Berikan dua faktor yang mengubah keasidan tanah
Nyatakan peranan dan gejala kekurangan unsur-unsur makro(Nitrogen,Phosphorus, dan Kalium)
Friday, October 7, 2011
Contoh -contoh soalan
Rajah menunjukkan contoh struktur tanah yang biasa terdapat di Malaysia
Namakan struktur tanah berkenaan
a.---------------------
b.---------------------Namakan struktur tanah yang paling sesuai untuk semua jenis tanaman
..............................................................................................................................
Berikan satu kepentingan struktur tanah
..............................................................................................................................
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Perhatian Kepada Pelajar 5VT
Jika anda ingin dapatkan ramalan soalan SP, sila hantar e-mail kepada saya dan perkenalkan diri anda - rajaputra61@gmail.com
Friday, September 24, 2010
Latihan Belanjawan
Butiran Perbelanjaan.
Biji benih- RM5000
Baja- RM2500
Membersihkan kawasan- RM1750
Sewa tanah- RM2250
Kos buruh- RM2000
Kos sampingan- RM1000
Hitung:-
1) Anggaran pendapatan jika harga pasaran RM1.50/kg dan kuantiti hasil 20000kg
2) Anggaran perbelanjaan
3) Kos luar jangka 10%
4) Anggaran jumlah perbelanjaan
5) Keuntungan
6) Pulangan setiap ringgit dilabur
7) Keuntungan jika RM20 000.00 dilabur
Biji benih- RM5000
Baja- RM2500
Membersihkan kawasan- RM1750
Sewa tanah- RM2250
Kos buruh- RM2000
Kos sampingan- RM1000
Hitung:-
1) Anggaran pendapatan jika harga pasaran RM1.50/kg dan kuantiti hasil 20000kg
2) Anggaran perbelanjaan
3) Kos luar jangka 10%
4) Anggaran jumlah perbelanjaan
5) Keuntungan
6) Pulangan setiap ringgit dilabur
7) Keuntungan jika RM20 000.00 dilabur
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Prosedur amali Sains Pertanian (SPM)
UJI pH TANAH (KAEDAH KUHN)
Bahan/alat:
Tanah, air suling, barium sulfat, larutan penunjuk universal, tabung uji, carta warna.
Langkah:
1. Masukkan sampel tanah dalam tabung uji
2. Tambah barium sulfat
3. Tambah air suling
4. Titiskan larutan penunjuk universal
5. Tutup tabung uji dan goncangkan
6. Biarkan mendap
7. Perhatikan warna yang terhasil dilapisan atas
8. Padankan warna dengan carta warna pH
9. Tentukan nilai pH
Langkah Keselamatan:
1. Jangan gunakan ibu jari semasa menggoncang untuk menutup tabung uji
2. Goncang hingga sekata
3. Penentuan warna dibuat ditempat terang.
UJI pH TANAH (METER pH)
Bahan/alat:
Tanah, meter pH, air suling, bikar, rod kaca.
Langkah:
1. Meter pH dibuat kalibrasi
2. Masukkan tanah dalam bikar
3. Tambah air suling
4. Kacau
5. Masukkan elektrod meter pH
6. Dapatkan bacaan
7. Ulang langkah diatas untuk sampel tanah lain.
PENGHASILAN MAKANAN SECARA PENAPAIAN
Bahan/alat:
Beras pulut, ragi, air, periuk, bekas plastik, senduk.
Langkah:
1. Basuh beras sehingga bersih
2. Rendam beras
3. Toskan
4. Masukkan beras dalam periuk dan isikan air secukupnya
5. Masak beras pulut
6. Tuang pulut yang masak dalam dulang
7. Ratakan nipis dan biarkan sejuk
8. Hancurkan ragi
9. Tabur rata-rata
10. Gaulkan ragi dengan pulut
11. Masukkan ke dalam bekas plastik dan ditutup.
12. Biarkan sehingga 48 jam
13. Tanda yang menunjukkan proses penapaian berjaya: Air dalam bekas
bertambah,bau harum dan rasa manis
Langkah Keselamatan:
1. Peralatan yang digunakan bersih
2. Ragi yang digunakan masih baru
3. Ragi mesti digaul rata
4. Pulut mesti masak sepenuhnya
CANTUMAN TUNAS
Bahan/alat:
Pokok penanti, ranting mata tunas (sion), pisau cantuman, pita politena.
