The proper way to plant your seedlings

Properly planting your seedlings ensures that your plants will have a much better chance for survival. I recommend the method below, as it has worked for me.

1. Double-check the planting date on the seed packet, in a comprehensive garden book or on the plastic tag stuck into the soil (for plants you bought at a nursery). You must hold off planting most flowers and vegetables until all danger of frost has passed. Some cold-tolerant varieties such as cauliflower can go into the ground a bit earlier; heat lovers such as tomatoes should wait until the ground has thoroughly warmed up.

2. Prepare the planting bed. Use a spade or spading fork to work the soil to a depth of 10 to 12 inches; incorporate organic matter as needed.

3.'Harden off' your seedlings by leaving them outdoors for longer and longer periods. Start by sheltering the young plants under a porch or bench by day, then bringing them back in by night or during inclement weather. After two or three days, you can safely keep them in the sun for half a day. By the end of a week, they'll be tough enough to soak up the rays all day.


4.f you can, transplant the seedlings to the garden on an overcast day to ease the shock of transition from pot to ground. If a light mist is falling, so much the better. Water both the outside ground and the plants before you move them into the garden.

5. Remove each plant from its pot by turning it upside down and tapping lightly on the bottom; it will slide out easily. Gently run your fingers through the roots to loosen them a little.


6. Use a trowel to dig a hole about twice the size of the rootball and set the plant into the hole so the rootball will be covered by about 1/4 inch of soil. Press the soil firmly around the roots to ensure good soil-to-root contact.

7. Space the plants according to the directions

8.Water well immediately after transplanting and again every day until the plants are well established and growing - usually within a week. If some plants show signs of wilting, shield them with a lath screen or a piece of lattice until they perk up, which shouldn't take more than a few days.

The top 4 roses diseases

Despite the best efforts to keep plants disease free, there will inevitably be problem periods to deal with. If you keep an eye on your rose bushes you can remedy the situation before it gets out of hand. Be sure your identification of the problem is accurate before reaching for a spray and start with the least toxic solution.

The Top 4 Rose Diseases

1. 1.Black Spot: Black spot is a fungus that is very common during humid weather because it is a water disease. As its name implies, small black spots form on leaves and stems, eventually causing the leaves to drop and weakening the plant.


Treatment: To treat black spot you should prune off infected leaves. You should be very careful about clean up as well. Always water from the roots and water in the morning so the leaves have time to dry.If Black Spot is an annual problem, try a dormant spray of lime sulfur at the end of the season and again in early summer. Once Black Spot appears, it is hard to stop. Neem oil and Sprays containing Potassium bicarbonate are somewhat effective.

2.Downy Mildew: Downy mildew is a very serious disease that spreads rapidly and can defoliate a rose plant in days. It is not as common as Black Spot and favors cool, wet weather. Purple spots with yellow edges form ,at the veins on the top side of the leaves and along the stems. Gray fuzz can form on the under side of the leaves. The leaves will eventually fall.

Treatment: The good news is that Downy Mildew often clears up with the weather. To reduce the chance of Downy Mildew, practice good garden sanitation and keep the rose plants well pruned for air circulation. As with other diseases, a dormant spray may help.

3.Rust: A Rust infection is easy to spot. Small orange pustules spots form on the undersides of the leaves. This fungus can also cause defoliation. Rust is most prevalent when nights are cool.

Treatment: Treatment of Rust is similar to treatment of Black Spot, above: Good sanitation and a preventative dormant spray after pruning. Once infected, remove all infected leaves and try Neem oil for control.

4.Mosaic Virus: Once a rose is infected with Rose Mosaic Virus, there’s not much to be done except check with the nursery for a replacement. Rose Mosaic Virus shows up as yellow mottling on leaves and deformed new growth. It can stunt growth or it can be a mild infection. If there are only a few affected leaves, the plant may continue growing and blooming fine. The really good news is that it won’t spread to your other roses.

Poor soil

One of the first thing you may come across as a beginning gardener is poor soil. Poor soil can be created by hurricanes, high temperatures, dry winters and extremely wet summers can make it difficult to create your own Eden. Poor soil, tree crowding, weed control, irrigation, zincfoliar sprays, nitrogen fertilization, insect control and disease prevention become very important in you garden. As a gardener you will learn may ways to deal with poor soil issues.

There are four levels of crop quality: Decent, Good, Perfect and Shining. Pumpkins are a good choice for poor soil in vegtable gardens as well as Spicy Peppers. In Poor and Decent soil, however, flowers and herbs can be more profitable. Gaillardia is a brightly colored perennial that needs well-drained soil making it a decent selection for sandy gardens. Blue Mist flowers are very profitable per day, but because they can take 16 days to grow (in Poor soil), a large portion of the season (12 days) can't be used for another harvest, decreasing its seasonal profitability. If you're pressed for time, or if you're in Poor soil, go with Blue Herbs. Roses and Morning Glory are the 3rd and 5th most profitable Poor soil crops over an entire season. Trefoil, Bird's-foot (Lotus corniculatus)(moist also)Tolerates very poor soils & wide pH range. False indigo plants are also a good choice as they tolerate poor soil that drain quickly making them an excellent choice for sandy garden areas that are difficult for many perennials. Poor Soil's also ideal for Lupines who love well drained, slightly acid to neutral soil. Ground cover such are also a very good choice for poor soil.

Nitrogen could help you with poor soil it should be applied most heavily in the early stages of germination of a plant to encourage rapid growth, and in decreasing amounts later in the season in order that as it ages the plant will develop sturdy structure and will store larger amounts of food material. Nitrogen is commonly applied as nitrate of soda or as ammonium sulphate. Most crops make inefficient use of nitrogen, often losing nitrogen into the atmosphere through volatilization. Sandy or very wet soils, soils containing excessive amounts of nitrogen. Peat moss is a better choice for these types of soil.

Almost everyone will experience poor soil at some point in time. The sooner you learn how to handle it the better off you plants will be. One important thing to remember is poor soil will typically yield Decent and Good crops, while Regular soil will yield Good, Perfect, and rarely Shining. The poor soil fertility and wetness of the soil restricts the growth of vegetation and induces a dwarf condition in many of the plants. When no irrigation, no zinc,no nitrogen, no weed control, no insect management, no disease prevention are combined with poor soil, death could be expected.
Poor soil is very manageable as long as you choose the proper plants and and how the proper know how to take care of them. The plants mentioned are just a few suggestions I hope you have enjoyed this article.

Welcome to my gardening blog

Gardening is Americas number one hobby I have found nearly everyone likes to talk about plants and gardening. Gardening can be easy and satisfying, If you have the proper know how and with some good gardening advise.

Gardening has many benefits you can grow your own food to eat or create a beautiful flower garden for you (and others) to enjoy. If you are not sure what to plant you can improve the soil while you decide what you what to do with your patch of ground .You don't have to complete your project all in one day. It's a good idea to do a little, let it go for a day or so, Especially if you do it the right way.

Gardening has been around for ages, and it's almost so ingrained into our genes, it's like an instinct. You do not have to have a green thumb. Anyone can garden. Interested? Follow along as i blog about different problems that you may come across in your gardening adventures.