Home Vegetable Gardening - Treating Plants For Powdery Mildew

By Michael C Podlesny

Powdery mildew affects such a wide range of plants but most notably those that are in the broadleaf category such as squash and different varieties of plants in the pea families.

If your plants currently have them, do not worry it is a very common occurrence and even better yet this pesky problem is easily treatable.

If left untreated by doing nothing however, your plants can become weak, look deformed and reduce yields of your harvest.

Here are some steps you can take today that could reduce and/or eliminate powdery mildew from your vegetable garden.

The first step is to avoid planting species of plants, such as phlox or bee balm, anywhere near your vegetable plants. This simply invites trouble into your garden, making it easier for it to infect and spread.

The second step is to use natural and safe sprays that reduces the problem without harming the plant itself or helpful insects within the garden. Neem oil is perfect but you can also make your own spray out of 1.5 tbsp baking soda, 1 tsp vegetable oil and 1.5 gallons of warm water mixed together thoroughly then sprayed on the affected plants.

Finally apply a chamomile tea spray mixture on your plants which act as not only a solution for existing powdery mildew but also a repellent to keep the mildew from coming back. Take 6 dried out chamomile tea leaves and boil them in 3 cups of water. Let the mixture cool, remove the tea leaves, place mixture in a spray bottle and apply to affected areas.

If your garden suffers from powdery mildew then you should be using all three of these methods. They are low cost and very affective. Put an end to your powdery mildew in your vegetable garden today.

About the Author
Mike is the author of the book Vegetable Gardening for the Average Person: A guide to vegetable gardening for the rest of us, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and where ever gardening books are sold. He can be reached at his website: AveragePersonGardening.com where you can sign up for his free newsletter and he will send you a pack of vegetable seeds to get your home vegetable garden started.

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For more information on Vegetable Gardening, see www.bestguidetogardening.com.

Autumn Color Starts Now

By Keith Markensen

Garden color in the fall starts by planting some bulbs to brighten the landscape.

Bulbs and the Like

Plant autumn crocus (colchicum) now for additional fall color. They are very easy to grow, having no particular soil preference and will actually bloom out of the soil, drawing on their supply of stored food. It is time to lift and divide the spring flowering bulbs of daffodils, tulips and the like. These can be replanted now, Madonna lilies should be transplanted during August if needed, and new ones can be planted. A depth of covering to two inches is recommended and the soil must be well drained, Many lilies form tiny bulbils in the axils of the leaves during August. These are exactly like bulblets except for color. They should be saved and handled like bulblets for new plants.

Lawns

August is an important lawn month. New lawns can be started from seed now, Bermuda grass is still the old reliable for the South. When planting from seed use hulled Bermuda at the rate of two pounds per 1,000 square feet of area. The usual directions of soil preparation and after care should be followed. In established lawns brown patch, a fungus disease, may become prevalent during August.

The areas may vary from a few inches in size to several feet in diameter. The dead zoysia grass has a smoky ring at its outer edges and the grass leaves have a bluish cast to their color. Check with a lawn professional for best control options. Begin shortening the height of cut during August so that the grass will tighten for winter.

Before leaving on your vacation, secure your garden for maintenance. Soak everything thoroughly and put a mulch on the flower beds and vegetable garden. Lower the mower and cut very low for this one time. Your garden can weather your absence and lack of attention for about two weeks. On your return you will have some very concentrated work to do. It is annoying how tall weeds can grow during a two weeks' absence.

There is much more to explore on the subject of zoysia grass. Visit us at plant-care.com.

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For more information on Autumn Gardening, see www.bestguidetogardening.com

Pruning Grape Vines - 5 Professional Secrets For Growing Spectacular Grape Vines

By Malcolm Keigwin

Growing grapes is a very rewarding activity, if it is done with the right knowledge. Knowing what to do is the key to being successful. It is the secret to being able to grow spectacular healthy vines, time and time again.

Pruning is a very important part of getting fantastic vines and preventing grape diseases. These inside secrets to pruning grape vines are your keys to success.

5 professional secrets to pruning grape vines for spectacular results are;

1. 3 weeks before spring, remove all the unwanted canes and spurs. This will focus the energy on the vine into the remaining part of the vine. At this stage don't prune any canes and spurs that you will be using. Doing this, may encourage buds to sprout too early and be susceptible to frost.

2. After risk of any frost has passed, and the buds are starting to break, prune the spurs and canes you want. For cane pruning cut back to 8-12 buds. For spur pruning cut back to 3 buds.