Langkah:
1. Pilih pokok penanti
2. Tentukan tapak cantuman
3. Buat 2 kelaran lurus kebawah sepanjang 2 cm dan lebar 1cm
4. Potong kulit dibahagian bawah kelaran
5. Siat kulit keatas
6. Pilih mata tunas dan potong bersama bahagian kayu
7. Potong kepingan mata tunas sama saiz dengan tapak cantuman
8. Tanggalkan bahagian berkayu dari kulit mata tunas
9. Tampalkan kulit mata tunas pada tapak cantuman
10. Balut kulit mata tunas menggunakan pita politena
11. Perhatikan cantuman selepas 3 minggu
12. Tanda kejayaan : Jika kulit mata tunas masih hijau menunjukkan cantuman
berjaya.
Langkah Keselamatan:
1. Gunakan pisau yang tajam
2. Pokok penanti dan mata tunas mesti serasi
3. Kedudukan mata tunas tidak terbalik
4. Lakukan kerja cantuman dengan segera
5. Lakukan diawal pagi atau lewat petang.
Bahan/alat:
Tanah, air suling, barium sulfat, larutan penunjuk universal, tabung uji, carta warna.
Langkah:
1. Masukkan sampel tanah dalam tabung uji
2. Tambah barium sulfat
3. Tambah air suling
4. Titiskan larutan penunjuk universal
5. Tutup tabung uji dan goncangkan
6. Biarkan mendap
7. Perhatikan warna yang terhasil dilapisan atas
8. Padankan warna dengan carta warna pH
9. Tentukan nilai pH
Langkah Keselamatan:
1. Jangan gunakan ibu jari semasa menggoncang untuk menutup tabung uji
2. Goncang hingga sekata
3. Penentuan warna dibuat ditempat terang.
UJI pH TANAH (METER pH)
Bahan/alat:
Tanah, meter pH, air suling, bikar, rod kaca.
Langkah:
1. Meter pH dibuat kalibrasi
2. Masukkan tanah dalam bikar
3. Tambah air suling
4. Kacau
5. Masukkan elektrod meter pH
6. Dapatkan bacaan
7. Ulang langkah diatas untuk sampel tanah lain.
PENGHASILAN MAKANAN SECARA PENAPAIAN
Bahan/alat:
Beras pulut, ragi, air, periuk, bekas plastik, senduk.
Langkah:
1. Basuh beras sehingga bersih
2. Rendam beras
3. Toskan
4. Masukkan beras dalam periuk dan isikan air secukupnya
5. Masak beras pulut
6. Tuang pulut yang masak dalam dulang
7. Ratakan nipis dan biarkan sejuk
8. Hancurkan ragi
9. Tabur rata-rata
10. Gaulkan ragi dengan pulut
11. Masukkan ke dalam bekas plastik dan ditutup.
12. Biarkan sehingga 48 jam
13. Tanda yang menunjukkan proses penapaian berjaya: Air dalam bekas
bertambah,bau harum dan rasa manis
Langkah Keselamatan:
1. Peralatan yang digunakan bersih
2. Ragi yang digunakan masih baru
3. Ragi mesti digaul rata
4. Pulut mesti masak sepenuhnya
CANTUMAN TUNAS
Bahan/alat:
Pokok penanti, ranting mata tunas (sion), pisau cantuman, pita politena.
