soil problems occur when your soil’s ph level is either too high or too low, when the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is incorrectly balanced or when you have improper soil drainage. Testing your soil (explanation found in previous post) was your first step. Now you have received the results of these soil sample tests, and you are ready to identify a soil problem solution. These tips will help you identify a ph solution as well as what to do if you must remedy your soil for proper drainage .

Before we begin looking at soil problem solutions, however, please note that there are two conditions under which you should NOT test your soil:

1. After a severe storm the ground may be waterlogged and soil tests are likely to give incorrect readings.

2. Drainage tests may be inaccurate when the ground is still partially frozen below where you are digging

Now For Some Soil Problem Solutions:

High pH: Soils with a high pH are alkaline. To lower the pH, mix some sulfur into the soil surrounding the existing plants or into new planting beds

Low pH: Soils with a low pH are too acidic. To correct, add lime to the soil and mix in well to raise the pH level.

High Nitrogen: Soils that have been overfertilized can end up having high nitrogen levels. Water well, and do not fertilize for several months.

Low Nitrogen: This is a common problem – not enough nitrogen. Use synthetic or natural nitrogen-rich fertilizers according to the rate suggested by the manufacturer (very important)

High Phosphorus: If you have used too much high-phosphate fertilizer, you will end up with soil which is too high in phosphorus for best results. To remedy, do not use phosphorus-rich fertilizer for two years. Grow an abundance of plants to use up excess.

Low Phosphorus: To increase phosphorus levels, mix in superphosphate or bone meal into your garden soil. Make sure these additives are mixed thoroughly.

High Potassium: Do not add potassium-rich fertilizers or soil amendments for two to three years. Add nitrogen and phosphorus to help balance the soil.

Low Potassium: Work in potash or wood ashes. (Hint: If you want a green lawn, just scatter wood ashes on it in the fall or early spring — beautiful results) Be careful if working around acid-loving plants. Do not use wood ashes close to these plants because wood ashes is alkaline and can diminish the growth of the acid-loving plants.

Too Much Drainage: Your soil is quite sandy and requires something to hold the water. Add organic amendments such as compost. (Find out how to create compost here?)

Poor Drainage: Heavy, clay soil tends to drain poorly because the soil compacts so readily and can even become as hard as a rock. Use peat moss, compost, or other organic amendments to help loosen the soil. Mix these additives very thoroughly. (Hint: A fork does a great job with the mixing process).

By testing (click to view a four-way soil analyzer) and applying the proper remedy to solve your soil problems, you will soon have a healthy soil and that means healthy and lush plants.

Hopefully these suggestions will be of help to you.

Meanwhile, enjoy the beautiful weather and take advantage of the spring weather to get your soil in shape.

Happy Gardening!
Marcie

If you follow these tips, you will find the job easy.

1. Watering
The number one house plant killer is overwatering. Sometimes if your soil is of good quality, it may look as though the soil is still moist. On the other hand, you may be tricked into believing that the plant is dry . . . that it needs watering. However, it’s better to be safe than sorry.   Either way, check your soil by sticking your index finger up to the first joint into the soil…and if the soil is damp, leave it alone.

2. Feeding

If your plant is mainly foliage, it will usually require a high nitrogen fertilizer while other indoor plants who flower need fertilizer with K²O. Moreover, certain plants like cacti and orchids need its own special fertilizer. Of course I’m partial to feeding plants, any plants, with vermicompost or any other type of compost you may have. If you want, you can mix in slow release fertilizers with your compost. Remember, though,that plants should be fed only when the plants are actively flowering or producing foliage.

3. Lighting

There are plants such as the Sanseveria and the Aspidistra which can grow without direct sun, so these can be delegated to a spot away from the window. Others such as the spider plants require only semi-shade, so these can be put near a window that does or does not get sunlight. To find out how much sun your plants need, just check the label.

4. Temperature

Although houseplants can survive in cool or warm temperatures, drastic temperature changes may be harmful to them. If you have gas heating, you will probably not be able to keep any houseplants because they cannot survive in gas heating. By the same token, if you have a plant that likes warm conditions, keep them away from the air conditioner in the summer.

