Showing posts with label green living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green living. Show all posts

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Green Garden Myth and Reality

Keeping Your Garden Green

There are many things we do to add a little splash of color to our summer gardens but we often fail to focus on keeping our summer gardens looking lush and green just a little bit longer even though we know that by doing so we are essentially prolonging the life and therefore our enjoyment of our summer gardens. The focus of this article is to keep your summer garden looking crisp and green as long as possible by taking a few extra steps a little earlier in the summer months to prepare for the inevitable beginning of the end.

One thing to keep in mind is that once your summer garden begins to take on that yellowish brown hue that indicates the end of summer it always seems to be a downhill ride into the fall. That ride, more often than not is over far too quickly and your summer garden is but a dim reminder of its formerly glorious summer greenery.

First things first, get rid of the yellowing leaves and dying flowers as they make their appearance. They rob the remainder of the garden of its splendor and leave the pallor of decay on the garden far too soon in the season. You will be glad you did, as it will immediately restore the look of health and vitality that your summer garden is missing while also providing a much perkier attitude and bearing from the remaining plants.

Weed. Remove those pesky weeds that detract from the beauty and lushness of the greenery in your garden. By removing the weeds your entire summer garden looks better almost immediately. While you are at it, reapply mulch. This will delay the inevitable return of the weeds while also providing an extra layer for holding in moisture to keep your plants from drying out and looking green. Another great thing about mulch is that it simply makes things look neat and orderly.

Fill in the gaps. While you are in the process of plucking leaves, weeds, and dead flowers from your summer garden it is quite likely that a few gaps will be created. Fill them in other greenery, small shrubs (evergreens are a good idea in this situation), or nice garden art for smiles and a little dash of color among the green. The effects are often stunning and you have the look of an almost new summer garden for only half the effort and expense of creating one. You may also want to scour the local plant stores for late season offerings and markdowns. These are often well cared for and in good condition to add a little touch of color or green to your garden.

Another way to keep your summer garden green is to plant plants that are appropriate to your climate. On an ordinary summer, excluding drought or excessive rain conditions this will be the best way to achieve maximum greenness from your garden. This is actually one of the best ways to prolong the life of your garden as well because the plants being used are accustomed to the weather patterns that exist in your locale. For this reason they will be much better suited to stay green and healthy much longer than most implants that are not accustomed to the local weather patterns.

Creating a greener garden is a worthy cause for most gardeners. We plant our summer gardens because we want to enjoy them. By keeping them green, healthy, and vibrant a little bit longer we are able to prolong our enjoyment of our gardens as well as the productivity of our summer gardens. This means more flowers, more fruit, more vegetables, and much longer spans of greenery for the uninitiated. Taking the steps mentioned above in order to prolong the life and your enjoyment of your summer garden seems to be a worthy sacrifice for an extra month of enjoying your lawn and outdoor living space.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Oxygen: A New Gardening Breakthrough?

In grade school we learn that Carbon Dioxide is essential for plants. Plants in turn give off oxygen we need to help breathe and clean the air. Now, information is coming forth where Oxygen itself can be beneficial to plants as well.

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A New Breakthrough in Gardening
New Research Proves Oxygen is Key to Increased Plant Flowering

(ARA) – Whether you have an extensive greenhouse or a small container garden in your home, you want your plants to do well. Common knowledge tells us that plants need water, sun and nutrients to flourish. But according to recent studies, surprisingly, there is another crucial element for successful gardening: oxygen.

Oxygen in a plant’s root system can significantly affect the overall health of the plant. Getting oxygen into the soil and to the roots not only helps improve the strength and size of a plant’s root system, but also it’s ability to absorb water and nutrients.

It’s one of those things most people have noticed, but not necessarily understood:
Golf course managers aerate turf grass sod and greens. Farmers cultivate a field to break up the crust that follows a heavy rain storm. All to allow root systems to flourish. Grass even looks greener after a thunderstorm because oxygen laden rain water stimulates root growth, bringing water and nutrients to above ground plant parts to aid in photosynthesis … and, it’s all related to oxygen as a necessary part of a successful gardening equation.

Now there’s a simple and innovative new way to put this knowledge to work in your house and garden. The Enki watering system. It’s a revolutionary new way to water your plants with extra oxygen that can produce vibrant results. This watering pitcher creates the extra oxygen a plant root system craves by super-oxygenating tap water. The pitcher plugs in and within seconds begins the oxygenation process that can be observed by the tiny air bubbles being produced in the water. In about five minutes the oxygen level of the water reaches up to 150 percent, far surpassing the oxygen levels in tap water or even that of rain water.

Tests conducted by a professor at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Horticulture reveal the system’s substantial benefits. Super oxygenated water helps to achieve earlier flowering with more vibrant colors, and increased numbers of flowers and vegetables. Measured results were produced in both vegetable and flower tests. The oxygenized water produced 28 percent more petunia flowers and 58 percent more peppers on average. Geraniums had 76 percent more flower weight on average and tomato plants yielded 22 percent more tomatoes. If you want to improve your gardening success and are looking for a way to ensure that your plants, indoor or out, will thrive, super-oxygenated water is a whole new solution you should try.

The Enki idea of super-oxygenating water just may be an idea whose time has really come. The product is eco-friendly. It only adds oxygen to the water during the short 5 minutes it takes for the water reach a level of 150 percent oxygen. With today’s consumer movement toward environmentally friendly, or “green” products, Enki would appear to be a product on the cutting edge of improved and responsible gardening ideas.

Duane Hastad can vouch for the value of oxygenized water. He is owner of three nurseries, including Heather Nursery in Montevideo, Minn. After working with plants for 31 years, he has developed a vast knowledge of horticulture. At a horticulture expo earlier this year, he began talking with the founders of Ovation Science, the makers of Enki, and it got him thinking.

“I thought what are they doing?” comments Hastad as he noticed them at the expo. “It was a neat idea, and after talking with them for a while, I knew it could work, but I wondered what results I could see.”

Hastad utilized the oxygenation watering system in his greenhouse and almost immediately got results. “We started tomato plants from seeds and they germinated in six days, twice as fast as seedlings watered with city water, and they also came up straighter and had better root systems.”

Hastad says that he now has better plant products to sell. He also began to carry the Enki watering pitcher in his store and has had very positive feedback from his customers who use it. “If it doesn’t work, I am going to hear about it,” adds Hastad. “And, people are seeing the benefits.”

For more information about how to get incredible results with your plants and the Enki plant-watering system, visit www.myenki.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent