Welcome to The Tao of Garden

Gardening is simply the practice of cultivating plants. People grow ornamental plants to harvest their flowers, foliage, or to get dyes out of them. They are also grown for their overall appearance.

There are also plants that are cultivated for human consumption. They are consumed as fruits, vegetables and herbs for medicinal purposes.

When we talk about gardening the subject ranges from fruit orchards to long boulevard plantings. Gardening practitioners may specialize themselves in growing only one type of plant or they may also practice mixed plantings that involve many various plants.

Gardening requires active participation of the practitioner and it usually requires intensive works and discipline.
Here you'll find many tips and tricks that are related to gardening.

There are various methods, types and approaches to maintain a healthy and beautiful garden. You can find all of them here.

You may want to learn what's the proper way to landscape the yard, choosing the right soil, maintain the plants, growing indoor gardens, and many many more.

We also look forward to hear your insights, suggestions, and even requests around gardening and landscaping. So please don't forget to leave your precious comments...

Happy gardening... :)

Compost And Compositing Technique For The Layman

Although you have studied too much about the technique of compositing and compost but still you always need someone to explain the main concept and scientific process of the usage of composts.

This article will explain about compost and compositing technique for the layman. Although many of you want to technicality about this topic but before going in to technicality it is important for more of us to understand the basic physic behind the compositing.

Compost is basically the organic substance that is mixed with the soil. It helps the soil to improve its fertilizing ability and also add more mineral and nutrients in the soil that is essential for the growth of the plant. It can allow the oil to hold more amount of water and for the more time. It is like a mulch or the soil conditioner.

There are many ways of adding compositing to the soil. The one such way is “no turn” method. This method allows you to turn the pile of compost after a week this will make the decomposition process more rapid. All you required is to add coarse material in sufficient amount in your composts.

Addition of the straw is good and this straw will create the air pockets which permit the pile to be aerated. The compost will develop by applying the straw at the same rate as if it is done with the “no-turn” method. Always try to use the compost from the bottom of the pile. From above add the organic and coarse material then.

If you do not have compost material you do not need to worry, you can make it with the two or three available things by applying the simple technique. First find out the place where you can make the compost pile for your leaves. Shaded area would be the best place for creating the compost pile for the leaves, as it would be moist and damp. Do not pack the pile tightly and leave some space for the circulation of the air.

In next four to six months, you can now apply this compost in the soil. This conditioner however will not have high nutritional level and microorganisms to create fertilizers but still work as soil conditioner for the leaves. 

For compositing following things would be required: the materials that are rich in nitrogen and carbon like vegetable and fruit scraps, left bones that can attract the pests and animals. Eggshells, grass or shrub clippings, pine needles, seaweed and kelp, coffee grounds, wood ash, tea leaves, cardboard and shredded paper, corn stalks, wood chips, and sawdust can also be required.

You should cover your pile from the lime or calcium coding so to avoid the fruit files and other pest that combine together on the pile. The lime and calcium will neutralize the smell of the pile thus stopping the pest and piles. The compositing is not the difficult technique unless you want to create difficulties for yourselves.

When Your Fruit Tree Facing The Barrenness

The most frustrating and tiring thing is to grow the fruit trees. The over burden while growing the fruits trees is unexplainable.

The person can only be the guru in gardening if he has faced lots of experiences in the garden and has come across failure many times, as gardening need time devotion and it will be learned from the initial failures.

It also requires the guidance of the experts to grow a fruit tree.

One of the person, shared his experience as: he was not the gardening person and he had come across many failures before meeting an old person named Ralph in the gardening store.

Ralph become gardening guru for that person and taught him about growing the fruit trees and also suggested that which fertilizer will meet all the nutrients requirement of the trees.

The person after the meeting find out that what was the factors that was causing him to face the failure in getting the good health fruit tree. If the tree is too young to produce the fruit do not get worried.

Mostly trees produce the fruits after 4 years but even if your fruit tree has been facing the barrenness then you must find out the factors that are causing it not to produce the fruit.

First find out about the water problems like too light water or too high amount of water due to lacking in the drainage system. It can cause the problem in growing the fruit. Evaluate the water stress by comparing the amount of water you are giving with the requirements of the trees, if this is the problem just solve it.

Next thing find out that whether the tree is always covered with the bugs and insects that have caused some diseases or damage it. If this is the case, your tree would not be expecting to live for producing the fruit.

Next reason can be the clod climate. The coldness did not let the tree to produce any flowers bud and also damages the baby fruits.

Although, from outside the tree looks healthy but inside coldness has made damages and there will be no hope for the fruit growing. This can however be solved by waiting till the next year and hoping that the tree does not damaged in the next cold.

Other reason can be the lackness in the pollination process. This will also stops the tree to produce the fruit. If you have planted different verities then you must need to understand that the incompatibility is the reason. In this case you have to correct the combinations by replanting the fruit trees.

When the person evaluated the conditions explained by Ralph, he found that pollination was the reason that caused the failure. And correcting this, fruit started growing the fruits.

If you too are facing with any such problem then you must consult the garden experts. Gardening mentor will be teaching you everything required to grow the fruit trees and will put you on the right track.

Watch Out For These Plant Pests

It is quite common that some insects invade your indoor plants and destroys them. If you see any slight indications of such harmful attacks by insects, then it is the right time to act swiftly by taking the necessary steps to eradicate these pests. Otherwise these infections will multiply and easily propagate to the other plants as well.

Spider mites is one such pest which is found to infect plants more commonly. These insects are really a major threat to your indoor plants, as they spread very quickly to other plants nearby and results in destruction of your garden plants.

The spider mites are members of the ticks and spiders family. These insects can’t be seen easily by the human eye as they are yellow or green in color and hence it is hard to find them amidst the plants. But there is a way to identify these pests. Just tap a leaf above a small piece of plain white paper and pay attention to it. If you are able to see any small things in motion, then it is surely those pests have come to invade your plants. You can easily take them off from your plants by spraying an insecticide which can be bought from a local plant store.

Similar types of pests which normally cannot be visible to our eyes are the Shell Insects which resemble a little lump of wax on a stem or leaf. Hence it is normally difficult to observe the plants for these pests but in most cases, they can be visible after they multiply themselves in large quantities.

These Shell insects shortens or stops the life span of a plant when it invades them. Hence spraying all your plants with a pesticide regularly would be the best ideal solution to this problem.

Another kind of plant pests are the Mealy Bugs which can be clearly observed as they appear to have a long waxy protrusion from their tails and looks like insects that have come out from a sack of flour.

These insects resemble small groups or clusters of cotton attached to the plant. Thus it is important to check beneath the leaves of the plants to see if you could find these small bugs. If you happen to find them infecting your plants, then immediately clean them up with water before spraying a pesticide. If you observe your plants well and treat them accordingly, you can easily get rid of these pests very quickly.

These pests not only ruin the growth of a plant overtime, but they also destroys the beauty of the plants, making them very awful and unappealing.

Thus if you would like to have a great garden, then you must pay great attention to your plants by cleaning them properly  and spraying insecticides regularly and also taking precautionary steps to be free from these unwanted pests.

Learn These Simple Tips To Take Care Your Fruit Tree

If you are new in fruit tree planting then there is a huge chances that the planted tree would die. It’s because newly planted fruit trees require lots of care and they are easily to incline to diseases.

So it is very crucial for you to know that how to take extra care of these trees so to ensure the good growth of the tree.

At the earlier age of the trees; the trunk, branches and roots are not fully flourished and that is why they cannot provide full strength to the tree.

If the tree is growing some fruits occasionally it is more likely that the branches would not be able to bear the weight and it will snap off from the tree. So to avoid this case you must provide external support to your tree and it will grow healthy with this support.

Proper nutrition is also essential for the fruits of the trees as well as for the long survival of the trees. The proper source of getting the fertilizers for your tree is from the nursery employee.

You must let them know about the specification of your tree like type of tree, the climate of your vicinity and the area. According to these conditions nursery employees will suggest you to buy the best fertilizer for the trees.

Many people think that giving extra amount of water will ensure the health of the tree. But the fact is that giving too much water will harm the health of trees even more than if it remains thirsty. It will not only destroy the taste of the fruit but also trees can die and thus would not be able to grow fruits.

If you already started seeing the damaged or destroyed branches of the fruit tree, remove it at once. The tree will be providing nutrition to that parts but it will be the complete waste as they are no longer living. Chop off only those parts of trees that are deteriorating and leave those parts that are showing growth.

Once the fruit tree entered in the picking stage, do not leave any fruit that is on the ground. Also be very careful to pick all the parts of the trees that have fallen. Even if the fruit is not for your use, pick it up and throw it but do not leave it on the tree.

