Thrills, excitement, and dreams come true—that’s what is in store for the home gardener who decides to try his luck at making cuttings by the fog mist propagation method. With a minimum of effort and equipment, he can produce any number of fine, sturdy little plants from the choice of trees, shrubs, and evergreens. We … Read more
Lime may supply the key to success for some of the plants in your garden. My first experience with the magic which can be performed by the addition of lime to the soil came when I transformed a bed of sweet sultans from sickly plants to vigorous specimens with blossoms of exhibition quality. In common … Read more
How would you like to harvest a crop of vegetables without weeding, watering, spraying, or dusting? Or grow off-season crops such as head lettuce in August or carrots ready to harvest by Christmas? The modern miracle-mulch which has made this a reality in tidewater Virginia is aluminum foil. Aluminum foil is aluminum rolled very thin, … Read more
Plant and animal cells respire sugar. That is, within the cell, sugar is broken down in a series of steps, and the energy holding the various atoms of the sugar molecule together is transferred away for use within the cell. This breakdown, called respiration, goes on until each sugar molecule has been broken down into … Read more
Do you shy away from the term pH because it sounds mysterious and hard to understand? If you do, you’re missing a chance to grow better plants with less effort and at a lower cost. Using Thermometer Gardeners don’t hesitate to refer to the thermometer when frost threatens. They know that when the mercury skids … Read more
With so many people displaying their green thumb talents these days, flower shows with prizes for amateur plant lovers are booming, too. The shows range from those sponsored by neighborhood or statewide garden clubs and urban horticultural societies to larger exhibitions at state and county fairs. Whether you are a newcomer or a veteran at … Read more
Thick layers of mulching materials lessen the need for weeding and cultivating, conserve moisture (reducing the need for watering), and gradually build up soil fertility. And they effectively lower the soil temperature, as the photographs on the left show, helping promote plant growth during hot weather. We, gardeners, should mulch whenever and wherever we can. … Read more
Needless confusion results when words are used improperly. This is as true in gardening as in law or chemistry. In gardening, the one word most often misused is sour, meaning acid. However, acid soil is not necessarily a sour one. A sour soil is so poorly drained that it is often water-logged. In addition, it … Read more
The major reason for cultivating soil is to kill weed seedlings around desirable plants. It also enables us to mix compost, manures, and fertilizers into the soil. It breaks soil crusts, facilitating water to penetrate deep into the ground, and aids in controlling soil-inhabiting insects. But cultivation also has a detrimental effect on the soil … Read more
When he first sees the white cliffs of Dover gleaming in the distance, the bosom of the homecoming Englishman is supposed to swell with pride. Mine does not. It swells with unmitigated hatred. Not because I have anything against England, but because I have everything against chalk. Or, as the gardener prefers to call it, … Read more