Langkah:
1. Pilih pokok penanti
2. Tentukan tapak cantuman
3. Buat 2 kelaran lurus kebawah sepanjang 2 cm dan lebar 1cm
4. Potong kulit dibahagian bawah kelaran
5. Siat kulit keatas
6. Pilih mata tunas dan potong bersama bahagian kayu
7. Potong kepingan mata tunas sama saiz dengan tapak cantuman
8. Tanggalkan bahagian berkayu dari kulit mata tunas
9. Tampalkan kulit mata tunas pada tapak cantuman
10. Balut kulit mata tunas menggunakan pita politena
11. Perhatikan cantuman selepas 3 minggu
12. Tanda kejayaan : Jika kulit mata tunas masih hijau menunjukkan cantuman
berjaya.
Langkah Keselamatan:
1. Gunakan pisau yang tajam
2. Pokok penanti dan mata tunas mesti serasi
3. Kedudukan mata tunas tidak terbalik
4. Lakukan kerja cantuman dengan segera
5. Lakukan diawal pagi atau lewat petang.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
All About Mulching
Mulching is an important part of any type of garden, it helps keep the plants healthy and also helps make your garden maintenance easier. It seems like such a simple concept, but there is actually quite a bit for the gardener to know about mulching.
Mulch is a layer of material spread on top of the soil to conserve soil moisture, discourage the growth of weeds, help prevent erosion and prevent large fluctuations in soil temperature. In other words, mulch modifies the soil micro-climate around your growing plants.
Ideally, mulch is light and permeable enough to allow water and air to pass through, yet dense enough to inhibit or eliminate the growth of weeds.
Mulches may be organic (usually plant material), mineral (crushed stone or gravel), or synthetic (plastics and geotextiles). Understanding their differences will help you choose the best mulch for your situation. Generally speaking, organic and mineral mulches cool the soil while synthetic mulches warm it up.
Any biodegradable material can be used as an organic mulch. Some of the most easily attainable materials include shredded or chipped bark, shredded leaves, hay, straw, and peat moss.
Avoid using whole leaves unless you mix them with straw or some other light material as they tend to mat down and get soggy. They can actually prevent water and air from reaching the soil beneath.
Grass clippings are an excellent choice of mulching material. They're so small they start breaking down and enriching the soil almost immediately. If you do use grass clippings, be sure they don't have pesticide residue on them. Many lawn treatments contain herbicides that kill broadleaf plants, including those that you may be trying to grow in your garden. And of course, if you're mulching a vegetable garden you don't want to be adding poisonous chemicals to it.
You may be fortunate enough to live near a source of industrial by-products that are useful for mulching. Some ideas are sawdust or shavings from sawmills, spent hops from breweries, or composted manure from mushroom growers.
Careful with the sawdust. It's deficient in nitrogen so you might want to mix it with some compost. Also, softwood sawdust is acidic, so you don't want to use it too close to plants that prefer a neutral or alkaline soil.
Advantages of mulching:
Mulched plant roots are not subjected to extreme temperatures. Unmulched roots get hot and dry in the summer and can be damaged by the heaving of soil during sudden frosts and thaws in winter.
Organic mulches and some mineral mulches contain nutrients that gradually wash down into the soil and fertilize the plant roots.
Weeding and hoeing the garden are practically eliminated when you mulch! The few weeds that manage to poke up through the mulch are easily nipped out, and there's no need to cultivate because the mulch keeps the soil loose.
Mulch protects the soil from the drying action of the sun and wind, and protects it from erosion from wind and hard rain. Mulched plants can often endure a long dry spell with hardly any watering.
Mulch protects vegetables such as squash, cucumber, unstaked tomatoes or strawberries that lie on the ground when they're ripe. The mulch keeps them clean and dry, preventing rot and mildew. Likewise, low growing flowers will not be splashed with mud in a mulched flower bed.
When not to mulch:
Seedlings planted in very moist soil should not be mulched until they are well established, as the higher soil moisture can encourage damping-off, a fungal infection that is usually fatal.
If the soil is waterlogged from spring rains, let it dry out a bit before mulching perennials to avoid crown rot, another fungal infection. It is best to leave an open circle a few inches in diameter around the base of each plant for air circulation.
Don't mulch a low-lying, wet soil.
There's too much to learn about mulching to fit it all into one article, but I hope you can see that mulching has great benefits for your garden and for you.
