How to Maintain and Water Garden Plants

How to Maintain and Water Garden Plants Properly

When is the Best Time to Water Your Garden

Tips for Watering Gardens

Do not water plants during the heat of the day in the summer, this can burn the plants foliage. It's not good to water in the evenings either as it encourages fungal diseases on the plants leaves. If you have to water late at night, try to keep the leaves dry, this is the main cause of black spot and powdery mildew on the plants leaves because they are left wet during the night.

How Should I Water My Garden Plants

Which type of sprinklers are the best?

Don’t use sprinklers on windy days this is wasting our precious water, the water is not watering the spot you intend to water, the water is wasted in the air.


It's not good to water your plants with a light watering every day. This will encourage a shallow root system within your plants.

Keep the sprinkler where it is needed and not watering paths or driveways.

A sprinkler that has a fine mist is not as good as a sprinkler that produces larger water droplets. Sprinklers that produce larger drops of water will penetrate into the soil better.

Water all your plants including daylily plants deeply this encourages a strong deep root system and keeps your plants healthy.
Be careful using waste water on your plants and that the waste water does not contain bleach, this will kill your plants pretty quick smart so using laundry waste water is not a real good option unless you are sure of what the washing powder contains.

Before planting your plants and each year add in organic matter to your soil this makes better soil structure and allows for an easy root run for your plants.

Mulch will help your plants grow well, you will use less water when you keep your plants well mulched. A thick layer of mulch applied every six months will prevent you from having to water your plants as often and this means you can sit back and admire your garden a lot more often instead.

Install an irrigation drip system, drippers and soaker hoses used up side down use much less water than standing there and watering your plants by hand or using sprinklers. Drip systems are the best option, put on timers this saves money and time.

Group plants with the same water needs in the garden, some plants need more water than others. For example fruit trees will need a deep soak once a week while annual flowers such as pansies and petunias will need watering every second day.

So take care while watering your gardens during the year especially in the summer months this will keep the diseases away, save you money and keep your garden looking very healthy. The best time to water your garden is early in the morning.

Can You Grow Daylilies from Seed Pods?

Can You Grow Daylilies from Seed Pods?

Daylilies are perennial plants that bloom during autumn and spring. The blooms of the daylilies last just one day. The daylilies can grow about 6 to 36 inches tall and about 18 to 24 inches wide based on the variety. If you are looking to enjoy flowering of the Daylilies on a regular basis, then you should take utmost care of the daylilies. Watering the plants properly, giving them the right fertilisers, dividing the plant when it gets overcrowded and growing them in full sunlight are some of the important things that you need to consider to see the prolific blooming of daylilies. See how you can Grow Daylilies From Seed Pods in detail. You need to grow it during the favourable periods between April and November. Normally good varieties of daylilies will bloom and produce flowers during the next summer or spring.

Harvesting Daylily seeds

You will see green seed pods come up on the top of the daylily stems after the flower has dried off. The pods will be either round or oval in shape and green in colour. The pods will start to turn brown after a few days and then begin to open up. The seeds inside the dried pods will ripen after about 40 to 50 days of the flower getting dried up. The ripe seeds need to be collected. They will be blackish in colour and would be in round or oval shape and ¼ of an inch long. Collect these seeds and place them on paper napkins. Dry them for about a week or so.  Put the dried black seeds in a zip lock plastic bag and place it inside the refrigerator.

Sowing Daylily seeds

  

You can sow the seeds that are kept in the refrigerator during the late summer or early spring season. You will have to soak the seeds in hydrogen peroxide solution overnight after removing from the refrigerator. This will help in killing fungi on the seeds. Drain the water from the seeds using a strainer the next day and then wash it under running tap water.  Take a container with drainage holes at the bottom and fill it with seed sowing mixture. Place the seeds an inch apart in this soil so that it is covered completely under the soil. It would be ideal to cover the seed with damp sand. Put the container inside a plastic bag and place it in a partially shaded area. You will see the seeds germinate in 7 to 10 days time. This is when you can remove the plastic wrap or cover.
 

Growing the seedlings

Make sure that the seeds germinate and grow in the container in damp conditions. Once you spot two leaves, you can feed them with organic plant food once every two weeks. Make sure you do not over-feed the growing seedlings. Once the plant is about a month old, you can increase the fertiliser and also switch to normal fertiliser. Wait till the plant reaches about 6 inches in height to transfer it in your well drained garden. It is better to do this transplanting during early spring  or late autumn.

