Gardening - Finding Answers To Gardening Problems !

Learning more about gardening can be fun and helpful. If you are
wanting to do gardening without using a lot of chemicals. There are
a lot of good books that can help you to learn more about how to do just
that.

To find out what things that you already have in your own kitchen to
help in the garden. Books that we recommend are by Jerry Baker, he
is considered to be America's Master Gardener.



These are a few of the topics that you will find useful to help your garden.

* Getting your garden ready for winter.
* Problem with pests on your plants.
* Keeping unwanted dogs and cats out of your yard.
* Problems with the plants and what can be done to help them.
* How to have it greener on your side of the fence.
* Composting and how it can help your garden.


If you are just doing flowers, vegetables or both-how can you make
them even better that they are now?

If you like bird, butterflies or other wild life that you would like to
see in your yard. How to attract them into your yard with plants
that you add to your yard?

Gardening makes for good curb appeal for your home. If you are
wanting to sell this is the first place to start. The outside of the home
is what people see first. If they do not like the look of the home from the
outside they will not even make it into the door to see how great the inside
is.

Now is the best time to learn more about gardening and how to put it to use
when spring comes and you want to plant. Enjoy the learning.

Dan and Deanna "Marketing Unscrambled"

Container Growing Of Miniature Roses In Your Garden

People often consider miniature roses as indoor plants, not knowing the fact that though the flowers are miniature, the plant itself can grow to a height of four to five feet.

But if at all these easy-to-maintain flowers are to be grown indoors, a few simple measures will give the best results.

Choosing the right containers:
* The plastic containers that look like clay or molded concrete. They are practical, they won't break, they retain moisture longer on hot surfaces than clay pots do. They are easy to clean up when not in use. They store easily, and not to expensive. They are lite weight for when it comes time to re-potting the plants that are in them. Moss and mold don't grow on them in the shade.
* The size of the container matters. If you are re-potting a plain choose the next size up to move the flower into. That gives it room to grow and it is not dwarfed by the big pot that you put it in.

How to have the best potting soil for putting in containers? ( This is good for any plant that you want to plant in the containers.)
Mix in 3 equal parts:
Sharp sand
Clay loam
Organic matter or professional planter mix

Per cubic foot of soil mixture, add:
1 1/2 cups of Epsom salts
3/4 cup of coffee grounds (rinse them clean first)
12 eggshells ( dried and crushed to powder)

Mix them all together. It is ready to place in the containers.
(For more mixes look at Jerry Baker )

The primary requirement for the miniature roses is ample and direct sunlight, the lack of it can result in stretched out branches and gaps between the leaves. To prevent this, additional light arrangements have to be made.

As a matter of fact, the miniature roses can be grown in flower pots, hanging baskets as well as in the ground but it is mandatory that they receive direst sunlight. If planting it in the ground, the roots should be free of tangles and placed carefully into a one foot deep and wide hole which is to be leveled properly with loose soil. Proper care has to be taken for the first three weeks.

It is a good thing to give your plants a bath once a week with a solution of 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap mixed with 2 gallons of warm water. Put it in a spray bottle so you can give the roses and other house plants a bath. This helps with keeping the dust off of them as well as the pest that like to come live on the plants like spider-mites.

Watering the plants once a week, keep them healthy. Keep the soil moist.

The outdoor plants usually bloom from spring to winter. A covering of mulch may help to protect them from frost and wintry chill.

Please leave your comments. We would love to hear from you. Let us know how your garden is growing in containers for beauty all around.

copyright Dan and Deanna Finlinson "Marketing unscrambled"

Problems And Solutions For A Beautiful Rose Garden

The first step is to know the problems. If you are aware of the possible issues then you can also take preventive steps to solve the problems. So take heart, read more articles like this one and you will know what to do for the problems when they come.

If you are aware of these problems then you are also armed with valuable knowledge. There are several solutions and remedies for such rose gardening problems.

Things to look out for are: rose fungus, rose rust, block spots on the rose leaves, mosaic disease. These are some of the bugs that like to bother the rose plants: aphids, bristly rose slugs, borers, fuller rose beetles, caterpillars, Japanese beetles, spider mites.

Fungus in the rose garden: This white, powdery mildew is deposited on the top and bottom of leaves and stems. It stunts the plants growth and ultimately kills the flowers and stems.
Solution: Prune off the affected areas. Then you can by something already made up or go to you own kitchen and get these things for an organic formula: * Mix 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in 2 quarts of water. Spray on the roses when you first see signs of this fungus. Spray it on them every two weeks after that.

Rust in the rose garden: This red or orange powder which appears on the underside of leaves and has the same detrimental effects as the fungus.
Solution: Remove and destroy all infected leaves. Avoid overhead watering ( use a soaker hose.)
Water early in the day so plants will dry out before nightfall. Avoid splashing water on the foliage. Spray infected area with sulfur. (You can get it at any gardening store.)