5. Humidity

Certain houseplants prefer a humid environment, so you could maximize humidity by putting the pot inside a larger pot and filling in the gaps with stones or compost to keep in the moisture. Another idea is to group plants together to create a microclimate that they all benefit from. Also, depending on the temperature, you could add humidity by spraying the plants with water once or twice a day.

6. Re-potting

Should all plants be repotted? Well that depends. Although some plants need to be repotted to allow optimum growth, others just don’t like to get their roots disturbed. Also, if the root system is still small, then the plant does not need to be repotted.

To check to see if the plant needs repotting, turn the pot upside down, tap it to release the plant, and check its roots. If you see a whole bunch of roots, it’s probably best to repot. Sometimes the roots grow so much that they come out of the bottom of the pot. In that case, either cut off the roots or repot the plant.

To summarize, if you just give your plants a little bit of care, in turn you’ll have indoor plants which will not only add to the beauty of your decor but also provide you with much pleasure and satisfaction.

Marcie

Insecticides and pesticides destroys the ecosystem in the soil: the worms, microorganisms and macroorganisms that live in the soil and keep it alive and healthy.  The result is that the soil becomes  depleted, the grass is not getting full nourishment, so it becomes prey to bugs.

The secret to a beautiful lush lawn is to keep your grass healthy.  Compare that to your health.  If you stay healthy, you can fight the viruses and diseases more easily, right?  The same goes with any plant including grass.

To achieve a healthy lawn, consider using this step-by-step organic lawn care  system:

1. Cut no more than a third of the grass blade length and leave the clippings in the grass.  This reduces the need for fertilizer by 30%.

Set your lawn mower higher so as to mow high – up to 3 inches- and mow often.  Not only should you mow higher,  you should also keep your blades sharp so that you do not tear and injure the grass.

Grass doesn’t drink its food through its roots.  Like any other plant, the grass gathers its nutrients through its roots, but manufactures its food in its leaves — the green part of the leaf. Therefore if the leaf is cut back to one inch high, it is as healthy as you would be with one meal a week.

The lowest you should cut it is two inches (5 cm) minimum, and three inches (8cm) is best.

A second reason for keeping the grass blade at least 2 inches long is that the long blade shades the roots so keeps them cool.  Secondly, longer grass makes its more difficult for weeds to grow.

2. Test The ph Of Your Soil — if grass cracks, the ph is off.

Test the ph of your soil. If you don’t know how to do this, you will find the full explanation at plantsandgardeningtips.com/testing-your-soil/

Grass requires a slightly acidic soil (a ph of 6.5 to 7 is best).  Soil that is too acidic can be ’sweetened” with garden lime.  Please be careful with lime. You need very little to make a difference. Follow directions carefully.

On the other hand, soil that is too alkiline can be made more “sour” by adding sulfur. (Again, follow directions carefully)

3. Fertilize Only As Needed

Best time to fertilize is in the fall. Most lawns need to be fertilized every year because they need more nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium than soil usually contain (unless you mulch your clippings as mentioned above).Most fertilizers have these three elements but they vary in proportion, depending what you buy.

Avoid the stuff that makes your lawn grow quickly — your grass does not have time to root deeply; this new fast growth is weak and becomes easy prey to bugs.

Use a slow-release granular fertilizer.  Organic fertilizers are best because they last the whole year and prevent weak green growth that bugs love to eat.

If you need a plant activator, use fish emulsion or kelp.  Microbes feed on it and it makes better soil.

4. Aerate And Add Soil Amendments

Aeration is important in order to allow the grass roots to breathe in air in order to work properly.  A root trying to breathe in packed soil is comparable to a human trying to breathe with a plastic bag over his/her head.

Note that where the soil is compacted you will see a lot of dandelions. Rent a small aerator or hire an organic lawn business to do it once a year.

