When growing houseplants, you may be surprised to learn that the outside environment does affect your indoor plants. If you are trying to maintain a healthy indoor garden, one of the main barriers to your plants’ health is pollution. In cities, and even in suburbs, dust, grime, and exhaust make it hard even for indoor plants to thrive.

Because plants ‘breathe” through their leaves, allowing their leaves to become covered with dust and dirt is not only unattractive, but also harmful to the plants. Therefore, you should pay special attention to cleaning the foliage of your plants, making sure that they are kept clean and free from dirt and dust.

If your plants have shiny smooth leaves, the easiest way to clean the leaves is to give them a sponge-bath with slightly warmed water and a very small amount of soap. Then, rinse with clean water, making sure that no soapy residue is left on the leaves. This will remove any dust or dirt, as well as any pests which may have found their way onto your houseplants.

If your plants have hairy leaves, such as African Violets, keep them clean by occasionally brushing the leaves with a fine soft brush. However, be gentle, so that you do not harm the leaves with rough treatment.

During the summer, you can give your plants special care by returning them to nature for the season. If you have a garden, or even a porch or patio, your houseplants can spend two or three months outside each year. However, keep in mind that you should try to replicate their indoor conditions when you leave your plants in the garden, as they have acclimated to being indoors, just like an aralia plant. Try to replicate the amount of light your plants were receiving indoors, keeping plants in shady or sunny spots as needed. Aralias usually get wilted stems when exposed to too much light outdoors. A nursery can also help you determine which of your plants prefer sunny or shady environments.

While you could take the plants out of their pots and plant them directly in the garden, it is probably better to sink the pots into the soil, leaving the plant in the pot. This will keep your plants from the shock of transferring them to completely new and different soil. Also, the pot will keep the roots from spreading, which would make it difficult to re-pot them at the end of the summer. You may wish to drop some gravel into the hole first, to ensure adequate drainage.

While your plants are spending time in the garden, you should not forget about them. Even with rainfall, make sure that they are adequately watered. Make sure to examine them occasionally to make sure that they are not being attacked by pests. When you bring them back inside at the end of the summer, make sure no pests get a free ride into your house, where they can attack your other houseplants.

Organic gardening can be different things to different people. Some have it as a little hobby and grow a bunch of fine flowers for the fun of it. Then there are those who get serious about it and set out to grow their own food that way.

The interest in organic gardening has grown over the years. Although organically grown food can be found in supernarkets, many still prefer to produce their own. There is a special satisfaction in growing something that way, and knowing exactly how it was produced.

Organic gardening means no pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers or artificial supplements. Every gardener has done battle with garden pests, but there are natural ways of removing them.

After all, it’s what previous generations had to do and they didn’t starve. You just need a bit of cunning. One trick to get rid of those annoying aphids is to plant marigolds near to your vegetable patch. Let nature do its thing!

A lot of people are worried, especially parents, about the chemicals that are routinely used in our food production. Sometimes these chemicals get into the waterways. Organic gardening means your kids and the family dog or cat, can play in the garden safely in a chemical free zone.

An integral part of organic gardening is the use of compost instead of chemical fertilizers. This means you make good use of garden waste to build up the fertility of your garden soil.

You feed the compost with waste materials such as rose clippings and coffee grounds, and in return you get excellent top soil which your plants will love to grow in.

There are many little tricks of the trade in organic gardening. Like, you can mix some cooking oil with water, with the help of some laundry soap, to get a nice mixture for spraying on such pests as aphids.

Somewhere on the way, we all lost the natural connection to nature, and we got used to jumping in the car to go to the soulless supermarket to buy bland food. Many of us like to re-connect to what we lost - by organic gardening.

Professional photographers have various kinds of techniques up their sleeves to make their photos stand out. It doesn’t matter what kind of photos they are, they know how to make them look like a masterpiece. Here are some tricks you too can use for good effect.

