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Lucky Southern Californians can enjoy gardening all year.
The heat gives both plants and people a bit of a break, but there are still plenty of basic maintenance tasks to do.
Deadhead your flowers.
Fertilizing Plants -- Fertilize containers. Constant watering flushes out nutrients.
Harvesting Vegetables -- Keep up with the harvest from your vegetable garden. Be sure to pick small and often. Tiny filet green beans, for example, need picking daily. And be sure to remove rotting or diseased produce from the garden. They act as disease magnets.
Watering and pest control are your main tasks this month.
Feeding Roses -- Continue to fertilize roses.
Fertilizing Plants -- Continue to fertilize containers containing annuals and perennials.
September marks the beginning of the fall planting season -- a busy time of year for lucky warm-climate gardeners.
Dividing and Planting Perennials -- Divide or plant perennials now that bloom in spring or early and mid-summer.
Feeding Roses -- Fertilize roses to encourage fall bloom.
In Southern California, September can provide some of the year's most pleasant weather. Celebrate with a planting spree.
Planting Trees and Shrubs -- It's time to get planting again. The pleasant weather is great for planting perennials, ground covers, herbs, roses, and trees and shrubs. It's also ideal for planting native plants, trees, shrubs, and perennials. And don't forget native wildflowers. They'll germinate beautifully with the winter rains.
Planting Trees and Shrubs
Dividing Perennials -- Now is a good time to divide perennials, especially those that bloom in the spring. This way, they'll have time to establish themselves before it's time to flower.
Smart Pruning -- Prune trees and shrubs as needed, cutting out dead branches and shaping plants in preparation for winter growth.
Feeding Roses -- Fertilize roses to encourage further bloom.
Adjust your watering schedule for cooler weather, using less water.
As the weather cools and the sun moves lower in the sky, reset your irrigation timer to water less frequently. However, don't change the number of minutes the system waters each time.
In many areas, trees and shrubs will need watering only every week to week and a half, and citrus trees just once a month.
Planting Trees and Shrubs -- Continue planting perennials, groundcovers, herbs, roses, and trees and shrubs. Also plant native wildflowers such as California poppies
Returning rains mean a greener landscape, beautiful roses, and finishing up fall planting.
Planting Trees and Shrubs
Dividing Perennials -- Now is a good time to divide perennials, especially those that bloom in the spring. This way, they'll have time to establish themselves before it's time to flower.
Dividing Perennials
Smart Pruning -- Prune deciduous fruit trees. After pruning, spray with dormant oil to prevent fungal diseases and pest problems.
Smart Pruning
Planting Bare-Root Trees, Shrubs, and Roses -- Order bare-root trees and shrubs, roses, and vegetables for planting next month.
Garden must-dos are minimal this month, giving you more time to focus on the holidays.
Planting Bare-Root Trees, Shrubs, and Roses -- Finish planting bare-root trees, shrubs, roses, and vegetables. But hold off planting tropicals until next spring. It's still too cold.
Storing Tender Bulbs -- In colder regions (Zones 8 and colder), dig up and store tender bulbs, including tuberous begonias, glads, dahlias, cannas, and others.
Protect tender annuals, such as cineraria, by throwing on a sheet or other non-plastic material when frost threatens. In fact, for vegetables, you can cover them indefinitely with any very light landscape fabric and anchor the corners with bricks or stones. It lets in sun and rain, but prevents light frosts from doing any damage.
Also, try planting under a tree or overhang to protect plants from frost.
Smart Pruning -- Prune deciduous fruit trees once they've gone dormant and dropped their leaves.
Gardening for Children
Gardening is a subject which captivates most of us at some time in our lives. It is quite rare for a person to reach their twilight years and not have been touched by this enormously popular hobby.
Over the last few years gardening’s popularity has soared with its very high profile in the media, in particular television, which has acted as a precursor to the vast numbers of books and magazines covering all aspects of gardening which now appear in our bookshops.
The Horticultural Trades Association estimates that the industry is now worth £5 billion pounds, a third of which is spent on plants that are bought through DIY outlets and Garden Centres, used to enhance our gardens and stimulate our enthusiasm for more adventurous designs.
Today, there has never been a better time to get children interested and involved in the garden and to help them understand and develop respect for the natural environment which we all live in.
