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In the gardening world, it is important to to try to grow and maintain the best plants that you can. That is where smart gardening techniques come in handy. This will help you grow the most plentiful, beautiful and healthiest plants that you can. Follow these tips to become a better gardener.



Use a solution made of a combination of alcohol, water, and vinegar to remove the salt deposits that may accrue in clay pots. Spray it on the the pots and scrub away with a brush, preferably plastic. This allows you to continue to reuse those clay pots! Make sure the pots are dry before using them though.



Use fertilizers that are free for the taking. Using chemical free grass clippings or human urine for a nutrient rich and free fertilizer. Twenty parts water with one part urine is an excellent fertilizer for seedlings, or steep the grass clippings in water to make a tea for watering and fertilizing the plants. So don't spend a lot on the garden when the fertilizers can be had for free.



When planning your home garden, be sure to choose some crops that are typically fredericksburg local tree pros to purchase from your local grocery store. By doing this, you can end up saving yourself a lot of money, sometimes fifty dollars or more every month, depending on the crop. Plus, you are guaranteed to have the freshest vegetables available!



An easy way to transport tools to and from the garden is to use an old golf bag. Many golf bags have a stand built into them so it makes grabbing and organizing the tools a breeze. Use the pockets in the sides of the bag to store all kinds of assorted gardening tools, seeds, and gloves, or just use them to store a refreshing beverage.



Get rid of any garden pests immediately. Garden pests, such as red spider mites, ants, whitefly, and aphids, can infect your plants with various diseases, so if you notice any of the plants in your garden dying or failing to thrive, check for pests first. To get rid of garden pests, invest in a good pesticide.



You can plant wheat grass or cat grass near the plants that the cat eats. You may also place something offensively smelly atop the soil, like citrus peel or mothballs.






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Most people design their gardens with plants in their hands and a shovel. However, the best idea is to wait to choose your plants after you have decided upon a layout or landscaping design. Once you have completed the landscaping, move on to the last step to your garden; planting your favorite flowers, shrubs and trees.



Think about planting evergreen plants that will produce berries in the backyard. They offer terrific color during the dreariest times of the year when nothing else you have planted has any hue remaining. Some evergreens that will provide winter color are the American Holly, Common Snowberry, American Cranberrybush, and the Winterberry.



If your flower beds have diseased or dead plants in them, it is best to remove them as soon as possible to prevent the spread of disease. It is a good idea to clean out your flower beds in the fall so that the soil will benefit from freezing over the winter by killing the pests or disease-causing organisms in the soil. Cleaning out your beds in the fall will help prevent the spread of disease to your spring flowers.



If you have to lift something heavy you need to lift with your knees. Many people make the mistake of lifting with their back when they are lifting heavy objects. This can lead to a lot of back ache and could even cause http://www.nkolandscaping.com/blog/4-pruning-tips-for-healthy-safe-palm-trees . You should never lift anything that is extremely heavy without help from someone else.



Fertilize your soil with organic compost. Organic gardeners tend to fertilize their soil twice in one season: once prior to planting, and then again in the middle of a growth cycle. The best fertilizer to use is an organic compost, as it releases nutrients slowly unlike chemical fertilizers, which release nutrients in one go and then lose their effect.



Attract positive bugs to your garden. Bugs like lady-bugs actually hunt natural predators to your plants; aphids and caterpillars are just some of the nasty critters that can go through a garden and eat the leaves of the plants. Lady bugs are the natural predators to such pests and help the growth of a good healthy garden by consuming pests.



From the simplest of gardens to the most grand, there are always rules of thumb that will help ensure you get the best possible results from your garden. By following the tips and advice from this article you will be well on your way to enjoying the fruits, and vegetables, of your labor.