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... :)

Growing An Orange Tree

If someone is living in an area which is extremely hot like California and Florida, he or she may have many options for planting a fruit tree.

It is a lovely luck because a person can plant any fruit tree in these areas, but it is necessary to take care of your tree from pests.

The best option will be to grow an orange tree because these trees are easy to maintain and grow and can give a delicious fruits. Also, it is the most famous and delicious tree one can ever have.

This tree can grow up to the height of 50 feet that is why it is necessary for anyone to consider this thing before planning to plant it. If your plan is to start planting it on some small area, it should be a plan before for the time when your tree will grow up to the extreme height.

Choose a proper place for planting your tree. One small mistake can cause tons of problems as I did. The entire thing, which is requiring, by your tree is following the precautions.

One more valuable thing to notice that is soil. The most recommended soil for growing your orange tree will be sunny with proper drainage. There must be a deep place to allow your tree for extensive root development because this tree knows for picking the monster size also; it requires a lot of space from down.

If someone has thin saturate soil, then it is your duty to change or prepare it into a different tree. If someone continues to keep planting orange tree in these conditions the tree will die very soon.

The most known and poplar orange tree is the “Washington Navel”. Possibly it can come about the alteration of other oranges. It belongs from Brazil in the late 1920’s and reach the Florida within fifteen years. These trees are famous for its largest size among all the orange trees. Anyone can easily remove its skin.

Dwarf Washington Navel Orange Tree, Five Gallon Container 

These trees are not as juicy as the others, and it has a unique, concentrated flavor. Amazing fact about these trees that, they do not require much watering that is why these trees are perfect for commercial growing.

One more name of orange tree is “Trovita”. It establish in the early1900s at some lab of California by while experimenting new types of citruses. In public, its marketing starts around 1940.

These oranges also do not have extremely strong flavor, but it has more seeds than the Washington Novel oranges. These trees can grow in the conditions of hot, sunny and harsher environment in which other orange tree can never survive.

Another orange is “Valencia”, juicier than the other two types and extremely flavorful. In south Africa and southern USA states, these oranges are extremely famous and popular.

Till today, it contains a strangely large market share of oranges. Its a thought of many peoples that this tree should invent in China. It has no seeds at all. There is a subtype of orange from his Valencia family, and that is “Rhode Red Valencia”.

These oranges firstly introduce in 1960, so it is obvious that these trees are more recent than the other types of oranges. This member of Valencia family is juicier and less acidic than the other family members.

A person can always get the most from the orange trees after its planting because for the mere little efforts, one can get hundreds of delicious fruits. Pick the most delicious fruit by it looks, and how it sounds like and enjoy.

One notable thing before buying a tree is to consult proper experts from your area so that your tree can flourish by your desire. There will not be any problem after buying the orange tree, but it is better knowing all things before spending money on the tree.

Teach Your Children About Composting

The learnt behaviors tend to be passed on to the next generations. So does the compositing too. But teaching the compositing methods to the children won’t be so easy. The children have different requirements that must be fulfilled. They must need more explanation and guidance then the adults.

Different techniques can be used to teach the children the compositing process. These techniques will be really interesting for the kids in the learning process. It will also help the community members and societies to get aware about the compositing methods. Some of these techniques are discussed below:

Use Visuals:

Text always make the kid feel bore that is why the use of visuals will be able to grab their attention. It will create the feeling of love for the compositing process. The use of pictures, power point presentations and other devices will facilitate the kid. You can also make your words that will help the kids to visualize the actual scenario of compositing. You can motivate the kids to imagine the entire process in their minds.

Do a complete demo:

Demonstration of the process can also be the best medium in letting the kid understand the entire process also it will be more than just a discussion. The demonstration will not only supports you to tell the kids that how things have be done but also will be able to make them feel that they can also perform the same task be just coping the facilitators. The demo will also encourage them to ask the questions as the kids know that they have to perform the same activity later on.