If a child’s first experience with gardening is fun and successful, the chances are that they will develop the green fingers, a reward that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
There are few things children enjoy more than digging in the soil and making mud pies. They are fascinated by looking for worms and insects and love to water the garden or anything else in the vicinity. Children also like planting Seeds
By carefully cultivating their curiosity, you can help them develop a love of both nature and gardening that will be with them for many years to come. In addition, gardening can help children have a greater understanding of the living environment which plays such an important part nowadays in the national curriculum. It should be remembered that supporting your child in these activities can be very demanding, time consuming, and therefore it is important not to overwhelm either you or your child by making the experience over ambitions or too intensive. Remember, gardening should be fun and exciting.
For younger children, soil preparation may be the most fun part of gardening. Children aged 2 or 3 love to dig the soil with a large spoon and help prepare the garden ready for seed sowing or planting.
Where children live in a townhouse or apartment, a small corner or balcony can provide enough space for a child’s container garden. It is surprising what you can grow and surprising how attractive growing a range of lettuce or Swiss chard can look in combination with other greens in containers. In fact dwarf varieties of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and fruit such as dwarf apples, strawberries etc can do well in containers.
For older children, 5 – 8 year old, whilst they still need an adults support, they can have a larger sized garden with a greater variety of full sized plants such as tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, radish, carrots and some herbs. It is important not to forget plants such as marigolds, nasturtiums, sweet peas, sunflowers and vegetables like cabbage, carrots, beetroot, onions and leeks etc. Be careful to make sure plants are non toxic eg rhubarb leaves and stems when eaten raw are poisonous. Berries are also attractive to children, but can be quite dangerous if eaten eg Yew Berries (seeds in the berry are poisonous). Other poisonous plants include Foxgloves, Ivy with berries, Privet, Fuchsia, Potato plant – all parts except the potato itself.
Remember children can be sensitive to all sorts of plants in the garden.
What appeals to many children is the sensory garden for example sight, feel, smell, taste and sound.
Sight – Sunflowers, Pot Marigolds. Heuchera ‘Chocolate Ruffles’
Feel – Stachys lanata, Lambs Ear, Phlomis fruticosa and House Leek
Smell – Lavender, Curry Plant, Sweet Pea, Chocolate Cosmos
Taste – Spearmint, Rosemary, Wild Strawberry and Chives
Sound – Sweetcorn, Bamboo, Nigella
At this age children also want ownership of their garden and it is important that you distinguish their area from the rest of the garden. Encourage children to be creative by growing a willow wigwam for the family to sit in, a fun maze, container pond, a pizza garden or sunflower house.
For children 5 to 8, they have a greater understanding of what is going on in the garden and will take more interest in beneficial insects, predators and harmful ‘bugs’.
As children get older they will also take more of an interest in visits to the garden centre. Here you will be able to select one or two unusual plants or vegetables which they can experiment with for example globe artichokes which are sturdy and do well with low maintenance and a sunny position.
For children’s gardens use pest and disease resistant plants. Children love to touch and fingers often end up in their mouths, so organic and pesticide free plants are the safest. Vegetables which are fairly problem free include beetroot, carrots, lettuce, onions, peas and radishes.
After watching, watering and weeding, this summer you and your child will have shared hours of fun and learning together.
Of course, there are other ways of encouraging children to become more interested in gardening, for example:
2) Make a garden in a bottle.
3) Design a garden in a seed tray.
4) Encourage children to grow plants from cuttings or seeds. Try growing an oak tree from an Acorn.
5) Encourage children to read different books such as information books and increase their range of reading and improve referencing skills.
6) Children like to explore interesting facts for example:
i) Some orchid seed pods hold 3 million seeds.
ii) The largest seed is a double coconut which measures 50cm around the middle.
iii) Coconuts have a fibrous coating and air inside them, because they need to float to a new home
.
iv) Seeds provide the world’s daily food – breakfast cereal, toast, pasta or pizza.
v) Some seed is very dangerous eg deadly nightshade – 2 seeds can kill a person. Castor Oil plant – 1 seed will kill an adult.
7) Join a gardening club – The Sunnyside Community Club in the South East is an excellent example of this type of community project
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I’ve always wanted a WATER FEATURE
1. Plan first! The style and size of the pond should fit your landscape. Don’t make a WATER FEATURE
Consider what type of pond you want. Water gardens need sun for most aquatic plants to grow well. They’re generally shallow – only about 18-24 inches deep – and they can include goldfish. Fish/koi ponds, on the other hand, are usually larger in size and can be placed in shady locations. These are generally deeper, too, reaching 3 feet deep or more, to protect the fish during winter. (These ponds usually don’t have plants for the fish to eat.)