Black spot in the rose garden: This appears as tiny black spots on the leaves and the stems of the roses.
Solution: The foliage and canes must be pruned off and use this organic formula: * 15 tomato leaves, 2 small onions, 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol
Chop the tomato leaves and onions into very, very fine pieces, and steep in the alcohol overnight.
Apply to your rose bushes with a small, sponge-type paintbrush, hitting the tops and bottoms of all the leaves. Avoid water on the foliage.

Mosaic Disease in the rose garden: This appears like an intricate yellow-green mosaic pattern and is amongst the most deadly rose viruses that can affect your plants. Apparently, there is no viable treatment for this disease.

After pruning sterilize your tools before moving to another part of the plant that is not affected or to another plant. * Use a mixture of one part rubbing alcohol or chlorine bleach to 10 parts water. Soak the tools for several minutes before wiping them dry and moving on.

These are things that can be used before you have a problem with bugs, they are hard to get rid of after they are on the plants.
- Dust your roses, use a small hand-powered dusting machine if you have more than five bushes. The best time to dust roses is when the leaves are coming out in the spring and continue until growth stops in the fall. The best time is late in the evening when the air is still. The second best time is predawn. If it rains repeat the process immediately thereafter; in times of heavy dew, twice a week. With light dew and the hotter, drier weather of summer, once a week is enough.
- Give the roses a bath once a week with * 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap mixed with 2 gallons of warm water spray it on the roses.
- Put one or two garlic cloves among the roses to keep aphids and other pests away.
- In a blender chop up a *medium-sized onion and a quart of water. Pulverize, then strain off the liquid. Add 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap to the onion juice, then liberally apply to your rose bushes with a hand-held mist sprayer.
- Their are beneficial insects as well. Ladybugs are great if you have them in your garden. Praying Mantis are also good in the garden.

Have a very beautiful rose garden now that you know what to look for and what to do about the problems that you can have in the rose garden. ( * For more organic gardening tips, Jerry Baker America's Master Gardener at: http://www.jerrybaker.com/ . )

copyright Dan and Deanna Finlinson "Marketing Unscrambled"

For Those Who Are Just Begining A Rose Garden, These Are The Tools That You Will Need

What kind of tools are needed for a rose garden? Gloves, knee pads, shovels, pruning shears, loppers and a wheelbarrow.

1. Rose Gardening Gloves-select industrial strength gloves because roses have prickly thorns.

2.Rose Gardening Knee Pads-knee pads are required to keep the pressure off your knees. You can select between waterproof pads with handles or perhaps pads with velcro straps.

3. Rose Gardening Shovels-select one with padded handles which just might save you a few bruises. Also, see if you can buy one made out of fiberglass as that tends to be more lightweight, yet it is sufficiently strong to do the down and dirty work.

4. Rose Gardening Pruning Shears-you'll need this tool almost everyday and it comes in 2 varieties. A bypass pruner looks somewhat like scissors and is more preferable to an anvil pruner because it doesn't seem to crush the tender stems of a rose. The blades of an anvil pruner meet on top and are stronger than a bypass pruner.

5. Rose Gardening Loppers-well, you won't need these to start off ( in about 2 years) if you are just starting your rose garden. These are much more efficient than both the pruning shears and are required when the stems of the roses become much stronger and thicker. Don't waste your money buying these right away, just wait for a few years when your roses have become more mature.

6. Wheelbarrow For The Rose Garden-buy a sturdy one. As your rose gardening hobby grows, you'll need a durable wheelbarrow to lug stuff in and out of the garden.

Now for a few tips about your tools.
* Do not be fooled into the cheep stuff. Instead, buy first-class quality and pay a decent price. Good quality gardening tools will last you a lifetime. Go somewhere that the sales staff really know if it is good quality tool or a piece of tin.
* To winterize your tools clean them off and cover them with a light coat of WD-40. They will be ready to use next spring and rust free.
* If you forgot last fall to winterize the tools and they now have rust on them. It is OK, to get them clean again-rub them with a soap-filled steel wool pad dipped in kerosene or turpentine. Do this outside and wear gloves. Finish it off by rubbing deeply with a wadded-up aluminum foil to make them shine.
* During the season of gardening have a clean pail of sand that you put your hand held tools in to help them stay rust free. (Keep the pail of sand away from cats, it will defeat the purpose if you do not do this.)
* When pruning, sterilize your tools before moving from one plant to another. This is needed more if one of them is showing signs of disease. Use one part rubbing alcohol or chlorine bleach to 10 parts water. Soak the tools for several minutes before drying them and moving on

For all kinds of garden secrets look up Jerry Baker America's Master Gardener at:
http://www.jerrybaker.com/

copyright Dan and Deanna Finlinson "Marketing Unscrambled"