Next rake it all smooth, and overseed it with a bit of high quality chewing fescue or perennial ryegrass.   Most ryegrasses have endorphins, so the thicker the better.  Then water the seed in.

5. Water For Maximum Absorption

Watering deeply and not too often is best.  Watering properly will help your lawn grow deep roots that make it stronger and less vulnerable to drought.

Frequent shallow watering trains the roots to stay near the surface; thus the lawn is less able to find moisture during dry periods.

Bluegrass lawns need about one inch of water once a week. Fescues and perennial ryegrasses need only about half that much.  Put a small can on the lawn before turning the sprinkler on to measure watering accurately.

Depending on local rainfall,  soil type, the type of grass chosen, and the general health of the lawn, you may have more or less watering needs. However, no well established lawn should need to be watered daily.

When you do water your lawn, try to imitate a slow, soaking rain by using soaker hoses, trickle irrigations, or other water conserving methods.  Watering should be done early in the morning.

Watering during a hot summer day is a waste because of evaporation. Apply about one inch of water — enough that it soaks 6 to 8 inches into the soil.  Then let the lawn dry out thoroughly before watering it again.

6. Top Dress With Compost and Topsoil

When you wish to level your ground and to prepare for overseeding,  top dress with compost and/or topsoil.  Use “soil for grass” — not for garden.

Putting down about 1/8 inch is best. Buy the sterilized soil or certified weed free soil.  You can also choose to use compost to relieve compaction.

7. Overseed With Grass Varieties Appropriate For The Specific Area

Like any plant, grass has preferences.  Some grass prefer a humid climate while other grasses do very well in an area with water shortages.

Other factors to consider are type of soil required, nutrients they need, and their resistance to pests.

In addition, certain grasses grow well in shade while others require full sun.  It might be to your advantage to check these factors before you buy grass seed for your lawn.

If you buy sod, you usually get bluegrass which has V-shaped leaves with fairly blunt ends.  Bluegrass needs a lot of water and sun compared to other grasses.

Chewings fescue has very fine leaves with slightly rolled edges and visible veins.  This grass grows well in shady areas.

The creeping red fescue is best for dry areas.

If you grow perennial ryegrass, you will notice that this grass (particularly the varieties “Cutter” and “Edge”) are good at resisting insect problems.  The ryegrass leaf has prominent veins and is shinier below than above

8. Dethatch When Thatch Is Too Thick

Have you ever noticed a layer of dead material between the grass blades and the soil?  If so, you were looking at thatch buildup.  If this thatch buildup gets to be more than half an inch thick, it will prevent the water and nutrients from reaching the soil.  Not good!

If your lawn is healthy, this thatch is kept in balance by the microorganisms and earthworms who help it decompose and release its nutrients into the soil.

However, sometimes certain grasses tend to form a thick layer of thatch or you may have overfertilized your lawn or used a fertilizer which made the grass grow quickly.

In such a situation, you can get rid of a lot of that thatch (especially in the spring) by giving your lawn a good raking or by using a machine that slices through the thatch layer to break it up.

Another way to get rid of some of the thatch is to sprinkle a thin layer of topsoil or compost.

9. Control white grubs safely.

Find out more about how to safely control white grubs in your lawn by clicking http://www.pestcontroloptions.com/grubs/natural-treatment-for-lawn-grubs.

If you follow all of these steps, your lawn will be the envy of your neighbors.

Marcie

can save you time, water, and money. But most importantly, it promotes lush and vigorous growth

Deep Root Watering your plants can be easily done and should be practiced for many reasons:

1. Deep root watering promotes lush and vigorous growth, no matter what varieties of plants your grow.

2. Deep root watering saves water.

3. In depth watering encourages . . .

the development of strong, active root systems.

4. Watering deeply every so often encourages the roots to go deep, looking for food and water, which is exactly what we want them to do.

5. This method of deep watering your plants reduces maintenance. You irrigate less often, say once every 1 to 2 weeks; however, each time, you irrigate more and more deeply

Caution: Seedlings and fresh plantings (less than a month old), will always need more water until their root systems have started to expand and become established.