Track for feedback:

It is also crucial to ask the kids for the feedback. Ask them questions time to time and also motivate them to ask the questions. Feeling the kids that you are not the teacher but a friend will be able to remove their hesitation and will help you to teach them in friendlier environment.
Entertain all questions and give ample time to answering each question:

Always try to entertain each and every question raise by the kids, no matter how stupid it is. This will be able to encourage the kids to ask more questions. You can also take help from the professional teachers to see that how he or she deals with the kids.

Discuss each and every aspect and explain all the benefits associated with the compositing. This will ensure the 100% attention of the kid in learning the process. Make them understand that we all do compositing for the sake of nature and the environment.

Let them do it, and refuse to interfere if possible:

The main aim of teaching the compositing process is to let them perform the same task later on by making them skillful. You can check them by asking them to initiate the compositing from the small pit, so that you can figure out about their potential and identify the problems that may arouse. Appreciation and correction will be the best tool to be adopted in teaching the kids.

Pick The Right Place For Planting A Fruit Tree

It is very important to pick the right place for planting a fruit tree.

You must take care that electric lines, proximity to a building, side walk or any other thing do not disturb the growing tree.

Once the fruit tree has been planted, it becomes impossible to change its place without damaging it.

That is why it is always necessary to decide about the appropriate place before planting the tree. For this you must analysis about the type of your tree and how long will it grow. Usually dwarf trees require eight foot diameter of area to grow.

Semi-dwarf trees require fifteen feet area while the standard trees require thirty feet to grow. If you want that your fruit trees grow up till the desire size, you must prune them once a year.

Another crucial aspect to be kept in mind for ensuring the proper growth of the fruit tree is availability of sunlight. Right amount of sunlight will dictate the health and growth of the fruit trees, without sunlight trees will not survive.

So always find that place where sunlight is not blocked by anything. Also make sure that your trees are not constantly hit by the sun it can either be the cause of tree death.

Also make sure that the spot selected by you for planting the tree must be convenient for harvesting, watering and pruning. Do not ever plant the tree near your house or fence; it would not be suitable place. It is because; they can become hindrance in the way of pruning and harvesting.

It might also be possible that fruit tree will bent towards the neighbor’s home if it is near the fence. It might become problem for the neighbors and even for you while watering.

If you have sprinkle system in your yard, than make sure that your tree is within the reach of sprinkling system or else water would not be able to reach to the tree. If sprinkled system is not installed at your home than make sure that the hose can reach up till the tree.

Another important aspect for selecting the place is suitable soil. The soil at that area must be enriched with nutrition, moisture and must have proper water drainage. This will ensure that the tree will not drown and in the right texture.

All these traits are very important for the growth of the fruit trees. You must select the right type of soil for planting a tree. You can take the soil to the laboratory and can test it for nutrients level. Although, it is an expensive way but it will dictate the growth of tree and production of the good fruit.

After analyzing all these aspects, now you are ready to plant the fruit tree. First select the place where you want to plant the fruit tree and then decide about the type by keeping the place in mind.

It will require you to put your precious time and money. Wrong decisions can ruin everything, so first decide about all the important factors and then plant a fruit tree.

The Practical Gardening Handbook To Growing Your Own Fruit Trees: Learn The Secrets To Planting Fruit Treet That Bear Deliscious Fruit You Will Love 

Composting: Learn These Steps That Can Make The Process Easier

Compositing is the natural process but however by following some steps you can make the process easier.

The adopted techniques will dictate that the process is easier or harder to follow. It depends on you that how well or worst you are performing the task.

Hot or Cold?

There are two methods in making the compost pile. One is hot and other is cold. If you are following the cold method all you need is to collect the leaves, grass trimmings, vegetable peelings, fruit scraps and all the waste that can be seen in the garden and put them all together in the compost bin.


This process would take long time as you are not helping the materials to break down though it is the simple way of doing the compositing process.

While in hot method you have to follow the rules from starting. First put the material in the compost bags or compost bin. Mostly recommended, to first have the layer of green than add soil and than the kitchen wastes in the end.