2. Select a good spot. This goes back to the type of water feature you want to build – keep in mind those sun or shade requirements! (Remember, aquatic plants
Don’t put your pond in a low-lying location, because it’ll flood more easily. Don’t dig out a pond in areas with underground utility lines either, but do make sure that your pond’s got access to water and electricity. And of course, if you’ve got kids around, be sure to plan for their safety. Children can drown in just a few inches of water! Finally, do put your pond where you can see it, hear it and – most of all – enjoy it!
3. Choose your materials. Ponds generally fall into two categories: prefabricated or liner ponds.
Prefabricated ponds are made of injection-molded plastic and can be formal (round or oval) or informal (kidney or free-form). Don’t forget that your pond’s depth becomes important when overwintering fish, especially koi. Some prefabs don’t offer the needed depth, so be sure to take this into consideration. Generally, prefabricated ponds are used in smaller areas where you want to add a water feature.
Liners are sold by the square foot. If you want versatility, creativity and greater size, this is the way to go. Liner ponds can be as deep as you need to make them – 3 feet or more. Select a liner that’s a 45-mil rubber and specifically intended for ponds. When choosing your liner, remember that black liners make a pond look deeper and more natural. Your local aquatic specialist can help you determine how much liner you’ll need.
When it comes to accessories that help keep your pond healthy, there’s one big rule: Buy the best you can. Fish ponds need a combination pump and filter to keep water clean and your fish healthy. (The pump and filter are so important, it’s good to buy a larger Filter
4. Get ready to dig! The type of pond you choose determines how deep and level you need to excavate.
For prefabricated ponds, place the plastic unit upside down on the ground where you want it and trace an outline of the shape. Then move the unit and begin digging. After the hole’s ready and even (use a level to make sure), set the prefabricated form in it. Then backfill around the edges with soil. (Check for levelness again – any areas that aren’t even need to be fixed before you add any water.)
For liner ponds, use a rope, hose or other outlining material to create whatever pond shape you’d like. Then dig a 6-inch trench around the inside edge of your outline to create a ledge effect. Continue to dig and remove excess soil. Remember that fish/koi ponds need a deeper area for fish to overwinter, so make one part of your pond at least 3 feet deep. (Generally, areas of a liner pond don’t have to be level – they can slope down to the deeper area. Just be sure to keep the edges of your pond level so it won’t be lopsided.)
Before you put your liner in the ground, make sure you remove any rocks, sticks or other debris that might cause damage to it. Padding the hole with carpeting, newspapers or landscape fabric before installing the liner offers extra protection from tears and punctures. When you’re ready to install, place the liner in the center of the hole and unfold. (If necessary, fold or pleat the liner to make it fit.) Use bricks or rocks to hold the corners in place. Place the submersible pump in the deepest area of the pond, then start filling with water. Stand in the pond and smooth out any major creases or wrinkles as you go.
Let your pond settle for a day or two. Then trim off any excess liner, leaving at least a 12-inch flap. Dig a trench to bury the flap and backfill it with topsoil as you go. Create a slight lip (1-2 inches high) around the edge of the pond. Camouflage it with grass, rocks or boulders to create a natural edge for the pond.
You’ll obviously need to do some work to maintain your pond’s health, but that’s pretty much it. A little planning, a little digging, a little water, and you’re set to enjoy all the wonders a water garden or fish pond can bring!
The word hydroponics comes from two Greek words, "hydro" meaning water and "ponics" meaning labor. The concept of soil less gardening or hydroponics has been around for thousands of years. The hanging Gardens of Babylon and The Floating Gardens of China are two of the earliest examples of hydroponics. Scientists started experimenting with soil less gardening around 1950. Since then other countries, such as Holland, Germany, and Australia have used hydroponics for crop production with amazing results.
