Understanding Acid And Alkaline Soil
The pH scale (from 1 to 14) is defined in very scientific terms as “the negative logarithm of the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution” – in gardening and landscaping terms, the measure of acidity or alkalinity in soil.

A measure of “1” on the scale indicates an acid strong enough to dissolve anything it comes in contact with; one of “14” an alkali of similar destructive power; “7” is perfectly neutral. Pure water for example has a pH of “7” – being totally neutral.

The scale refers not only to soil (or soil moisture to be exact), but to any solution. Cosmetic companies for example develop their products to the pH equivalent of the skin.

Each step in the scale is 10 times that of the one before. A soil reading of pH5 is ten times more acid than a soil of pH6 and so on. Most soils fall between pH5.5 and pH8.6. Neutral or slightly acid soil in a range around pH7.5 to pH6 is considered ideal for most plants.

It’s important to know the pH of your soil before planting – kits to test your soil are readily available from most garden centers. Understanding the difference between acid and alkaline soil is critical to gardening success

Acid Soils contain very little lime (compounds of calcium). Alkaline soils have larger quantities of lime, in neutral soils the lime is in balance with other elements.

Calcium affects the availability to plants of other nutrient elements such as iron, which can be in extreme shortage in extremely alkaline soil. Plants that cope poorly with this will show signs of Chlorosis and need to be grown in acid soils. Other plants prefer lime and will like the soil to be alkaline.

The ideal is for the soil to be slightly on the acid side of neutral. This will suit most plants and those that need it can be given a small dose of lime to improve their health. It’s always best to group these plants together so a specific area of the garden can be treated.

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It’s more difficult to make an alkaline soil acid though it can be achieved by adding an organic mulch – pine needles are quite acid and have proven efficient as an organic mulch for this purpose.

Adding sulphur can help also – as it weathers it makes the soil water acid and locks up some of the free calcium as insoluble calcium sulphate. The down side – sulphur will kill off microorganisms in the soil.

If your garden soil is alkaline and you want to grow acid loving plants it’s best to do so in containers or raised beds of lime-free soil. Water only with rainwater, as where the soil is alkaline the tap water is likely to be alkaline as well.

It’s a general (though by no means hard and fast) rule that soils in humid coastal climates tend to be acid. Soils in drier inland climates are typically alkaline.

The acidity or alkalinity of your soil can be easily quantified on the pH scale. Anything (on a scale of 1 to 14) less than 7 is acid and above is alkaline. Hydrangeas are nature’s indicator, flowering blue in acid soil and pink in alkaline soil. If they can’t seem to make up their mind and flower both ways your soil is likely neutral.

If you can’t be bothered to purchase a testing kit try the method your grandmother likely used – put a little soil on the tip of your tongue. If it is slightly sweet to the taste, your soil is alkaline, slightly sour and your soil is acid.

Want to know what to plant in acid or alkaline soil? Send us a message and I will be happy to offer some options.

Happy gardening…

Gardening is no easy task, especially if you have put quite a lot of effort into it. It won’t take you long before tending to the flower beds, pruning and doing all sorts of other gardening chores starts to feel tiring and overwhelming. The purpose of gardening is to make you feel happy, not super tired.

To achieve this, you can adopt a few clever tricks that will make the workflow easy. The following techniques aim to keep you sharp on the gardening jobs while helping you conserve your energy.
Raised beds are a blessing
Whether made of wood (manufactured or regular), pavers or concrete blocks, you can bet that they will make your gardening efforts easy. You needn’t worry about building raised beds yourself, as you will most often see kits in large stores. What you have to remember is the height of the raised bed shouldn’t be too great. A maximum of 40 inches is recommended. You also have to make them at least 3-4 feet wide so that access to the middle is not difficult.
Gardening in containers
Containers are also convenient for gardening purposes since you can practically place them at whatever height is appropriate. You can put them on the ground, or a table, if that is more convenient for you. Weeding plants in containers are much easier than in raised beds, and you can also water them without much trouble. Depending on the size of the container, you won’t have much trouble. It is worth it to check for containers with wheels, as those are very easy to move around.
Use only ergonomic tools
There is a wide variety of tools available out there, and you can make a choice to get more convenient ones. For instance, there are tools with smaller handles and such that come with braces to protect your wrists. Some tools feature special handle design with curved handles and indentations for fingers. If you feel the handle of a tool doesn’t feel as comfortable as it should use pipe insulation or tape to make it such.
Invest in a pulley system for hanging baskets
If you find hanging baskets too heavy to move, remember that you can always get a pulley system for them. This reduces the weight by half at least and is quite convenient. You can lower the baskets when you need to water them or tending to plants there and then return them where they need to be with ease.
Tailor the watering can to your ability
If you cannot lift heavy, perhaps a standard watering can prove a bad decision. What you can use is a smaller can that is easier to lift and carry around.
Warm up before initiating work and take breaks
Treat gardening work the same way you would as going to the gym. To prepare your body, you will need to start off easy, as a warm-up before the actual workout. Another important thing is to give yourself regular breaks so that you don’t grow tired quickly after you begin. Take a seat for a few minutes or stand up to stretch your legs if you are working something on the ground.
Succession gardening
If you are planting crops, you should try out succession gardening. What this means is planting crops at staggered dates. That way they will ripe at different times, which means you won’t feel greatly overwhelmed.