Do not add those materials that would welcome the undesired visitors. Do not include too much amount of meat. Add the peelings of vegetables and fruits, eggshells and other kinds.

Keep the pile moist and it must be wet totally all the time. To make the wetness sure, add the water periodically or when you feel necessary. Beers would also be used for wetness rather then plain water. Beers will have yeast in it that will make the bacteria on the compost pile.

Keep the compost pile well maintained. Also add the soil timely aside from water only. You can also add the manure later on to boost up the decomposition process. You also need to turn up the pile periodically so to let the air circulate among it. The circulation of the air will be helpful in enhancing the speed of decomposition process.

The time when the decomposed material will smell earthy like and look as the dark soil, this will be the time to use the decomposed materials. You can get it out from the bin.

Some gardeners have believed that the compost is not only the product that is used on the soils to fertilize it. It must be accommodate by other materials so to attain the best results. It is only the soil conditioner that should be added with other essentials to get the fruitful results.

Remember always that you are doing the compositing for the sake of the nature. This would give you motivation and courage and let you return something to the nature. You must ensure that the location in which you are trying to make the process must be suitable enough for you. This must not result in disturbing the neighbors as well as the other persons at the home.

Compositing is the easy and healthy process to be carried out. Just keep in mind that you have to dedicate your whole body and soul to attain something worthy from it.

Composting: A Practical Step by Step Guide (Penguin Mini) 

Tips To Starting The Orchard At Your Land

If you have a big free land space which is not in use so you may think about planting and orchard.

If you are experienced in planting and maintaining trees, this is an additional reason for you to maintain and orchard perfectly.

It might seem a hectic work to perform but it is fairly simple. All it needs is true commitment.

If you have never grown a tree at your land before than you might be thinking not to misuse money and time. If you are inexperienced, you might start with one tree so to get to know about the growing process.

Once you have seen your tree growing to adulthood successfully, now this is the time you are able to maintain multiple trees. Do not try to plant so many trees which make you over burdened. Only plant what you can maintain easily.

If you get start with a large amount of trees, try all plant to be of same type because if they all required the same quantity of water and nutrients so you will never have to spent a lot of time on catering them on individual basis.


It will familiarize you with the process of growing such specific tree and this will make you a master for such trees.

If any tree is growing on your property since its childhood then the soil is quite acceptable for the type of tree or for the similar one. Since you already have planted that type of tree for a long time, now there is no need to test the soil for its suitability.

Now you just have to grow more trees and keep the process as same as it was before. Since you have enough past experience to deal with the possible problems, so now you will surely have good idea about how to deal with pest during growth.

Generally trees are planted in a row and then pruned into two dimensional shapes. This is known as a fan or an espalier shape. The main branch is in the middle and completely vertical with multiple branches. Branches in horizontal are known as an espalier and those which are sloped are known as a fan.

Generally these two type of shapes are used in orchard depends on how strong they are. By doing this you can keep you trees in within a certain available amount of space. However if land space is not a problem for you, good space is available than it is recommended to go with the traditional tree shape.


To support your watering system it is better to install irrigation system or sprinkler system. The sprinkler system needs more maintenance but if you make an irrigation channel then it is quite easy to just run the faucet for a few minutes every day and all trees get watered. It is up to you what you prefer.

When you tree collection starts to bear good amount of fruit, you can think about establishing a fruit stand or can participate at farmers market. You can let the rest of the world to enjoy your product instead of wasting it or trying to consume them all (which can lead to some stomach aches).

Once you get popularity you can get uncountable return on your investment. Maintaining an Orchard should not be a capitalistic investment. You should start only if you have a passion for trees.

Composting: Make Your Own Bin

If you desire to make up the compost pile you must try to opt for your own compost bin for the convenience and the cleanness. You can purchase the compost bin from the garden’s shops if you can afford one or you can yourself make your own bin. Making the personal bin will not require the more materials. You can easily make the one for you.

Commercially compost bins some times have their systems to turn the compost pile in to the compost heap. Some of them have the harvesting trays that are used to make the customers feel more convenient. But if you are making your own bin you do not need to have such stuffs. All you need is to find the bin that can help you hold the materials and do not let it scattered around.