Daylilies -Tips to Prevent Pest Attacks

Pests that Attacks Daylilies and Tips to Prevent their Attacks

Daylilies are best perennial plants that bloom for a day and get replaced by another flower the next day. They come in a lot of different varieties and their multi-hued flowers are most sought after by many home gardeners. They add beauty and elegance to your garden landscape and can be used as borders and ground covers. Daylilies do not get affected commonly by diseases like most other plants, but they also face some special challenges from pests. They are not fully pest and diseases free and needs special attention and care to stay blooming.

Preventing Aphids, Thrips and Plant Bug attacks

The foliage and flowers of daylilies can be easily affected by pests that include plant bugs, leafhoppers, European earwigs, thrips and aphids. The aphids attack daylilies in colonies. Thrips are pests that can cause severe damage to the daylilies. These pests can be removed easily from the daylilies. You can try this for mealy bugs as well to tell you the truth I have never seen a MEALY BUG on my plants. Soapy sprays will help in controlling these pests. You can buy any non chemical soapy solutions and sprays from an organic garden store to help you in getting rid of these pests. You also have the option of preparing soapy sprays at home. Add a tablespoon of mild soap in a pint of water. Mix well and then spray on the infested daylilies to paralyse or to kill the bugs. Keeping the plant hydrated and spraying the leaves with water can prevent the attack by these pests to a great extent.
  

Preventing spider mites attacks

One of the most common PESTS that attack blooming daylilies is the spider mites. They are small creatures that can cause damage to the daylily plant. They are very difficult to spot on a daylily plant because of its small size and yellowish or green colour. They will eat the undersurfaces of the fresh leaves. They take away all the nutrients of the plant and if left untreated, they can damage the daylilies very badly. The best way to get rid of the spider mites that are seen more common during hot summer and dry weather is to spray water on the leaves to keep them moist.

Preventing Slugs and Snails attack
 

The slugs and snails also can cause significant damage to the daylilies. They attack the plants during the night and feed on the veins of new daylilies leaves. This can result in the leaves to shreds. They thrive in damp and moist conditions and are commonly spotted during the spring and autumn seasons. If you spot grey, blackish or yellowish species on the plants, then you will have to remove it instantly. Wear protective gloves on your hand and remove the snails and slugs from the leaves. Put them in salty water to kill them. Watering the garden in the mornings will dry them in the evening and this way you can reduce the slugs and snails from attacking the daylilies.

Aphids, spider mites, snails, slugs and thrips can also be easily controlled with the use of Epsom salts. Mix two dessert spoons of Epsom salts in hot water. Now add this hot water mixture into a cold water bucket. Spray this water on the daylilies every six months to prevent the pests from attacking the daylilies.

What Pest Affect Daylilies

What Pests Affect Daylilies

Daylilies are often considered to be free of pests when compared to other flowering plants. In fact, this is one of the reasons why they are popular among many gardening enthusiasts and landscapers. However, daylilies also have some pests, and it is always a good idea to be informed about the common pests so that you can diagnose the problem whenever it arises. Here is a list of what pests affect DAYLILIES.

Aphids

Aphids are some of the most common pests in many gardens, and daylilies are also susceptible to their destructive sap sucking habits. The first symptoms to look out for are white flecks that appear like dandruffs but are the shed skin of the aphids are a clear indication that your daylilies have been infested with aphids. Additionally, the leaves display a clear and sticky secretion that may attract ants. The aphid that attacks daylilies is normally green and very small. Aphids can quickly reproduce and spread throughout a garden within a very short period of time.

In order to control APHIDS, use organic methods rather than chemical pesticides. Ladybugs, their larvae, and wolf spiders will voraciously devour aphids and do a great job of controlling them. In case you have to use a spray, use an organic insecticidal soap.

Spider Mites

Spider mites are extremely minute mites that usually such on the daylily plant’s chlorophyll. This causes the plant to turn yellow or light green colour. The attacked area can also form brown spots. If you observe the undersurface of the leaves, you may notice webbing. You may also notice constant movement of the tiny mites in the webbing, but you might need a magnifying glass to see this. Spider mites often feed on the leaves’ underside, leaving a dried silvery to grey cast.