Taking flower photos does not require a lot of sunlight as some people may think. If you take pictures in strong sunlight, you may end up with harsh shadows showing up in the image, which is not a pleasing result.

Your eyes can adapt quickly to different levels of light, but the camera has a more limited capability to capture strong contrasts. Harsh contrasts between sunlit and shadowy areas are not what you want in a good flower picture.

It is actually better if you take flower photos on a cloudy day. There is enough light, and it is not as harsh as it would be if the sun was out. On a cloudy day, the light tends to bring out the best in your flower subjects.

There are also some other tricks that you can use, to make your subjects show their best when taking photographs. Professional photographers do it all of the time and create great results.

For instance, you can learn how to make your own clouds. This only takes a white garbage bag (unused) or a white t-shirt. Along with that, you will also need a hanger that can be shaped into a square. Attach the hanger to the t-shirt or the garbage bag, then hold the contraption above the subject to shade it from the direct sunlight.

The professionals have a knack for making pictures at special times of day, such as early in the morning or near sunset. This is because the light is very special then, and the pictures are likely to be more pleasing. You can try this technique also, and add new qualities to your photos.

Finally, if you don’t have enough light on the subject, like in case of a flower in a very shady spot, you can use a mirror or a piece of aluminum foil. Hold it so that it reflects extra light on the subject, to make it stand out better. This will help focus the attention on the flower that you are trying to capture.

Any reliable seed house can be depended upon for good seeds; but even so, there is a great risk in seeds. A seed may to all appearances be all right and yet not have within it vitality enough, or power, to produce a hardy plant.

A little plant must depend for its early growth on the nourishment stored up in the two halves of the bean seed. For this purpose the food is stored. Beans are not full of food and goodness for you and me to eat, but for the little baby bean plant to feed upon. And so if we choose a large seed, we have chosen a greater amount of food for the plantlet. This little plantlet feeds upon this stored food until its roots are prepared to do their work. So if the seed is small and thin, the first food supply insufficient, there is a possibility of losing the little plant.

You may care to know the name of this pantry of food. It is called a cotyledon if there is but one portion, cotyledons if two. Thus we are aided in the classification of plants. A few plants that bear cones like the pines have several cotyledons. But most plants have either one or two cotyledons.

But one thing to look out for in seed is viability. We know from our testing that seeds which look to the eye to be all right may not develop at all. There are reasons. Seeds may have been picked before they were ripe or mature; they may have been frozen; and they may be too old. Seeds retain their viability or germ developing power, a given number of years and are then useless. There is a viability limit in years which differs for different seeds.

Fighting Enemies

The devices and implements used for fighting plant enemies are of two sorts: (1) those used to afford mechanical protection to the plants; (2) those used to apply insecticides and fungicides.

Of the first the most useful is the covered frame. It consists usually of a wooden box, some eighteen inches to two feet square and about eight high, covered with glass, protecting cloth, mosquito netting or mosquito wire. The first two coverings have, of course, the additional advantage of retaining heat and protecting from cold, making it possible by their use to plant earlier than is otherwise safe. They are used extensively in getting an extra early and safe start with cucumbers, melons and the other vine vegetables.

As a final word to the intending purchaser of garden tools, I would say: first thoroughly investigate the different sorts available, and when buying, do not forget that a good tool or a well-made machine will be giving you satisfactory use long, long after the price is forgotten, while a poor one is a constant source of discomfort. Get good tools, and take good care of them. And let me repeat that a few dollars a year, judiciously spent, for tools afterward well cared for, will soon give you a very complete set, and add to your garden profit and pleasure.

Once you’ve decided which vegetables you want to plant and where, there is still a little bit of preparation to complete before planting. To make a good garden you must have good soil.

The Soil

All vegetables get water and nutrients from soil. Sometimes the ground won’t already have the needed compounds. In others, previous plantings over many years will have depleted them. Either circumstance can easily be remedied with a few simple actions.

First, know what you’re starting with. The best way to find out is to purchase an inexpensive soil testing kit. These easy-to-perform chemical tests will provide accurate information on nutrient levels, pH and other helpful data. For more accurate tests, you can seek out the local Extension Office of a university. They often work with local planters to provide information about the environment, including soil composition.

pH levels can be adjusted by adding of small amounts of sulfur or lime. Some plants prefer earth that is slightly alkaline (basic), others do better in slightly acidic soil. A garden underneath a pine tree, for example, will tend to be slightly acidic because the needles that fall give a small amount of acid to the dirt. A medium level is best for most vegetables, with a pH between 6.0-6.5.

There is some mechanical preparation to be done as well. Depending on the soil type you have - very clay like, sandy, sandy loam or a mixture - you may need to do more or less tilling. Rototillers can be rented. If you have a large area that you’ll replant year after year it may be worthwhile to endure the one time expense and buy one, however. You’ll use it more often than you suspect.

The soil needs to be aerated and turned to provide oxygen and the right mechanical support balanced with the right degree of freedom for the roots to spread. Very compact soil makes it difficult for nutrients and water to flow and drain. It keeps roots from moving down to reach lower water levels and provide stronger support against wind.

Weeds

Any weeds present should be dealt with at this time. The more you do now, the less you need to do later. Many won’t appear but will have seeds present ready to sprout after you plant. A soil preparation mixture that prevents weeds from starting is a good idea. It’s much easier to apply before you plant your vegetables and it won’t harm them once you do. They’re designed to kill weeds, but not other plants.

You might want to lay down a weed control fabric before planting. That creates a cover that makes it more difficult for weeds to develop, by denying them sunlight. It also provides a physical barrier that makes it harder for them to rise up.

Other Pests

Now is also a good time to attack insects, bacteria and other things that will eat your vegetable plants later. Some organisms are helpful. Milky spores, for example, are bacteria that interrupt the growth cycle of the Japanese beetle larvae. As they develop they eat roots. Laying down the appropriate mixture of pesticides can be safe and effective and will cover a wide range of potentials pests. Preventing a small problem is always easier than solving a larger one later.

Growing vegetables is much easier than many other plants. With just a minimum of good planning, proper planting and a little bit of care you’ll have a bounty of tasty, natural things to eat.

But before you sow a seed, think.

Climate

Consider your climate first and foremost. Know the conditions necessary for the type of vegetables you plant, so be sure to understand how these plants will be influenced by tropical, temperate, or cold weather. Within these broad categories there are several sub-types. The range of climates in the U.S., for example, runs across a dozen zones. You should not plant tomatoes - a heat-loving vegetable - when you can anticipate a frost after winter’s end.

On the other hand, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, onions and more grow well when in cooler climates. They like 50F-68F (10C-20C) weather and will tolerate frost fairly well. Cabbage, carrots, lettuce and others will prefer slightly warmer temperatures, about 60F-75F (15C-25C). Tomatoes, corn, eggplant and potatoes prefer it hot.

Next, consider the total area and location of your planned vegetable garden. A family of four might do well with a 100 square meters, but that’s far more than a novice gardener will want to care for at first. Beyond size, think of the specific needs and nature of each plant. Corn grows tall, so it will produce shade. But you don’t want that shade to block sun desired by those tomatoes.

Location

Next, consider the total area and location of your planned vegetable garden. A family of four might do well with a 100 square meters, but that’s far more than a novice gardener will want to care for at first. Beyond size, think of the specific needs and nature of each plant. Corn grows tall, so it will produce shade. But you don’t want that shade to block sun desired by those tomatoes.

When considering the location, think about what you might have to do to protect the vegetable plants from excessive shade and wind. Some places are shaded naturally, and perhaps too much so.

Vegetables like sunlight. At least five hours per day is needed by most. You’ll be able to tell they aren’t getting enough if your vegetables are far below average size, if the leaves are wimpy looking and by other signs. Plant the taller vegetables, like corn, to the north of the shorter ones. Plants low to the ground, like lettuce, need to be nearer the south edge.

Water

Give your vegetables plenty of water. Unlike herbs and some other plants, vegetables need lots of water to grow. They’ll need good drainage in sandy loam in order to avoid root rot. But beyond that, the more water, the better. Watering the base and roots is more important than keeping the leaves wet. A drip system can provide the perfect solution here.

Be prepared to do what the pros do and rotate your crops from year to year. Different plants take different things from the soil in varying quantities. Some of that can be replaced with compost, fertilizer and other soil treatments. But help out by changing your design once in a while.

Bonsai trees may look serene and very peaceful to you but they take a lot of time and effort to grow and cultivate. Bonsai gardening is an art form that has been around for several centuries. It originated in Asia and made its way around the world.

Beginners in the art of bonsai gardening need to learn a lot before they can really perfect cultivating a bonsai tree. It takes a lot of patience to cultivate a bonsai tree.

The first, and probably the most important thing of all, is to ensure that you have fertile soil and the correct pots to successfully grow a bonsai tree. Making the selection of a tree is something else that you need to be fully aware of before visiting a garden center to purchase your bonsai. Various bonsai trees are more suitable for cultivation than others. You may wish to initially select a tree that is hardy and grows well.

Bonsai Options

One of the most recommended bonsai trees for the novice is the Japanese Snowdrop. This tree is hardy and grows very well in an outdoor environment in full sun. It is an easy maintenance tree, provided that it is well watered so that the ball root system does not completely dry out. Yearly pruning is necessary for this tree along with constant observation of the roots.

Another great tree for beginners is the Japanese Pagoda. It is reasonably simple to maintain and grow. This variety of tree also flowers in season. The Japanese Pagoda will appreciate full sun with some partial shade. It does not like to be too hot or too dry, so it is important to keep the roots damp most of the time. It is important to ensure that the ball root system does not dry out completely for successful bonsai gardening.

Tips and Tricks for Bonsai Gardening

You need to bear in mind that not all species of bonsai trees have the same preferences for watering and sun exposure. Make sure you are aware of the needs of your specific plant to be successful in bonsai gardening. Some trees need to be repotted regularly at least every one to three years. This helps to maintain the roots and keep them free from pests and other threats to their root system.

Training your bonsai plant entails that the branches and twigs be wired and held in place with special branch benders. This procedure calls for much time, effort and patience, which will be paid back in the long run with an attractive bonsai plant.

Growing plants, vines, flowers, trees, fruits and vegetables and just about anything else you put in the ground with all natural methods most people would refer to as organic gardening. Gardening the organic way means the use of pesticides, chemicals or other environmentally unfriendly substances used to produce fruit and foliage are never used. Organics are normally associated with fruits, vegetables and herbs, as people do not want chemicals on their foods. However, organic production can also be applied to the production of meats.

You should know that your garden’s soil is a complex ecosystem of its own. It contains numerous micro organisms that convert inactive compounds into the necessary nutrients that would feed your plants. Since chemical-based fertilizers can harm these organisms, switching to organic soil for the garden can prevent their destruction, providing a longer lasting life for your plants.

Mixing rich, healthy compost material together starts the base for creating organic soil. Some organic fanatics use compost piles, bins or containers to create their own compost. Some garden centers even sell compost, but creating compost is easy even without special compost bins.

If you cannot spend much time in your garden, the simplest choice is to buy a range of products to complement the organic soil for your garden. You can order plant meals, feeds, sprays, dusts, fertilizers and other organic products over-the-counter, online or in gardening shops.

What you want to do is add a few items to your garden soil, and allow those additives to sit for some weeks prior to planting. Anything you put into the garden soil had better be natural though, since the nutrients are made as the organic items break down.

Once you determine whether your soil needs phosphorus, nitrogen or potassium, you will get a clue on what kind of trace elements to purchase. The best way to go is to buy organic products for the soil. Generally, organic compounds (such as animal manure, leaf molds, peat moss, ground barks, etc) improve drainage and water retention.