It’s best to wait until your seedlings and fresh plantings start to show new growth before you begin a deep root watering gardening program for them. Even then, slowly introduce them to this system.

Tip: Flower gardening plants in hot, sun-drenched areas of your garden, will generally need to be watered more often, but you can off-set this by choosing plants that are “drought tolerant.”

Cooler, shady areas will need much less water.

The Deep Root Watering Method Explained:

1. To allow the water to penetrate and not run off, till or loosen the top one-inch layer of soil in the flower gardening plant bed.

Be careful around newer plantings, as some of the roots will be nearer the surface and will be fragile.

2. For better results, use a good water nozzle, one that breaks the water flow into multiple, gentle streams.

3. If possible, add a good mulch on top of your garden bed, about 1 to 2 inches thick.

Mulch helps retain moisture, protect roots from temperature extremes, and keep weeds down to a minimum.

4. Start watering at a point in your yard that you can work your way back to. Slowly work your way around your garden.

5. Make sure to thoroughly water each individual plant and any open or unplanted area around them.

For a typical 10′ x 3′ bed, spend 5 minutes watering; then slowly work your way around the rest of your garden.

6. Now you’re done for about a week, depending upon the weather.

As you condition your plants to a deep watering system you will slowly stretch the length of time between waterings.

Your goal is to drive the water deep into the ground, and thoroughly saturate the soil to about 12 to 14 inches deep to create a reservoir of moisture below the roots.

As the upper part of the bed dries out, the roots will seek the water that’s stored below them. This encourages a deeper root system which is healthier and better able to tolerate low water conditions.

When you first start a deep watering program, you’ll want to monitor younger plants, and plants in hot areas of the garden.

For any plants starting to wilt, water them deeply again. Over time you will find that watering twice, or even once a month will be all an established plant needs, depending upon specific species or variety of plant.

Tip: Annuals need about 1 inch of water per week. Low-growing annuals like pansies will have naturally shallow root systems and although a deep watering program will encourage deeper roots, any plant with a shallow root system will require more regular waterings.

You can offset this tendency by planting annuals in cooler areas of your garden or using taller plants to shade surrounding areas (creating a gardening microclimate).

As with most gardening activities, you may need to adjust this process to suit your particular growing conditions.

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About the Author:
With over 20 years of gardening and landscaping experience, Bill Watson now shares his tips and advice on maintaining lush and healthy gardens. Visit his website at www.your-healthy-gardens.com. For webmasters, visit http://www.your-healthy-gardens.com/website.html

Because these summer flowering bulbs are not winter hardy, they must be lifted in the fall and replanted in the spring, (thus are known as spring bulbs in nurseries). However, the results are well worth the effort of lifting and replanting these summer flowering bulbs every season.

Here are some summer flowering bulbs you may want to include in your garden:

Acidanthera Summer Flowering Bulb (A member of the gladioli family)

The Gladiolus Acidanthera, a member of the gladioli family, is a gem which exhibits magnificent white flowers arching on the end of 24 to 36 inch upright spikes from July to September.

These cream colored blossoms that have a purplish -black blotch give off a fragrance which is outstanding, especially at dusk when the air is still. Plant them in full sun for best results.

Caladium Summer Flowering Bulb

Caladiums are especially prized for their gorgeous pink, red, green, and/or white arrowhead shaped colorful foliage which brighten any dark corner of the garden. For best growth and color, caladiums need protection from full sun.

The flowers are insignificant and drain energy from the plant, so they are best removed when they appear. Often used in borders and beds, caladiums are also ideal for pots and hanging baskets on the porch or patio.

Crocosmia Summer Flowering Bulb

The crocosmia make a bold statement in any garden. The crocosmia (Montbretia) produces beautiful mixed colored flowers in yellow, orange or fire-engine reds while the crocosmia masonorum produces 12-30 brilliant orange-red florets per stem and multiply rapidly.