3. Once shoots are 5-6 inches in length, remove excessive shooting so there is only 2 shoots per spur. This will help to prevent overcrowding, which is a very common reason for grape diseases, such as rot. It will also focus the energy into the remaining two shoots, where the grapes will grow from. Also remove excessive leaves which are causing crowding.

4. When the fruit clusters are small, remove all of the clusters except for one. This will cause the grapes to be larger on this bunch and will not over stress the vine. This will also help to reduce grape diseases.

5. Once you have picked the grapes, leave the leaves and canes on the vine until 3 weeks before spring next year. This will enable the vine to draw out the nutrients and the energy into the main part of the vine ready for next year's growth.

If you are interested in getting more free professional secrets on, pruning grape vines to get spectacular results click here.

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For more information on Vine Gardening, see www.bestguidetogardening.com

Gardening Fall Vegetables

By Barbara Volkov

The Ph level in our garden still has to be correct for our area for the new crop of fall vegetables that we are going to plant. It would probably be best to take a sample to our local garden nursery to double check the level, just to be on the safe side. We also need to remove the dead plants from the garden that is no longer producing fruits or vegetables. The greater part of this waste is best if we mixed it in our garden compost pile, but we must make sure that we expose of diseased or insect infested plants. We don't want any of that carried over into next spring's garden.

Lettuces and all types of greens along with some of these veggies, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peas, and cauliflower, can be grown for fall harvesting. Most will tolerate the frost and some will withstand freezes and snow. Cabbages for instance can grow huge, but they can live over until early spring. Salad greens of all types can be planted and harvested at various stages.

Warm season plants, such as bush beans, can be grown for a fall garden. By planting early varieties in July or August will produce beans before the first frost. Many varieties take only about 50-60 days to mature.

Peppers generally ripen in the south or southwest very quickly in the hot dry months of August and September, so it is best to leave them in the ground as long as they are still producing. Plants will continue to fruit through-out fall as long as they are well watered. We can freeze peppers for storage and use their flavorings for soups and stews in colder weather. After they die out from the first frost, pull out the plants and set that area aside for early spring for a potato crop. It might be a good idea to cover the row with a heavy layer of straw or hay to help begin a break down and lighten the soil.

Lettuce and greens will thrive with colder nights; they will taste sweeter and are full of nutrition. They should be planted while it is still warm and you can watch them get larger as the temperatures drop. Spinach can be grown in even the coldest areas, all winter long with a lightweight fabric covering over the plants. Carrots are another vegetable that can be grown during the fall months, and just pull what is needed for vegetable soups or Thanksgiving dinner and the rest remains in the garden until they are needed.

Garlic and shallots are best if planted in the fall months, anytime from September to mid October, and left to grow over winter. Springtime, late May to early June, there will be a harvest of huge bulbs ready to pull. If we plant bunching or green onions in early fall, we can plan on harvesting them in November and making room for sweet onions to plant in January through March.

Barbara Volkov and her husband are happily retired and enjoying a lot of gardening in a small backyard. I have several articles pertaining to the garden and its many accessories. Come and visit us at http://www.gardenersgardensupplies.com for more interesting ideas and ways to plant. ------------------------------------------------ For more information on Fall Vegetable Gardening, see www.bestguidetogardening.com.

Coffee Grounds - Why You Need Coffee Grounds in Your Organic Garden

By Chris Dailey

Coffee grounds are one of the most useful fertilizers that you can use in your organic garden. Not only do they offer essentially nutrients that all plants need, they also aid in several aspects of gardening including improving the quality of soil and the size and quality of plants that grow. Here are a few tips on how to use coffee grounds in your soil.

One of the ways that coffee grounds can be used is a natural additive to your garden. Many of us brew coffee in the morning on our way to work. These grounds can be placed in everything from your indoor plants to your outdoor garden or greenhouse. If you are not a coffee drinker, you can usually find grounds at your work place or even pick them up at your local coffee shop.

These grounds not only act as a potent fertilizer to give your plants health, but also act as a protector from natural predators such as slugs. Though a low source of nitrogen, which is useful when growing crops such as corn or soybean, they do provide a large quantity of acidity. The cure to this is to use the coffee ground in a vermicomposting mulch pile. The worms will virtually eliminate the acidity bringing it to neutral.

Finally, coffee is more than just a wake up for humans. The nutrients found in the grounds such as calcium and magnesium gives the plants a healthy boost to improve their overall growth and taste. Give your plants a caffeine boost today!

Please visit our websites for more information on using coffee grounds for fertilizer and other organic gardeningtips today! ----------------------------------------------------------- For more information on Organic Gardening, see www.bestguidetogardening.com.