Your plants will benefit by having their roots protected from heat and dryness in the summer and from frost heaving in the winter, your soil will stay loose and friable, weeding will disappear off your chore list and you'll save water too!
Happy Gardening, Mulching is an important part of any type of garden, it helps keep the plants healthy and also helps make your garden maintenance easier. It seems like such a simple concept, but there is actually quite a bit for the gardener to know about mulching.
Mulch is a layer of material spread on top of the soil to conserve soil moisture, discourage the growth of weeds, help prevent erosion and prevent large fluctuations in soil temperature. In other words, mulch modifies the soil micro-climate around your growing plants.
Ideally, mulch is light and permeable enough to allow water and air to pass through, yet dense enough to inhibit or eliminate the growth of weeds.
Mulches may be organic (usually plant material), mineral (crushed stone or gravel), or synthetic (plastics and geotextiles). Understanding their differences will help you choose the best mulch for your situation. Generally speaking, organic and mineral mulches cool the soil while synthetic mulches warm it up.
Any biodegradable material can be used as an organic mulch. Some of the most easily attainable materials include shredded or chipped bark, shredded leaves, hay, straw, and peat moss.
Avoid using whole leaves unless you mix them with straw or some other light material as they tend to mat down and get soggy. They can actually prevent water and air from reaching the soil beneath.
Grass clippings are an excellent choice of mulching material. They're so small they start breaking down and enriching the soil almost immediately. If you do use grass clippings, be sure they don't have pesticide residue on them. Many lawn treatments contain herbicides that kill broadleaf plants, including those that you may be trying to grow in your garden. And of course, if you're mulching a vegetable garden you don't want to be adding poisonous chemicals to it.
You may be fortunate enough to live near a source of industrial by-products that are useful for mulching. Some ideas are sawdust or shavings from sawmills, spent hops from breweries, or composted manure from mushroom growers.
Careful with the sawdust. It's deficient in nitrogen so you might want to mix it with some compost. Also, softwood sawdust is acidic, so you don't want to use it too close to plants that prefer a neutral or alkaline soil.
Advantages of mulching:
Mulched plant roots are not subjected to extreme temperatures. Unmulched roots get hot and dry in the summer and can be damaged by the heaving of soil during sudden frosts and thaws in winter.
Organic mulches and some mineral mulches contain nutrients that gradually wash down into the soil and fertilize the plant roots.
Weeding and hoeing the garden are practically eliminated when you mulch! The few weeds that manage to poke up through the mulch are easily nipped out, and there's no need to cultivate because the mulch keeps the soil loose.
Mulch protects the soil from the drying action of the sun and wind, and protects it from erosion from wind and hard rain. Mulched plants can often endure a long dry spell with hardly any watering.
Mulch protects vegetables such as squash, cucumber, unstaked tomatoes or strawberries that lie on the ground when they're ripe. The mulch keeps them clean and dry, preventing rot and mildew. Likewise, low growing flowers will not be splashed with mud in a mulched flower bed.
When not to mulch:
Seedlings planted in very moist soil should not be mulched until they are well established, as the higher soil moisture can encourage damping-off, a fungal infection that is usually fatal.
If the soil is waterlogged from spring rains, let it dry out a bit before mulching perennials to avoid crown rot, another fungal infection. It is best to leave an open circle a few inches in diameter around the base of each plant for air circulation.
Don't mulch a low-lying, wet soil.
There's too much to learn about mulching to fit it all into one article, but I hope you can see that mulching has great benefits for your garden and for you.
Your plants will benefit by having their roots protected from heat and dryness in the summer and from frost heaving in the winter, your soil will stay loose and friable, weeding will disappear off your chore list and you'll save water too!
Happy Gardening, Mulching is an important part of any type of garden, it helps keep the plants healthy and also helps make your garden maintenance easier. It seems like such a simple concept, but there is actually quite a bit for the gardener to know about mulching.
Mulch is a layer of material spread on top of the soil to conserve soil moisture, discourage the growth of weeds, help prevent erosion and prevent large fluctuations in soil temperature. In other words, mulch modifies the soil micro-climate around your growing plants.