Crocosmia have gracefully arching stem and add a festive brightness to the mid to late summer garden. The flowers are very showy and make great cut flowers. The Montbretia has attractive foliage, and hummingbirds flock to their blooms.

Glory Lily Summer Flowering Bulb

The Glory Lily, (also called gloriosa lily and flame lily), a climber with an unusual crimson-red flower with a yellow base and edging, blooms in mid-summer with unique lily-like flowers that have wavy petals 4 to 5 inches across.

This fast growing plant can climb up to 8 feet on a fence or trellis. On the other hand they can be planted in pots and containers indoors or on the deck or balcony. They make excellent cut flowers.

Spider Lily Summer Flowering Bulb (Hymenocallis/Ismeme)

The Spider Lily, commonly called Basket Lily or Peruvian Daffodil, features a clump of narrow, strap-shaped, amaryllis-like leaves growing directly from the bulb.

In the summer, each 2 ft stem is topped by 2 to 5 fragrant, white, gorgeous blooms with spidery petals. The flowers, which can grow up to 5 inches across, are very sweetly scented and come in white and yellow varieties.

Spider lilies, which should be planted in full sun or partial shade in early June when the soil has warmed up, can be used in borders, open gardens, and containers.

Ornithogalum (Chincherinchee) Summer Flowering Bulb

The Chincherinchee, ‘Ornithogalum thyroides’, produce wonderful white blooms. When planted in drifts, the ornithoglalum clusters of white star-like flowers on spiky stalks make an impressive display in the garden when they bloom in July and August.

Ornithogalum are a floral designer’s favorite because they are extremely long-lasting cut flowers and will last in a vase for about three weeks; under certain circumstances, they can actually last for months. Their hardiness zones are 7 through 10.

Tigridia Summer Flowering Bulb (Tiger Flower, Mexican Shell Flowers)

Tigridia’s common name is derived from the spots on the red, yellow, orange, maroon, or pink flowers that look like tiger spots. They grow 1 1/2 to 2 ft tall stems with foliage that resembles that of the gladioli, and the blooms appear to float above the foliage.

Each plant produces several flowers per stalk, and each separate flower blooms for just one day. Tigridia prefer full sun and sandy loam and are very pretty when used in sunny borders or beds.

These are only seven of a long list of summer flowering bulbs which produce exotic flowers in July and August. Aren’t they gorgeous!!!

Happy Summer Flowering Bulb Gardening!

Marcie

Last fall when I was cleaning up my balcony and mulching a few of my plants for the winter, I decided to transfer three of those 2 1/2 ft. long by 5 1/2 inches wide ( approx. 72 cm long by 14 cm wide) balcony window boxes into my living room. Two of the three window boxes each had one amaryllis bulb in it; the third window box I filled with soil only and would use it exclusively for vermi-composting.

I also brought in a 10-inch pot which contained three geranium plants which seemed to be slowly dying. I placed this flower pot on a table in front of my only window which got the sun – albeit only in the morning, but it was better than no sun at all. I just could not bring myself to throwing the geraniums in the outside compost.

As for the three window boxes, I placed them in one row on the floor behind my couch whose back was towards the patio door which faces north. The containers would thus be out of sight for anyone entering the apartment.

Once I had installed the three window boxes behind my couch, I went to the bait store, bought a dozen red worms, and put half of them in the container with soil only and the remaining worms I split up between the other two containers.

These reddish worms were not the small wigglers you find in composted manure, but they were the only worms available at the time. I could have used dew worms, but I don’t like handling those for they are much bigger, and I did not fancy having those in the “compost bin” behind my living room couch. (I live in an apartment).

I didn’t know then that worms love raw quaker oats that is used to make oatmeal, so I fed them chopped-up leftover lettuce, celery, carrot tops etc.. ( I felt it was important to break up the food in little pieces and bury most, if not all, in the soil. After all, no sense in attracting flies). Since the food was disappearing, I knew the worms were happy.

Two months went by. Once in a while I would dig into the soil to see what I would find. Soon I could see baby worms here and there, and that told me there was activity in that 3rd window box.