Hydroponics is proved to have several advantages over soil gardening. The growth rate on a hydroponic plant is 30-50 percent faster than a soil plant, grown under the same conditions. The yield of the plant is also greater. Scientists believe that there are several reasons for the drastic differences between hydroponic and soil plants. The extra oxygen in the hydroponic growing mediums helps to stimulate root growth. Plants with ample oxygen in the root system also absorb nutrients faster. The nutrients in a hydroponic system are mixed with the water and sent directly to the root system. The plant does not have to search in the soil for the nutrients that it requires. Those nutrients are being delivered to the plant several times per day. The hydroponic plant requires very little energy to find and break down food. The plant then uses this saved energy to grow faster and to produce more fruit. Hydroponic plants also have fewer problems with bug infestations, funguses and disease. In general, plants grown hydroponically are healthier and happier plants.
Hydroponic gardening also offers several benefits to our environment. Hydroponic gardening uses considerably less water than soil gardening, because of the constant reuse the nutrient solutions. Due to lack of necessity, fewer pesticides are used on hydroponic crops. Since hydroponic gardening systems use no topsoil, topsoil erosion isn't even an issue. Although, if agricultural trends continue to erode topsoil and waste water, hydroponics may soon be our only solution.
The purpose of a growing medium is to aerate and support the root system of the plant and to channel the water and nutrients. Different growing mediums work well in different types of hydroponic systems. A fast draining medium, such as Hydroton or expanded shale works well in an ebb and flow type system. Hydroton is a light expanded clay aggregate. It is a light, airy type of growing medium that allows plenty of oxygen to penetrate the plant's root system. Both types of grow rocks can be reused, although the shale has more of a tendency to break down and may not last as long as the Hydroton. These grow rocks are very stable and rarely effect the pH of the nutrient solution.
Rockwool has become an extremely popular growing medium. Rockwool was originally used in construction as insulation. There is now a horticultural grade of Rockwool. Unlike the insulation grade, horticultural Rockwool is pressed into growing cubes and blocks. It is produced from volcanic rock and limestone. These components are melted at temperatures of 2500 degrees and higher. The molten solution is poured over a spinning cylinder, comparable to the way cotton candy is made, then pressed into identical sheets, blocks or cubes. Since Rockwool holds 10-14 times as much water as soil and retains 20 percent air it can be used in just about any hydroponic system. Although the gardener must be careful of the pH, since Rockwool has a pH of 7.8 it can raise the pH of the nutrient solution. Rockwool cannot be used indefinitely and most gardeners only get one use per cube. It is also commonly used for propagation.
Other commonly used growing mediums are perlite, vermiculite and different grades of sand. These three mediums are stable and rarely effect the pH of the nutrient solution. Although, they tend to hold too much moisture and should be used with plants that are tolerant to these conditions. Perlite, vermiculite and sands are very inexpensive options, and work charitably in wick systems, although they are not the most effective growing mediums.
Most of the principles that apply to soil fertilizers also apply to hydroponic fertilizers, or nutrient solutions. A hydroponic nutrient solution contains all the elements that the plant normally would get from the soil. These nutrients can be purchased at a hydroponic supply store. Most are highly concentrated, using 2 to 4 teaspoons per gallon of water. They come in liquid mixes or powered mixes, usually with at least two different containers, one for grow and one for bloom. The liquids are the slightly more expensive and the easiest to use. They dissolve quickly and completely into the reservoir and often have an added pH buffer. The powered varieties are inexpensive and require a little more attention. They need to be mixed much more thoroughly and often don't dissolve completely into the reservoir. Most do not have a pH buffer.
Like soil, hydroponic systems can be fertilized with organic or chemical nutrients. An organic hydroponic system is considerably more work to maintain. The organic compounds have a tendency to lock together and cause pumps blockage. Some hydroponic gardeners simply supplement their hydroponic gardens with organic nutrients, using the chemical nutrients as the main food supply. This gives the plants a stable supply of nutrients without the high maintenance a hydro-organic system.
Most plants can grow hydroponically within a pH range of 5.8 to 6.8, 6.3 is considered optimal. The pH in a hydroponic system is much easier to check than the pH of soil. Many hardware, pet, and hydroponic supply stores sell pH-testing kits. They range in price from $4.00 to about $15.00, depending on the range and type of test you prefer. Testing pH is easy and essential in a hydroponics system. If the pH is too high or too low the plant will not be able to absorb certain nutrients and will show signs of deficiencies. pH should be checked once a week. It is easy to adjust by adding small amounts of soluble Potash to raise pH, or phosphoric acid to lower pH. There are also several pH meters available. These give a digital reading of the pH in the system. The pH meter cost around $100 and are not necessary in most cases.