Ideally, mulch is light and permeable enough to allow water and air to pass through, yet dense enough to inhibit or eliminate the growth of weeds.
Mulches may be organic (usually plant material), mineral (crushed stone or gravel), or synthetic (plastics and geotextiles). Understanding their differences will help you choose the best mulch for your situation. Generally speaking, organic and mineral mulches cool the soil while synthetic mulches warm it up.
Any biodegradable material can be used as an organic mulch. Some of the most easily attainable materials include shredded or chipped bark, shredded leaves, hay, straw, and peat moss.
Avoid using whole leaves unless you mix them with straw or some other light material as they tend to mat down and get soggy. They can actually prevent water and air from reaching the soil beneath.
Grass clippings are an excellent choice of mulching material. They're so small they start breaking down and enriching the soil almost immediately. If you do use grass clippings, be sure they don't have pesticide residue on them. Many lawn treatments contain herbicides that kill broadleaf plants, including those that you may be trying to grow in your garden. And of course, if you're mulching a vegetable garden you don't want to be adding poisonous chemicals to it.
You may be fortunate enough to live near a source of industrial by-products that are useful for mulching. Some ideas are sawdust or shavings from sawmills, spent hops from breweries, or composted manure from mushroom growers.
Careful with the sawdust. It's deficient in nitrogen so you might want to mix it with some compost. Also, softwood sawdust is acidic, so you don't want to use it too close to plants that prefer a neutral or alkaline soil.
Advantages of mulching:
Mulched plant roots are not subjected to extreme temperatures. Unmulched roots get hot and dry in the summer and can be damaged by the heaving of soil during sudden frosts and thaws in winter.
Organic mulches and some mineral mulches contain nutrients that gradually wash down into the soil and fertilize the plant roots.
Weeding and hoeing the garden are practically eliminated when you mulch! The few weeds that manage to poke up through the mulch are easily nipped out, and there's no need to cultivate because the mulch keeps the soil loose.
Mulch protects the soil from the drying action of the sun and wind, and protects it from erosion from wind and hard rain. Mulched plants can often endure a long dry spell with hardly any watering.
Mulch protects vegetables such as squash, cucumber, unstaked tomatoes or strawberries that lie on the ground when they're ripe. The mulch keeps them clean and dry, preventing rot and mildew. Likewise, low growing flowers will not be splashed with mud in a mulched flower bed.
When not to mulch:
Seedlings planted in very moist soil should not be mulched until they are well established, as the higher soil moisture can encourage damping-off, a fungal infection that is usually fatal.
If the soil is waterlogged from spring rains, let it dry out a bit before mulching perennials to avoid crown rot, another fungal infection. It is best to leave an open circle a few inches in diameter around the base of each plant for air circulation.
Don't mulch a low-lying, wet soil.
There's too much to learn about mulching to fit it all into one article, but I hope you can see that mulching has great benefits for your garden and for you.
Your plants will benefit by having their roots protected from heat and dryness in the summer and from frost heaving in the winter, your soil will stay loose and friable, weeding will disappear off your chore list and you'll save water too!
Happy Gardening,
Lee Dobbins
Mulch is a layer of material spread on top of the soil to conserve soil moisture, discourage the growth of weeds, help prevent erosion and prevent large fluctuations in soil temperature. In other words, mulch modifies the soil micro-climate around your growing plants.
Ideally, mulch is light and permeable enough to allow water and air to pass through, yet dense enough to inhibit or eliminate the growth of weeds.
Mulches may be organic (usually plant material), mineral (crushed stone or gravel), or synthetic (plastics and geotextiles). Understanding their differences will help you choose the best mulch for your situation. Generally speaking, organic and mineral mulches cool the soil while synthetic mulches warm it up.
Any biodegradable material can be used as an organic mulch. Some of the most easily attainable materials include shredded or chipped bark, shredded leaves, hay, straw, and peat moss.
Avoid using whole leaves unless you mix them with straw or some other light material as they tend to mat down and get soggy. They can actually prevent water and air from reaching the soil beneath.