Meanwhile, all summer and fall the amaryllis bulbs had sprouted only green leaves, so after they had been inside for a few months they were neither growing nor dying, so I decided I would again try to use liquid synthetic fertilizer around the plant in the first window box and see if I would get results.

The next morning, to my dismay, I saw that the worms in that 1st window box had crawled out and were almost dead on my wooden floor. It then dawned on me that if the liquid fertilizer was too strong for the worms, how could it help the plants?   Right then and there I decided that was it!  No more using liquid synthetic fertilizer.  I had seen first hand how much worms evaded this stuff like the plague!

I picked up the worms and threw them in the 3rd window box with the bulk of the worms so they could revive fully. Then I watered the bulbs in that 1st window box to try and leach out as much of the liquid fertilizer as I could.

Since by this time the worms in the 3rd window box had had a few months of being fed and leaving castings behind, I decided to experiment. Taking my little hand trowel, I dug out some of that soil that contained the worm castings (made sure I was not including the worms), spread it as top soil all around the bulb plant, and watered with tap water which was at room temperature.

Lo and behold, even though this amaryllis was in front of a north window and got little, if any, sun (don’t get much sun in the winter anyway), a new shoot started growing and growing. Soon I was admiring a beautiful amaryllis; four beautiful white trumpet-like flowers were peeking at me above the back of the couch. I was impressed!

I figured that would be the end of the flowering for a while, but soon after the first trumpet-like flowers had died down, another shoot started growing. The plant flowered three times in a row! Each time the stem was nice and strong and the flowers were healthy and beautiful! Wow!

Unfortunately up to this point I had continued using liquid fertilizer to feed the geraniums even though two of the three plants had died leaving me with only one geranium in that large 10-inch flower pot. So when the worms reacted so strongly to having fertilizer in their window box, I decided to switch my feeding habits.

I immediately stopped using liquid fertilizer to feed the geranium. Instead, with my little trowel I dug out some soil that contained the worm castings in it from the 3rd window box, and spread this compost as topsoil all around the one remaining dying geranium.

Before long, I saw a major shift. The geranium’s stem was getting stronger and one morning when I walked into the room, I suddenly realized it had sprouted a beautiful hot pink flower. As time went on, a second one came forth, then a third and up to six at a time with more beginning to grow.

Click on this picture and you will clearly see the
large empty space on the left hand side of the pot
where the other two geranium plants had once been.

Notice how vibrant and lush this surviving geranium
looks. I did put soil with worm castings a second time,
but thatwas all I did except for regular watering.

Here’s another proof that worm castings work. In the spring of 2006 I had planted a climbing rose called “Joseph’s coat of many colors” in a big container on my balcony, but it had not done very well. I had very few roses and it never looked that healthy. It did not survive the winter.

Although in the past I had grown these climbing roses for years in my flower garden, in the spring of 2007 when I saw my precious climbing rose had died, I figured I would not be able to grow one of these beautiful climbing roses again as long as I would be in an apartment. I thought that never again would I be able to enjoy those beautiful roses which keep changing color as they age nor be able to smell that superb heady fragrance on the night or early morning air.

Well, after experiencing success with the geranium and the amaryllis, I decided to buy a young “Joseph’s coat of many colors” a few weeks ago and mixed in some of my worm compost with the soil in the bottom of the hole where I inserted the plant. As well, I mixed the worm composted soil with the soil that was used as fill around the plant.

The rose was planted about two weeks ago (April 26, 2008), and even though the weather has remained quite cool, the plant has survived the transplanting procedure very nicely.

It now has seven strong healthy-looking stems about 12 to 15 inches long, and each stem ends with a small flower bud. Click on the picture for a better view. See how lush and healthy it looks.

I think this “Coat of Many Colors” will survive beautifully. Of course time will tell.

Yes, I am sold on using only this vermi-compost, these worm castings, to feed the plants in my balcony containers. Worm castings work fabulously well!