The rotten fruits will be welcoming the insects that habitat over the fruit and these insects are more likely to spoil the other fruits. They will also become the cause of many diseases, so do not leave any fruit on the ground as this will be welcoming insects.

It is not easy to take care of the fruit trees in their growing age. It is almost become impossible to keep eye on each factor that is responsible for the growth of the trees. Paying extra attention on the nutrition, amount of water and saving them from diseases will ensure the good path of taking care.

The Tree Doctor: A Guide to Tree Care and Maintenance

Using Storage Pots For Interior Gardening

Since a very long time, gardening or horticulture has been a favorite leisure activity for many people.

After toiling so hard to successfully create that beautiful and lively garden with much love and attention, whenever you look at it, it brings you happiness and a feeling that you have achieved your feat.

Your interior garden not only gives a rich and good-looking appearance to your surroundings, but also makes up for a cool and relaxed indoors for the residents to live in. 

You can have any concept of interior gardening ranging from flower gardens, hanging gardens, vegetable gardens, fruit gardens and bonsai gardens and so on.

In addition to the various varieties of gardening concepts, there are also a wide spread range of resources or equipments available for interior gardening like fertilizers, insecticides, implements and other tools and accessories to help your hobby of indoor gardening more easier and simple.

People who complain about lack of space to lay out a garden, there is always a substitute for them called as container gardening.

Storage pots or containers can be made use of for planting on windowsills, or if you reside in an apartment, they can be kept on the balcony of your home. They can also be used to shift from one place to another in case when it needs sunlight or even to redesign or redo your interiors.

They might be very useful even if you have to shift base for another new home so that there is no need to leave your plants behind.

These containers or storage pots are available in different designs, sizes and colors. If you are looking out for an affordable or low-cost containers, then plastic pots can be ideal for you, as it lasts for long time too. Whereas many of them would love containers that are hand crafted and made of clay as they look extremely appealing and gives the ambiance  a very natural look and feel.

Other options like wooden containers, much like barrels, can also be considered too for your indoor garden.

Interior gardening is certainly an extremely fulfilling a very satisfying and enjoyable hobby that one can pursue in their pastime. With so much of useful guides and tips available for all the people right from beginners to a skilled gardener the hobby of interior gardening can be easily carried on.

Additionally, a lot of manufacturers who supply a range of tools and accessories are available in the market. These tools include everything right from standard ones to those with much advanced functionalities which are a boon to those fanatics of interior gardening.

Choose Your Indoor Plants

There are a wide range of options when you pick up the plants for your indoor garden.

You can choose among a huge variety that best suits your interest and hence it is apt to say that there is absolutely no scarcity or lack of options while choosing the plants for your garden.

Here we give you some examples of what kind of greenery you can choose to spice up and decorate your interiors.

Always remember that all plants grows well only if they receive sufficient amount energy from the sun. If the plants are not kept in sunlight, then after a few days, during its growth process, it will eventually tend to turn and aim towards the sun which results in an inclined or irregular position of growth. In such a case, you will have to spin the direction of the plant so that it will continue to grow upright.

A few examples of the well-known plants that are grown indoors are as follows:

African Violets: These plants are simple and small in appearance and can be easily grown in small pots as they very well conform to the conditions of an indoor garden.  They bloom well for around 3 weeks but only if they receive a lot of sunlight. Hence it is required to keep them in a location with plenty of sunshine, suitably on a windowsill.

Having said that, it doesn’t mean that they should always be kept in the scorching sun because they will dry and wither away due to its heat. Also these plants require a special manure or fertilizer  which you can get it from any garden or green house outlets.

Begonias: There are actually three types of this flowering plant such as Tuberous, Semperflorens and Perennial.  Semperflorens  are the most prevalent and wide spread variety among the Begonias and are available in ever blossoming and lustrous wax polish coatings.

The Begonias have a very captivating and wonderful yellow core and comes in various colors like red, pink, yellow and white.

Ivy: This plant is an enticing and good-looking climber which is suitable for indoor gardens. They can grow well even in a shadowy location for quite a long time but eventually tend to want energy from the sunlight.

So if you consider having this plant in among your indoor garden plants, then it is mandatory to keep it in a place that receives sunshine. And also its important to water it regularly because inadequate supply of water stunts or stops the growth of the plant. It is also equally important to ensure the outflow of excessive water from the base of the pot.

Cactus, Coleus, Amaryllis, Geraniums, Paper Whites, Poinsettia and a variety of rubber plants are the other much-preferred varieties of plants that are best suited to be grown as indoor plants.