Grass clippings are an excellent choice of mulching material. They're so small they start breaking down and enriching the soil almost immediately. If you do use grass clippings, be sure they don't have pesticide residue on them. Many lawn treatments contain herbicides that kill broadleaf plants, including those that you may be trying to grow in your garden. And of course, if you're mulching a vegetable garden you don't want to be adding poisonous chemicals to it.
You may be fortunate enough to live near a source of industrial by-products that are useful for mulching. Some ideas are sawdust or shavings from sawmills, spent hops from breweries, or composted manure from mushroom growers.
Careful with the sawdust. It's deficient in nitrogen so you might want to mix it with some compost. Also, softwood sawdust is acidic, so you don't want to use it too close to plants that prefer a neutral or alkaline soil.
Advantages of mulching:
Mulched plant roots are not subjected to extreme temperatures. Unmulched roots get hot and dry in the summer and can be damaged by the heaving of soil during sudden frosts and thaws in winter.
Organic mulches and some mineral mulches contain nutrients that gradually wash down into the soil and fertilize the plant roots.
Weeding and hoeing the garden are practically eliminated when you mulch! The few weeds that manage to poke up through the mulch are easily nipped out, and there's no need to cultivate because the mulch keeps the soil loose.
Mulch protects the soil from the drying action of the sun and wind, and protects it from erosion from wind and hard rain. Mulched plants can often endure a long dry spell with hardly any watering.
Mulch protects vegetables such as squash, cucumber, unstaked tomatoes or strawberries that lie on the ground when they're ripe. The mulch keeps them clean and dry, preventing rot and mildew. Likewise, low growing flowers will not be splashed with mud in a mulched flower bed.
When not to mulch:
Seedlings planted in very moist soil should not be mulched until they are well established, as the higher soil moisture can encourage damping-off, a fungal infection that is usually fatal.
If the soil is waterlogged from spring rains, let it dry out a bit before mulching perennials to avoid crown rot, another fungal infection. It is best to leave an open circle a few inches in diameter around the base of each plant for air circulation.
Don't mulch a low-lying, wet soil.
There's too much to learn about mulching to fit it all into one article, but I hope you can see that mulching has great benefits for your garden and for you.
Your plants will benefit by having their roots protected from heat and dryness in the summer and from frost heaving in the winter, your soil will stay loose and friable, weeding will disappear off your chore list and you'll save water too!
Happy Gardening, Mulching is an important part of any type of garden, it helps keep the plants healthy and also helps make your garden maintenance easier. It seems like such a simple concept, but there is actually quite a bit for the gardener to know about mulching.
Mulch is a layer of material spread on top of the soil to conserve soil moisture, discourage the growth of weeds, help prevent erosion and prevent large fluctuations in soil temperature. In other words, mulch modifies the soil micro-climate around your growing plants.
Ideally, mulch is light and permeable enough to allow water and air to pass through, yet dense enough to inhibit or eliminate the growth of weeds.
Mulches may be organic (usually plant material), mineral (crushed stone or gravel), or synthetic (plastics and geotextiles). Understanding their differences will help you choose the best mulch for your situation. Generally speaking, organic and mineral mulches cool the soil while synthetic mulches warm it up.
Any biodegradable material can be used as an organic mulch. Some of the most easily attainable materials include shredded or chipped bark, shredded leaves, hay, straw, and peat moss.
Avoid using whole leaves unless you mix them with straw or some other light material as they tend to mat down and get soggy. They can actually prevent water and air from reaching the soil beneath.
Grass clippings are an excellent choice of mulching material. They're so small they start breaking down and enriching the soil almost immediately. If you do use grass clippings, be sure they don't have pesticide residue on them. Many lawn treatments contain herbicides that kill broadleaf plants, including those that you may be trying to grow in your garden. And of course, if you're mulching a vegetable garden you don't want to be adding poisonous chemicals to it.
You may be fortunate enough to live near a source of industrial by-products that are useful for mulching. Some ideas are sawdust or shavings from sawmills, spent hops from breweries, or composted manure from mushroom growers.