The nice part about it is that after taking out some or all of the composted soil, I simply add more soil into the window box container, add the food, and let the worms do the rest.

This summer, the only fertilizer I will use for all my balcony plants will be the soil which contains worm castings in it. I simply place this compost around the base of my plants and every time I water, my plants will be fed with the best plant nutrition possible.

Perhaps you should try vermi-composting too! Begin today by reading more about how you can set up for your vermi-composting: Part 1 (i.e. worm composting: Part 1) at: http://www.superorganicgardeningtips.com/worm-composting/bins-and-bedding-for-worm-composting

Lasagna Gardening (often referred to as sheet composting) is a rather neat way of preparing your garden for planting without digging, removing sod, or tilling, and at the same time preparing a feast for worms. (As you are probably aware, worm castings is a humus rich soil amendment, and the more worms play around in your garden, the better your plants will flourish.)

Sheet composting is called Lasagna Gardening because of the way ingredients are added layer upon layer like a lasagna. When the ingredients decompose, the gardener then has a garden full of rich crumbly, dark soil ready for planting.

So how is Lasagna Gardening or Sheet Composting done?

First you choose a site with lots of sun, hopefully protected from high winds, and mark off this area with stakes and a string. Let’s say you want to start small. so you stake out for your first lasagna garden an area roughly 4 ft by 8 ft which will give you enough room to grow several different crops.

Next if you don’t have that much homegrown mulch and compost, consider buying some of your sheet composting material. One great ingredient found in any gardening nursery is the sphagnum peat moss which can be bought in huge bags.

Other ingredients which will help the composting procedure are bonemeal (to add phosphorus which promotes root growth) and bloodmeal (a high nitrogen material that can substitute for manures or grass clippings).

If your soil test shows that your soil is acidic, adding powdered limestone to the pile will add calcium and raise the pH of the soil.

If on the other hand your soil is alkaline, adding powdered sulfur will help lower the pH of the alkaline soil.

A pH above 7 means your soil is alkaline. A pH below 7 means your soil is acidic. Most plants thrive in soil that has a pH somewhere between 6.5 and 7.2

If this is your first lasagna garden, you need something heavy as your first layer to smother the grass and weeds which may be in the area you picked. You can use wet flattened, overlapping cardboard boxes or thick layers of wet newspaper. Do not include the glossy flyers.

Now that you have gathered your ingredients, you can proceed to creating your “lasagna” gardening compost pile by adding your composting ingredients in layers.

Here’s an example of a “lasagna” compost pile

Layer 1: A heavy layer of wet cardboard or wet newspapers over the sod
You may want to cover these newspapers with a 6-inch layer of soil.
Layer 2: A 2 inch layer of peat moss
Layer 3: A 4 to 6 inch layer of barn litter
Layer 4: A 2 inch layer of peat moss
Layer 5: A 4 to 6 inch layer of compost
Layer 6: A 2 inch layer of peat moss
Layer 7: A 4 to 6 inch layer of grass clippings
Layer 8: A 2 inch layer of peat moss
Layer 9: A 4 to 6 inch layer of chopped leaves
Layer 10: Another 2 inch layer of peat moss

Sprinkle bonemeal, or wood ashes, lime or sulfur (depending on your soil’s pH) over the top layer of peat moss.

The ideal materials are chopped leaves, grass clippings, compost, manure, other organic materials, and even sand alternated with 2-inch layers of peat moss. You can also add 3 to 4 inches of wood chips where you might want a path throughout the garden.

Keep adding layers until your pile is 18 to 24 inches high. After decomposing has occurred, you will be left with about 5 to 6 inches of rich crumbly soil.

The good news is that as the worms work in your garden, they will also tunnel through the soil under the newspapers perhaps to a depth of 3 to 4 inches. This could give you a total of 8 to 10 inches of super soil to plant in.

When is the best season for creating your lasagna pile?

Fall is a great time time for doing this type of lasagna gardening, for you can use as many chopped up leaves as you want since it is readily available. Also, during the winter the pile will decompose and the end result should be dark and loose soil, much like deeply dug soil ready for you to set out your plants or sow seeds in the spring.