Hydroponic systems are characterized as active or passive. An active hydroponic system actively moves the nutrient solution, usually using a pump. Passive hydroponic systems rely on the capillary action of the growing medium or a wick. The nutrient solution is absorbed by the medium or the wick and passed along to the roots. Passive systems are usually too wet and do not supply enough oxygen to the root system for optimum growth rates.
Hydroponic systems can also be characterized as recovery or non-recovery. Recovery systems or recirculating systems reuse the nutrient solution. Non-recovery means just what it says. The nutrient solution is applied to the growing medium and not recovered.
The wick system is a passive non-recovery type hydroponic system. It uses no pumps and has no moving parts. The nutrients are stored in the reservoir and moved into the root system by capillary action often using a candle or lantern wick. In simpler terms, the nutrient solution travels up the wick and into the root system of the plant. Wick systems often uses sand or perlite, vermiculite mix and a growing medium. The wick system is easy and inexpensive to set-up and maintain. Although, it tends to keep the growing medium to wet, which doesn't allow for the optimum amount of oxygen in the root system. The wick system is not the most effective way to garden hydroponically.
The Ebb and Flow hydroponic system is an active recovery type system. The Ebb and Flow uses a submersible pump in the reservoir and the plants are in the upper tray. They work on a simple flood and drain theory. The reservoir holds the nutrient solution and the pump. When the pump turns on, the nutrient solution is pumped up to the upper tray and delivered to the root system of the plants. The pump should remain on for about 20 to 30 minutes, which is called a flood cycle. Once the water has reached a set level, an overflow pipe or fitting allows the nutrient solution to drain back into the reservoir. The pump remains on for the entire flood cycle. After the flood cycle the nutrient solution slowly drains back down into the reservoir through the pump.
During the flood cycle oxygen poor air is pushed out of the root system by the upward moving nutrient solution. As the nutrient solution drains back into the reservoir, oxygen rich air is pulled into the growing medium. This allows the roots ample oxygen to maximize their nutrient intake. Rockwool and grow rocks are most commonly used growing mediums in Ebb and Flow type systems. The Ebb and Flow is low maintenance, yet highly effective type of hydroponic gardening.
The Nutrient Film Technique or NFT system is an active recovery type hydroponic system. Again, using submersible pumps and reusing nutrient solutions. The NFT uses a reservoir with a submersible pump that pumps the nutrient solution into a grow-tube where the roots suspended. The grow-tube is at a slight downward angle so the nutrient solution runs over the roots and back into the reservoir. The nutrient solution flows over the roots up to 24 hours per day.
Oxygen is needed in the grow-tube so capillary matting or air stones must be used. The plants are held up by a support collar or a grow-basket and no growing medium is used. The NFT system is very effective. Although, many novice hydroponic growers find it difficult to fine tune. It can also be very unforgiving, with no growing medium to hold any moisture, any long period of interruption in the nutrient flow can cause the roots to dry out and the plants to suffer and possibly die.
The Continuous Drip system is an active recovery or non-recovery type system. This system uses a submersible pump in a reservoir with supply lines going to each plant. With drip emitter for each plant the gardener can adjust the amount of solution per plant. A drip tray under each row of plants, sending the solution back to the reservoir, can easily make this system an active recovery type. In the early days of hydroponics, the extra solution was leached out into the ground. Continuous Drip systems are often used with Rockwool. Although, any growing medium can be used with this system, thanks to the adjustment feature on each individual drip emitter.
This is the most asked question relating to hydroponics. Should I buy one or build one? This author recommends a little of both. If you have an engineer's mind and dream of building your own hydroponic system, buy one first! Getting an inexpensive system will allow you to get your feet wet and give you a better understanding of how hydroponics works. The hands on experience is worth the cost of the system and chances are, you will be able to reuse the parts in that system when you set out to build your own.
If you would rather get right into building your own, do your research. Get all the information you can and don't rely on just one source. This is a constantly changing industry and there are many books still on the shelves that are already outdated. Building your own system can be very rewarding or extremely frustrating. It's mostly trial and error so, be patient.
Hydroponic gardening is the wave of the future. It is currently being studied in classrooms around the country, local horticultural societies and in government funded research at major universities and NASA. It is also becoming a popular hobby. Hydroponics is fun, exciting and easy to get involved in.
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