Spider mites thrive in dry and hot summers. You can slow them down by misting the garden and keeping the soil watered. Oftentimes, gardeners will just use a jet spray of water to knock them off the plants. In case the infestation is really heavy, you may have to apply a pesticide. Spider mites can develop immunity to some chemicals, it is advisable to rotate products occasionally.

Slugs

Although slugs are not insects, they can be daylily pests if not controlled in the garden. They can eat dormant plants during mild winters, as well as new emerging shoots during spring time. They normally hide during the day and feed at night. Slugs love cool damp places such as organic mulches. Oftentimes a shiny, slimy trail is the only evidence of a slug’s presence. Slugs have a very soft underside. Due to this weakness, applying rough gravel, sand around the daylily plants will lacerate their underside and eventually kill them. In extreme cases, you may have to use slug pellets to control them. Apparently, slugs are a favoured delicacy by ducks, raising some ducks might help and clean them up.

How to Grow Bearded Iris in Australia

What You Need to Know When Growing Bearded Iris

WHEN TO PLANT – the very best time to plant bearded iris is March to mid-April, however other later planting times may result in stunted growth, little or no bloom the first year or can take a long time to get their roots established.

WHERE TO PLANT – For best growth and bloom, iris need at least half to full day sun, 100% sun is best, the more sun and frosts the better the blooms will be IN AUSTRALIA.

SOIL CONDITIONS – BEARDED IRIS need balanced, well-drained soil.  Raised beds will also help with drainage, heavy clay soils need to be amended with gypsum or coarse sand to aid drainage, SOIL should allow a loose root run if other plants grow well in your garden, iris will flourish in it.

HOW TO PLANT – cover rhizomes to about ½ “ (1 – 2cm).  Plant 15 – 20 inches apart (38cm – 45cm) apart, the soil should just cover the rhizomes.  DON’T overfeed and DON’T apply animal manure or excess nitrogen, a general balanced fertiliser is ideal in August and January (e.g) 1 teaspoon of Osmocote per plant or rose food, lightly cultivate in, DON'T cultivate deeply as the feeding roots are near the surface.

WATERING – Iris need a deep watering once a week until they are established clumps, start watering once a week again around bloom time, to get the best blooms.

REPLANTING – In general garden conditions two years on a light soil and three to four years on heavier soil.

DISEASES – Iris are fairly free from problem diseases, the most common is LEAF SPOT.  This is  a fungal disease, it lives in the soil.  When it rains or overhead sprinklers are used, the water hits the ground splashing the spores in the ground up onto the leaves which infects the leaves and causes unsightly spots, just like rose spot, the only prevention is to spray the GROUND around the iris and the iris as well, with a fungal spray, I use Mancozeb Plus, ( there are others on the market as well), when the irises are starting to grow, end of July – September, this gives a coating on the leaves and doesn’t give a chance for the leaf spot to develop, or keep it at bay. Iris love LIME, a sprinkling of lime once a year, l believe this helps with leaf spot too.

RHIZOME ROT – is another disease that can be avoided, it can occur, in the humid and hot weather, due to over watering, or over fertilisation.  A bad practice is mulching with water holding mulch, adding the mulch directly on the top of the rhizomes. The first sign is the leaves go yellow and fall down if this happens check the rhizome, if it is soft, lift the entire clump out of the ground, cut the soft part out (ROT), disinfect the rhizome, with bleach, sulphur or agricultural terramycin, then replant.

GENERAL CARE – Over time iris clumps will become crowded and bloom will suffer.  After flowering simply lift the entire clump with a garden fork.  Cut apart the new, younger “babies” from the older centre rhizome, cutting back foliage like a fan shape and replanting.  Also, the centre rhizome, although it is the largest, will not bloom a second time, so send it to the compost pile. Sometimes you will see new buds coming off the centre rhizome in this case you can replant as before but don’t expect a flower for two years.  Iris don’t like competition from weeds.  Keep your bed neat and clean to allow the sun and air to keep the rhizome dry and happy, REMEMBER – iris are VERY drought tolerant. Water in well on planting then a good deep soak once a week is enough over hot dry periods. Finally, enjoy your iris flowers.  They will produce dramatic, beautiful blooms with minimal care and outstanding blooms with just a little more, happy gardening.

FINALLY – be sure to make good labels.  The labels provided with your plants are not intended for long term garden use.