If you do this sheet composting in the spring, you might want to “cook” it by first making sure you put about 4 times more brown material as you do green (high-nitrogen) material as you are building your pile. Then cover the pile with a black plastic and weigh down the edges all around the pile with bricks.

The black plastic helps keep the materials moist and traps the sun’s warmth for fast heating. After about 6 weeks, most of the pile will have broken down into a dark, crumbly material. Remove the pieces which have not quite decomposed. Yes, you can change an unplantable area into an area full of rich crumbly soil not by digging, tilling, or removing sod but by sheet composting better known as Lasagna Gardening.

Crop rotation, that is rotating the position of your crop “families” from year to year, is one of the simplest ways to control many insects, weeds, and diseases in the garden. Crop rotation does two things for the garden: It improves soil and controls diseases. Because crop rotation enhances soil fertility, you will find an increase in crop yields.

What Are the Vegetable Families?

When you do crop rotation, the first thing to do is learn to identify your vegetable “families”, that is, what plants have somewhat the same growing habits and features. Creating a rotation plan on paper each year makes crop rotation easier to track.

There are seven main vegetable families:

1. The Mustard Family which includes broccoli, radishes, brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnips, and kale. These are Heavy Feeders and grow best in soil with lots of organic matter. If possible, plant where members of the pea family had been planted.

2. The Gourd Family, which includes melons, cucumbers, pumpkins and squash, are also Heavy Feeders and require plenty of organic matter for proper growth. You might precede these with grass family and follow with pea family.

3. The Pea Family, which includes beans, peas, clovers, and vetch, actually add nitrogen to the soil, especially if turned under into the soil at the end of the growing season. These plants gather nitrogen from the air and “fix” it on root nodules. The Pea family can be rotated with any other plant family .

4. The Grass Family, which includes corn, wheats, oats, rye and alfalfa, improves soil especially if turned under at the end of the growing season. Plant before gourds or nightshades.

5. The Lily Family, which includes onions, garlic, leeks, and chives, cannot be planted in soil that has large quantities of organic matter (such as green manure) that have not yet decomposed. These can be rotated with the pea family.

6. The Nightshade Family, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and peppers, are heavy feeders. They need soil with lots of organic matter. The nightshade family should be preceded with the Grass family followed with pea family.

7. The Carrot Family, which includes parsley, celery, carrots, dill, and coriander, are moderate feeders. Precede with any other plant family and follow with pea family plants.

Now that you know what plants make up each family, the second step when setting up crop rotation is to take a clean sheet of paper and draw your basic garden design. In order to make your plan and your crop rotation much easier, grow all the crops in the same family next to each other so they form large blocks. (You might consider companion planting as well. See post on companion planting to see which plants would work well together and which ones don’t.)

Here is an idea of how you can set up your garden groups. (Note: Again, onions and garlic from the lily family are great companion plants, so you could plant those on the edge all around the entire garden. Many gardeners include flowers in their vegetable gardens for pest control effects. Make sure whatever crops you pair are compatible.)

The idea is to rotate your groups from area to area each year. You might even consider choosing one of those areas each year just for growing alfalfa or another grass family crop and turning it under back into the soil to enrich the soil with nutrients. If you chose a different section of your garden every year, the soil in each section would have had the time to rest from heavy feeders and replenish itself)

( Thoughts for you: In the fall, I would gather leaves, break them up with my lawn mower and bury them in the garden. Then I would plant alfalfa before the weather got too cold, let it grow some in the spring, and turn it under before it came to seed to give it time to decompose before I planted my crop. The idea here is to get the worms interested in staying in your garden. The more worms in your garden the better it is for the crops. Worm droppings are among the top best fertilizers.)

Alternating plants that add nutrients to the soil with those that deplete soil helps to keep your garden fertile and will also reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. Crop rotation produces healthier plants and greater yields. You might want to give it a try!

Good luck!

Marcie