“Top 10 Gardening Tips”

1.  Prepare Your Soil Properly

 -Roots are everything- add organic matter to all soil type

2. Mulch Plants

-Conserves water, maintains soil temperatures, increases drainage of soil, controls weeds

-Best Mulches; compost, barks, chopped leaves, paper, pine needles

3. Select the Right Plant for the Right Place

-Determine at planting site- soil condition, light needs, and wind exposure

-Consider the type of plant wanted; annual, perennial, herbaceous, woody, color, length of bloom, size,   texture

-Consider cultural requirements; light, shade, semi-shade, full sun

4. Buy Healthy Plants

-Check roots when purchasing, should be whitish looking

-Check for general health of plant

-Sometimes bigger is not better

5. Plant Shallow

-Planting depth should never be deeper than what plant was grown at

-Roots need water and oxygen

6. Water Properly

-Water deeply (1/2 inch per week) shallow watering in not effective

-Water from the bottom when possible, cuts down on disease and allows roots to absorb more thoroughly

7. Fertilize Properly

-Know your plants needs; how much and how often

-Inorganic, water soluble, or slow release

-Organic; fish emulsion, manures, compost, bone meal

8. Practice Sanitation

-Clean Equipment; keep sharp and clean

-Clean up old plant material and mulch

-Know when and when not to compost (do not compost diseased material or meat products)

9. Practice Good Management

-Monitor for early signs of infestations

-Know your Plants; common problems

-Know when problems might occur; hot or dry weather, wet weather, pests arrival times

-Allow for good ventilation around plants

-Use pesticides (organic or inorganic) early enough to control pests

10. Pinch and Prune Properly

-Pinch above a node to promote growth

-Prune below a node to thin or shape growth