All of these practical tips can greatly help your gardening efforts. Remember to implement them and you will find the work is not that difficult.

The Muscovy duck has been selectively bred for hundreds of years. It is often a good option for little farms and Gardens to help manage pest. Muscovies are distinctive, the only ducks that did not descend from mallards. They are South American natives. The initial name was “Musco” duck because they were voracious eaters of mosquitoes. Muscovies come in a number of colors. The most numerous commercial variety is probably the white. Muscovies. They are relatively good fliers.

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They will roost in trees and they will also roost on “perches” or “roosts,” at night if available.Muscovy duck can live as free range and while they can fly, they just fly around will not fly away and leave the property. In fact our Muscovy ducks hardly ever fly. Muscovy ducks do not make as much noise as other ducks.

Use Muscovy Ducks as pest controllers

Muscovy Ducks do an awesome job at controlling mosquitoes and flies. They will eat all sorts of bugs, the black widow and the deadly brown spider, Japanese beetles, maggots, grasshoppers, mosquitoes, mosquito maggot, slugs, snails and everything else that crawls, creeps, or flies. They also make a quick food out of mice, snakes, wasps, and hornets. They love to eat roaches and will eat them voraciously. They consume every bug they observe including ants. One of the things that make them very valuable is that they love spiders. They will even eat poisonous ones including the deadly brown and the Black Widow spider. They will go under things such as picnic tables and get up in the corners and crevices and eat the bugs, spiders, and other insects.

Their bug eating activities help reduce problems with bugs when working in the blueberry field or garden. Using Muscovy also helps eliminate the need to purchase chemicals for pest control to keep pests down. This can help in raising a pesticide free blueberries and vegetables.

Muscovy Ducks are Easy to raise

They’re inexpensive and trouble-free: Muscovies reproduce well. They are very good foragers, they grow quick and they rarely get sick. They will eat what the other animals leave or spill. They are good mothers. Muscovy Ducks also are very useful on farms where you have other animals because they eat any the excess food left by other animals. This helps reduce rats because there is no excess food lying around that can attract rats. They will also eat the spare food from the chickens or other animals.

Meat and eggs of Muscovies

They are really efficient for meat production. Muscovy breast is the size of a steak; you wouldn’t deduce it was duck without knowing. The meat is lean when compared to the fatty meat of ducks of mallard decent. Its leanness and tenderness is often compared to veal. The meat of Muscovy ducks is one of the healthiest meats you can purchase or grow. It is 98% or greater fat-free. Some people declare that the breast of a Muscovy duck taste like a Sirloin steak. It is sometimes made into “hamburger”. Persons requiring a low-fat diet use it. The meat is great tasting and very nutritious. Being a very lean meat it is not greasy like that of other ducks.

Muscovy eggs are tasty and are used in many dishes. They are considered a delicacy. Muscovy ducks can lay as many as almost 200 eggs a year. This can provide plenty of eggs for you to eat. They will nest three or four times a year and hatch up to 20 ducklings a time.

There is a certain order in nature that should be maintained to make the lifecycle in the ecosystem continuous. This sense of order also applies in your garden, and the crucial factors would be your plants and insects surrounding them. That’s why telling the difference between harmful and helpful insects is important.

Garden Wars: Knowing Your Allies And Enemies

A lot of people think that having insects in their garden is a bad thing. This is true because some insects, like aphids, can be annoying and harmful. But not all of them should be considered pests. Other insects, like ladybugs, are very helpful. The trick here is to get a balance between the helpful insects and the harmful ones.

A Fine Lady Garden Helper

As said, ladybugs are very helpful insects, especially in your garden. This is because they feed on small caterpillars and Aphids mites, which are damaging to your garden. Both the larvae and adult ladybugs eat the pests in your garden.

Ladybug larvae are mainly active between the months of May and July, while the adults come after. You can even buy Ladybugs at many nurseries and greenhouses, or order them through mail.

Delicate Laces For Predating

One of the most excellent insect predators that you would want to have in your garden are Green Lacewings. Its larvae eat Mealybugs, Aphids, Spider mites, white flies, Thrips, and scales, just to name a few.

Hover Helpers

Another good insect for your garden are Hover Flies. They are very helpful insects and look like wasps or dark bees. Hover flies eat caterpillars, green flies, and fruit tree Spider Mites. Hover Flies are easily attracted to plants like phacelia plants and marigolds. Putting plants like these throughout your garden will encourage Hover Flies to thrive.

Dragon Friends

Dragonflies are also one of the best beneficial insects. They eat mosquitoes, which are not only harmful for your plants, but for humans as well. You should plant reedy plants to encourage dragonflies to thrive in your garden.

Busy Bees

Although bees may seem dangerous to some people, they are actually quite helpful to gardens and harmless to other insects. They do not eat or predate upon other insects. They help out in your garden by pollinating flowers and trees. A lot of vegetables need flower pollination too. Having bees close by will aid this process. You should plant flowers throughout your garden to encourage busy bee workers to visit.

Know Your Foes

Insects that you should watch out for are Scales, Leaf Miners, Japanese beetle and Spittlebugs. All of these are very harmful insects for your plants. So if you spot them thriving around your garden, appropriate action must be done.

Most people choose to use insecticides or pesticides. Yes, this may be the easiest way to kill insects, but too much of this can also be harmful, especially to your plants. That’s why making use of good insects is, generally, a much better way to deal with pests than the use of pesticides.

When you use good insects, the method is natural and you don’t contribute to polluting nature. With just a little effort in learning which bugs are good and bad, you can improve the way you and your garden handles insect problems. So the next time you see an insect thriving in your garden, always think twice before you even try to squish or shoo them away. They may just be the friends you need.

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Garden Pests – How to Identify and Eradicate Them

Garden pests are not the thing most gardeners relish talking about. But whether you’re container gardening or working in flower beds, for beautiful clay flower pots or blooming perennial flowers, herbs, and vegetables beds, knowing your stuff about pesky critters is essential.

Your first (and best) line of defense is good plant culture. This means paying attention to these 4 essentials:

• Proper soil for your flowers, herbs, or vegetables you’re growing. Why? Because planting in the wrong soil (such as peonies in cactus mix) won’t promote a healthy plant. And poor plant health means less defenses to ward off garden pests and diseases. Characteristics of the right planting soil include that it’s rich enough for the plant, but well-draining, and light enough for good root development.
• Water properly. Too much leads to water-logged roots and fungal root inflections plus all sorts of other debilitating problems. If the soil is moist, don’t water (unless you have a plant, such as mint or hydrangea that relish evenly moist soil). And make sure your pots have drainage holes. If the water stands in the soil, even out of sight, this spells trouble.
• Fertilize well through the whole growing season (don’t start strong and then quit!). And know your plants in terms of soil ph requirements. For example, azaleas or the herb chamomile loves an acid soil, while basil prefers a neutral ph, and oregano a slightly alkaline one. Know your plant and provide the soil additives they need to stay healthy.
• Clean environment. Remove spent blooms, dead leaves, and other potentially decaying matter. Garden pests and diseases thrive in an unclean environment. Add good air circulation here, too. Don’t crowd the plants together or you’ll be removing a lot more than spent blooms. In short, strong plants, like strong bodies of any sort, are better equipped to stay healthy.

But as we know, stuff happens.

We’ll deal with seven of the most common garden pests below, both in terms of how to spot the problem and what to do about it.

But before we get to the pests, one word about beneficial insects-yes, there are some! Lacewings, lady bugs, and praying mantis are three of the best.

They love to eat the destructive insects that harm your garden. And, you can find reputable suppliers online.

Ok, on to our subject: Garden Pests.

The Pesky Little Critters

Aphids
The Problem: These are pretty common, but very hard to see. 3 millimeters and green, they love the undersides of leaves where they suck until the leaf becomes rolled and sticky.
The Solution: You can spray the plant leaves to knock off the offenders and use a spray of water and soap (best to use insecticidal soap from the nursery). Repeat every few days until they’re gone.

Spider Mites
The Problem: Too little to see with the human eye, these guys also hang out on the underside of leaves. You’ll know they’re there if your leaves turn yellow and wither. At the worst, there’s a white web on the leaves.
The Solution: Rinse the leaves as with aphids and spray. You can also move the plants to a cool spot as you do this. Spider mites like it hot.

Whiteflies
The Problem: Little white flies. Usually a whole lot of them, and they fly up disgustingly when you touch a leaf (they like the underside) or water. The leaves wither.
The Solution: Use an insecticidal soap on them, and they’ll bite the dust pretty quickly.

Mealybugs
The Problem: 3 millimeter yellow-brown nasties that hold onto the stems and leaves. They leave behind little white fluffs and the leaves get sticky.
The Solution: You can squish the bugs between your fingers if you’re not like me and have a bug phobia. Otherwise, clean off the critters with a hose or hard spray with insecticidal soap and treat with horticultural oil you can buy online or at the nursery.

The Bigger Critters

Caterpillars
The Problem: You’ll see hanging larvae and caterpillars-not too hard to spot. The thing about these garden pests is you need to decide if the harm is less than the pleasure of the butterfly that might come out. Sometimes letting them hang around, literally, can bring quite a lot of pleasure.
The Solution: Just pick off and discard. Enough said.

Japanese Beetles
The Problem: Big beetles with a shiny brown carapace and black head that reduce ornamental leaves to skeletons.
The Solution: Pick off and discard. You can drop them in a soapy solution if you get no pleasure from the squish option.

Snails and Slugs
The Problem: Little slow-moving, shelled creatures that love, love, love hostas.
The Solution: I’ve heard of lots of solutions, none of which have worked very well for me-these include setting out jar tops filled with beer (Really). Putting sticky boards at the base of plants-you have to get rid of them in the morning. Pick them up and dispose of them. In a manner of your choosing.

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