Careful with the sawdust. It's deficient in nitrogen so you might want to mix it with some compost. Also, softwood sawdust is acidic, so you don't want to use it too close to plants that prefer a neutral or alkaline soil.
Advantages of mulching:
Mulched plant roots are not subjected to extreme temperatures. Unmulched roots get hot and dry in the summer and can be damaged by the heaving of soil during sudden frosts and thaws in winter.
Organic mulches and some mineral mulches contain nutrients that gradually wash down into the soil and fertilize the plant roots.
Weeding and hoeing the garden are practically eliminated when you mulch! The few weeds that manage to poke up through the mulch are easily nipped out, and there's no need to cultivate because the mulch keeps the soil loose.
Mulch protects the soil from the drying action of the sun and wind, and protects it from erosion from wind and hard rain. Mulched plants can often endure a long dry spell with hardly any watering.
Mulch protects vegetables such as squash, cucumber, unstaked tomatoes or strawberries that lie on the ground when they're ripe. The mulch keeps them clean and dry, preventing rot and mildew. Likewise, low growing flowers will not be splashed with mud in a mulched flower bed.
When not to mulch:
Seedlings planted in very moist soil should not be mulched until they are well established, as the higher soil moisture can encourage damping-off, a fungal infection that is usually fatal.
If the soil is waterlogged from spring rains, let it dry out a bit before mulching perennials to avoid crown rot, another fungal infection. It is best to leave an open circle a few inches in diameter around the base of each plant for air circulation.
Don't mulch a low-lying, wet soil.
There's too much to learn about mulching to fit it all into one article, but I hope you can see that mulching has great benefits for your garden and for you.
Your plants will benefit by having their roots protected from heat and dryness in the summer and from frost heaving in the winter, your soil will stay loose and friable, weeding will disappear off your chore list and you'll save water too!
Happy Gardening, Mulching is an important part of any type of garden, it helps keep the plants healthy and also helps make your garden maintenance easier. It seems like such a simple concept, but there is actually quite a bit for the gardener to know about mulching.
Mulch is a layer of material spread on top of the soil to conserve soil moisture, discourage the growth of weeds, help prevent erosion and prevent large fluctuations in soil temperature. In other words, mulch modifies the soil micro-climate around your growing plants.
Ideally, mulch is light and permeable enough to allow water and air to pass through, yet dense enough to inhibit or eliminate the growth of weeds.
Mulches may be organic (usually plant material), mineral (crushed stone or gravel), or synthetic (plastics and geotextiles). Understanding their differences will help you choose the best mulch for your situation. Generally speaking, organic and mineral mulches cool the soil while synthetic mulches warm it up.
Any biodegradable material can be used as an organic mulch. Some of the most easily attainable materials include shredded or chipped bark, shredded leaves, hay, straw, and peat moss.
Avoid using whole leaves unless you mix them with straw or some other light material as they tend to mat down and get soggy. They can actually prevent water and air from reaching the soil beneath.
Grass clippings are an excellent choice of mulching material. They're so small they start breaking down and enriching the soil almost immediately. If you do use grass clippings, be sure they don't have pesticide residue on them. Many lawn treatments contain herbicides that kill broadleaf plants, including those that you may be trying to grow in your garden. And of course, if you're mulching a vegetable garden you don't want to be adding poisonous chemicals to it.
You may be fortunate enough to live near a source of industrial by-products that are useful for mulching. Some ideas are sawdust or shavings from sawmills, spent hops from breweries, or composted manure from mushroom growers.
Careful with the sawdust. It's deficient in nitrogen so you might want to mix it with some compost. Also, softwood sawdust is acidic, so you don't want to use it too close to plants that prefer a neutral or alkaline soil.
Advantages of mulching:
Mulched plant roots are not subjected to extreme temperatures. Unmulched roots get hot and dry in the summer and can be damaged by the heaving of soil during sudden frosts and thaws in winter.
Organic mulches and some mineral mulches contain nutrients that gradually wash down into the soil and fertilize the plant roots.
