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General Gardening Tips

PostPosted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:46 am
by wildrose
General Gardening Tips :sun:
Gardening is one of those things which requires you to know a little bit about many different things. There's soil, climate, plants, pests, irrigation, fertilizer, weeds, tools, landscaping, etc. involved and a ton to know on each of those subjects. So, this thread will just be a general catch all for anything that doesn't have to do with anything else, but is on the topic of gardening.
The calendar features work by 16 artists, average freeze dates, and tips on how to garden in the low desert, high desert, and high mountains. Proceeds from calendar sales support the Master Gardeners’ free workshops and community education throughout the Eastern Sierra.

LINK: http://www.sierrawave.net/26612/master-gardener-calendars-on-sale/

Re: General Gardening Tips

PostPosted: Sun Sep 29, 2013 9:00 am
by cactuspete
5 Frugal Fall Gardening Tips
Autumn is a great time of year to get a little gardening done and set things up for a colorful spring! Even if flowers aren't blooming out in the desert, you can still have a flower show in your yard! Of course, we're all hoping for a wet winter so we can enjoy a wildflower extravaganza this upcoming spring!!!
:thumb:
In addition to being the best time to plant most springtime flowering bulbs (e.g. tulips, daffodils, crocuses, irises, etc.) as well as trees and shrubs, many perennial plants and vegetables can be divided in the Fall. Dividing most perennials – once they're sufficiently mature – will both make them healthier and create multiple plants out of a single one, all for the cost of nothing more than a little light labor.

LINK: http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/save-money/fall-gardening-tips-1011

Re: General Gardening Tips

PostPosted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 8:16 am
by panamint_patty
8 fall gardening tips
Now is the time to plant bulbs! Do it now (or maybe around mid-November) and enjoy the results next spring!
Fall is the perfect time to plant bulbs like tulips, irises and crocuses, which need a winter freeze to start their growing process. By getting them in the ground now, you will ensure a colorful garden by early spring. For best results, plant bulbs once temperatures are in forties and fifties, but several weeks before the ground completely freezes.

LINK: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/09/20/8-fall-gardening-tips/

Re: General Gardening Tips

PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 8:52 am
by surfsteve
I cleared away all the weeds growing in my drain field and was thinking it would be a good idea to plant something there. It's the only place anything ever grows without water. I noticed a lot of people have bamboo growing over theirs. Thought about a vegetable garden but not seriously. I mean no way would I eat anything like a potato. Even lettuce is too close to the ground... Maybe apples from an apple tree but only if it were the only fresh fruit available and I were starving. I planted one strand in the heat of summer and it almost died but it survived and is doing pretty good. So far it seems like the best thing to try and grow there. I tried a native palm tree a few years back but it didn't survive. I have a small patch of grass that grows over the very wettest part. I suppose in a few years the bamboo will take it over unless I constantly pull it away. I hear once bamboo gets established it takes over and is nearly impossible to get rid of; so now is the time to either pull it out or get some more of them!

Re: General Gardening Tips

PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2013 8:48 am
by CoolChick
Bamboo? I never liked bamboo all that much. There must be something else that will work! Even oleandars are better than bamboo! Maybe some kind of ice plant would work. What about willows? They are kind of attractive!

Re: General Gardening Tips

PostPosted: Thu Nov 21, 2013 8:38 am
by panamint_patty
CoolChick and surfsteve: Willows have pretty pink flowers in the spring and they handle the heat well and so they are what I would recommend. Oleandars are kind of generic, but they are better than nothing. Also those bushes that have grayish green leaves and that produce purple flowers are pretty attractive! Anyone know what they're called? I've seen them a lot of Ridgecrest and some around Trona too.

Re: General Gardening Tips

PostPosted: Fri Nov 22, 2013 9:19 am
by surfsteve
There are some bushes that look like salt cedars only they get purple flowers and stay small. Is that what you are talking about?

Also: Don't Willows need lots of water?

Re: General Gardening Tips

PostPosted: Sat Nov 23, 2013 8:58 am
by wildrose
I don't think they look much like salt cedars, but they produce purple flowers and there are a lot of them in Ridgecrest. There are some in the center median in front of WalMart.
Texas Sage :sun:
LINK: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/leucophyllumfrutes.htm

Re: General Gardening Tips

PostPosted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 9:18 am
by mrfish
Tree Pruning Tips
Now is a good time to get out there and to do a little trimming or some major pruning. If you got trees take a careful look at them and see what you can do to make them safer and to improve their health. One of my New Year's resolutions is to make my yard look nicer. From what I've seen most people could do a better job at that!

Re: Willows Need Lots of Water

PostPosted: Tue Jan 14, 2014 9:44 am
by JanuaryJones
surfsteve: The information I have is that willows can survive on very little water, but in order to do really well they need lots of water. The key thing about willows is that they do a good job of tapping into groundwater by sending their roots really deep into the ground a lot like salt cedars do. Willows aren't quite as tough as salt cedars, but they're up there as far as trees go.