You can find the materials that are required to make the bins in the garage or in your store rooms. Heavy plastic or wood or tin would be suitable for making the bin. If you want it to look attractive you can paint it up.

Wire mesh, pipes or couple of wood planks can also be used to make the compost bin. This will let you to make the simple wired fence around the wooden plans or pipes which support it. Wire mesh can be used to tie the planks or pipes. You can make any shape like round, square or rectangle.

You must create the doorway between the wire mesh so that you can turn up the materials easily every week.

You can also make the bin from the old sheds or from the leftover wooden slats and assemble them in the backyard easily. Only make sure that there is the space in between the wooden board so that the air can passes away and help in decomposition process.

You can also make your garbage can as the compost bin. Find the garbage bin that will not let you to have awarded from the abuses of your mother or wife and use that can as the compost bin. Before filling the bin make some holes in it. This will allow the flow of the air from the materials and will make the decomposition sooner. Fill the compost bin with the material now and add the enough amount of the water until it looks like the damp.
Always keep the compost pile damp and mix the material by rolling and turning over it once a week. It would be the good idea to put the bin above the ground when you are storing the trashcan compost bins. You will be reaping your efforts in a month or so and will get the satisfactory end product.

See how easy it is to make the compost bin from the limited available materials from the house. By only keeping the basic rules in mind that air must flow from the pile, quick access to the compost pile and watering the pile at the needed time, will make the successful compost bin for you.

A Simple Tips In Staking A New Tree

A tree at its initial stage, it is crucial to fulfill the requirements of a tree in form of water and nutrients to provide a proper support.

If appropriate direction is not given to the tree it somehow end up with improper bending with erroneous direction which gives extremely shady look for the rest of its life.

So no matter what, one should always have some kind of support.

It is a tremendous method which lets tree to grow up-straight by putting longs stakes into the ground on either side and tie loops around the tree.

Each loop must have enough capability to facilitate expansion of trunk. Generally people just have a stake on one side of the tree but this is not considered as a good practice because it doesn’t allow tree to grow further.

Staking is suggested if the winds and other forces are expected to move the balls of roots within the ground. Your staking must have enough capability to prevent all such forces which creates move because it is presume to be the most harmful things that could harm to a young tree.


It causes too much motion in the roots; it never let the root to get a strong hold on the soil and does not help a tree to develop normally.

You must be completely sure about the need of staking a tree because it can only be done if the need of staking is there.

If a tree does not require staking but require a movement and we revoke the movement or tighten it so that will increase the chances to harm the tree and that would be unrecoverable once a tree is affected.

Suppose you use such staking process that could raise abrasion or “rashes” on the trunk. This will happen anyways but why it should occur if it is needless? Perhaps, staking gives your yard a strange look and could cause hurdles while walking or running around the yard.

The staking process is very simple. What you all need to do is just take 3 stakes and tie each one separately near the base of the trunk. That would be considered as a better solution if you use some sort of tether to prevent rope burn on your tree.

These are easily available at any gardening shop; these are designed to be friendly to the bark of the tree. Sticking with this is much better idea than using bare rope because that will minimize the amount of friction a tree endures.

Dalen Mow Over Tree Stake Kit TSD12 

When you feel that your tree has become enough capable to stand on its own, stakes must be removed from the ground as soon as this is possible for you. Otherwise every moment will cause the tree to lose its strength.

Keep proper eyes on to the weather reports as soon as you feel like the wind is dying down at your place and see how much wind is forecasted. You should take off the stakes temporarily if you found the skies are pretty clear for a while.

To take a pride, you should never decline with to provide a good staking to your tree. It is very necessary thing to do in certain conditions to help your tree grow well. Although it is very difficult to understand and identify when a tree need it.

If you do unnecessary staking to your tree, this could be as harmful as if we do not provide staking to the trees which needs this. If you are thinking of calling experts to take their opinions about staking your tree as well as about the duration of staking, so that will be much beneficial for you.