DIY Graft Tips: An Awesome Gifting Idea

Are you one of those who had always wished to have a beautiful interior gardening at your home?

Do you like the idea of nurturing indoor herbs,  a sill sanctuary filled up with beautiful blooms and blossoms,  or maintaining a  simple resting place for healthy-looking  vegetables, then here’s one simple craft for you to do.

It can be simply be done by anybody who likes to make their home a joyful place to dwell in or even makes up for a good gift to your loved ones.

The things that are required for this craft are:  a drill machine, a window box containing drainage- this can be made at home or bought ready-made from the local stores,  drainage rack, sand-paper, garden- rich fertilizers or compost, and soil, then your most-favorite seasonal flowers that you would like to plant, white and colored polymer or acrylic paints, an overcoat of transparent  gloss to retain the colors, and a painting brush of about 2 inches in length and gum turpentine.

Now keeping your required things ready, here’s the method for it:

First use the sand-paper to rub all over the exterior  of the window box to make its hard and coarse sides to become smooth. Then apply two coatings of white paint to give it a smooth and shiny appearance.  But remember to allow the paint to dry fully, in between the two coats.

Now the next step after it gets dried out completely is to paint in colored designs that you fancy, like  hearts, leaves, lattice and stripes or whatever you like to. Now allow the  colored paint to fully dry after which an overcoat of the transparent gloss should be applied. Then leave it to dry through the night.

Use the drilling machine to make some holes in a spot somewhere near the window and then take the painted window box and fix it in that  spot. The next thing to do is laying the drainage tray at the bottom along with  pebbles and stones of about one inch thickness. Lastly, mask and cover them up using the mixture of soil and fertilizer. Now  finally, sprinkle the plant seeds on them. This is all you need to do to create a wonderful lawn at your home.

You can choose from a variety of plants to choose from to grow indoors. The plants that grow well in small areas are Lavender and Geranium as well as chives, mint and sage too.
The New Terrarium: Creating Beautiful Displays for Plants and Nature 

So its upto you to choose whatever herbs you want to plant but the important thing to bear in mind is to routinely water your plants and treat them with sufficient composts and fertilizers  to prevent it from dying.

It’s a great idea to raise many plants of various varities at a time. So to do this, you have to sow the seeds that grow as tallest plant at the back while the ones that grow into  small bushes can be sown in the middle and similarly in the front direction of the window box for that fantastic look that seems to be pleasing when people look from the outside of the house.

Some Tips For Indoor Gardening Beginners

Here are some few useful tips for those who are very fond of creating beautiful greenery in the interiors of their house. 

Do you wish to create a simple kitchen garden by planting various types of herbs and blooms which are eatable as well as for ornamental purpose too?

So follow these simple hints to gain some information about how to preserve your backyard or kitchen garden that brings in the peace and calmness to your mind and soul as well as surroundings too.

Those few of us are quite fortunate enough to have a spacious home with a backyard where beautiful concepts of gardening can be designed.

But those who feel that they won’t be able to grow plants as they live in small homes and apartments need not worry anymore. You can pursue your hobby of gardening too by planting different herbs indoors, or creating a small garden in your kitchen with vibrant little flower plants etc.

Potted plants which produce blooms like planter boxes and herbs or flavorings like whirlybird and copper sunset are the best ideal options for indoor gardens as they can be raised in places that have very little scope or conditions for growth.

Moreover, flowering plants like the Marigolds, Iceland poppies and more smaller types of sunflowers are other alternatives  that makes up for your indoor garden because these are smaller and tinier in size that can be maintained easily as well when compared to the tall and bigger ones that dominates your walls and interiors  which is not good for the interiors.

While buying your favorite plants and herbs for your indoor garden, you can also consider buying small storage pots made of tin but make sure that it lets in enough sunlight for at least about 4 hours  that is essential for the plants’ growth as well as adequate water supply. Hence you can have a look at your local gardening stores for ready-made soil mixture and use them for your plants as these help in a stable growth of your plants.

A proper drainage or punch slots at the bottom is very crucial to ensure the water flow so that the excessive amount of water is let out and gives the plants the required amount of humidity.

If you have an idea of growing small herbs and shrubs then follow this simple age old formula. First soak the seeds for about a couple of hours and plant them in a pot filled with the soil mixture. After sowing the seeds, fill the pot with a few more soil for about a quarter inch above the base. Plants like rosemary and thyme which have a very pleasant fragrance and scent are wonderful choices for the season.