Weeding and hoeing the garden are practically eliminated when you mulch! The few weeds that manage to poke up through the mulch are easily nipped out, and there's no need to cultivate because the mulch keeps the soil loose.
Mulch protects the soil from the drying action of the sun and wind, and protects it from erosion from wind and hard rain. Mulched plants can often endure a long dry spell with hardly any watering.
Mulch protects vegetables such as squash, cucumber, unstaked tomatoes or strawberries that lie on the ground when they're ripe. The mulch keeps them clean and dry, preventing rot and mildew. Likewise, low growing flowers will not be splashed with mud in a mulched flower bed.
When not to mulch:
Seedlings planted in very moist soil should not be mulched until they are well established, as the higher soil moisture can encourage damping-off, a fungal infection that is usually fatal.
If the soil is waterlogged from spring rains, let it dry out a bit before mulching perennials to avoid crown rot, another fungal infection. It is best to leave an open circle a few inches in diameter around the base of each plant for air circulation.
Don't mulch a low-lying, wet soil.
There's too much to learn about mulching to fit it all into one article, but I hope you can see that mulching has great benefits for your garden and for you.
Your plants will benefit by having their roots protected from heat and dryness in the summer and from frost heaving in the winter, your soil will stay loose and friable, weeding will disappear off your chore list and you'll save water too!
Happy Gardening,
Lee Dobbins
Monday, October 12, 2009
VERTICAL GARDENING
Vertical gardening is not a new concept, it is just something that is becoming more popular with people who live in condominiums and city dwellings. The vertical gardening concept works well on patios, balconies, even on porches. The vertical gardens consist of boxes stacked on top of each other with plants and flowers inside. The plants grow outwards and crusade down. You can use vine plants or even petunias. Other plants that are ideal for vertical gardening are the clematis and rose vines. Some people like to add some green ivies and some honeysuckle.
Vertical gardening allows you more freedom as to where you plant a garden. By stacking the planted boxes on top of each other your garden can add color and sweet smells to any small area. This is ideal for around pools as well since you can keep the area around the pool free of ground, but you can still enjoy the beauty of the flowers. Another unusual idea to add to the vertical garden is the side hanging baskets that might have geraniums, dailies or even carnations. If you want to move the garden boxes from place to place, this is an ideal way to garden.
Many hotels have used the vertical gardening concept on balconies. The boxes can be any size and can hold many different varieties of plants. If you use the boxes on the bottom with plants growing outward the top boxes can be upright for more color and growing space. When you think about vertical gardening, you usually think about hanging baskets or vines going upwards, but the truth is, the vertical garden is done with stackable boxes.
In order to keep the plants moist, you can insert tubes in the backsides of the box to water the soil from the bottom up. This means the water is getting to the roots of the flowers and not settling on the bottom of the box. The normal way for roots to grow is down and this will hold true even in the box. If you take the time to mist the flowers and plants, you will have a beautiful garden anywhere.
Happy Gardening.
Vertical gardening allows you more freedom as to where you plant a garden. By stacking the planted boxes on top of each other your garden can add color and sweet smells to any small area. This is ideal for around pools as well since you can keep the area around the pool free of ground, but you can still enjoy the beauty of the flowers. Another unusual idea to add to the vertical garden is the side hanging baskets that might have geraniums, dailies or even carnations. If you want to move the garden boxes from place to place, this is an ideal way to garden.
Many hotels have used the vertical gardening concept on balconies. The boxes can be any size and can hold many different varieties of plants. If you use the boxes on the bottom with plants growing outward the top boxes can be upright for more color and growing space. When you think about vertical gardening, you usually think about hanging baskets or vines going upwards, but the truth is, the vertical garden is done with stackable boxes.
In order to keep the plants moist, you can insert tubes in the backsides of the box to water the soil from the bottom up. This means the water is getting to the roots of the flowers and not settling on the bottom of the box. The normal way for roots to grow is down and this will hold true even in the box. If you take the time to mist the flowers and plants, you will have a beautiful garden anywhere.
Happy Gardening.
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