A GARDENER has advised using cayenne pepper to protect your plants and flowers from pests.
Cayenne pepper is widely used in fiery sauces and may be added to dishes to add taste, but they're also an effective pest exterminator, according to experts.
The spice is disliked by critters such as raccoons and squirrels.
If they try to eat pepper-covered leaves from your garden, they're likely to get a shock from the spice.
Squirrel repellents are only a temporary remedy; if you have cherished plants, enclosing them in wire screening or mesh will keep garden pests away for a longer period of time.
Bulk cayenne pepper flakes and powdered cayenne pepper spice may be found at discount retailers.
According to Mike's Backyard Nursery, other scents that deter squirrels include garlic, peppermint, and mothballs.
Read our Gardening Tips live blog for the latest news and updates...
- Amanda Castro
The importance of pruning
It’s easy to forget to prune your plants and bushes when your lawn looks dead, but once everything else is in order, it’s important to prune.
The pros at Gardeners’ World explained, “By pruning in summer, you can reap the rewards of better displays from ornamental plants, you’ll also encourage bigger crops from fruit trees and bushes.”
“Removing new summer growth before it turns woody reduces growth-promoting nitrogen, allowing potassium to build up – and more potassium means more flowers and fruit.”
“You’ll also keep plants, such as shrubs, climbers and rambling roses, within bounds and maintain an attractive shape.”
- Amanda Castro
Bad information leads to gardening mistakes
A considerable number of gardening mistakes can be attributed to bad information, according to Chloe Brooks, home gardening expert at Triple Oaks Nursery and Herb Garden in Franklinville, New Jersey.
That doesn’t mean strictly incorrect knowledge – usually, gardeners will take the information they find online and apply it to their circumstances without accounting for their specific climate.
And with weather conditions varying from year to year, it’s risky to take any single regional guide as gospel truth.
- Amanda Castro
Call your local garden center
If you are unsure of how to care for your plants, hop on the phone or online and get in touch with your local garden center, rather than resorting to the internet.
Nursery employees will have an up-to-the-minute understanding of your area’s conditions, and any plant care tips that are unique to your climate and soil.
Calling them with a question or stopping in is totally fine – they want your plants to thrive, too.
- Amanda Castro
Gardening interests spiked during Covid-19
During the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, spikes in interest in gardening were reported by many media outlets, according to The Ecological Society of America (ESA)
The exact reason for the spikes has not been determined, but the ESA reported that the spikes are being investigated further.
- Amanda Castro
Container gardening tips
While gardening in containers is generally easier than doing so in the ground, here are a few important tips to help keep your plants healthy:
- Make sure the container has drainage holes
- Clean the container before use, wash out soil from previous seasons to avoid disease
- Avoid using toxic containers
- Place gravel at the bottom of the container to make sure soil doesn’t drain
Advantages of gardening in containers
In addition to saving space, there are several other benefits to gardening in containers:
- Can move plants to fit their sunlight needs
- Minimizes spread of disease
- Less work is involved
- It’s cheaper
Can a garden grow in the shade?
While it is difficult to grow a garden in the shade, it is not impossible.
It’s crucial to do some study on the plants you want to put in your garden and how well they’ll do in shaded areas.
Outdoor vegetables that can grow in shade
If you’re looking to grow vegetables in the shade, here are some recommendations:
- Swiss chard
- Brassicas
- Salad leaves
- Beetroot
- Kohlrabi
- Radishes
- Carrots
- Leeks
- Kale
- Broad beans
Outdoor plants that can grow without sun
Here are some plants that can grow well in the shade:
- Wood spurge, Iris foetidissima
- Wood spurge, Euphorbia amygdaloides
- Snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis
- Winter aconite, Eranthis hyemalis
- Bellflower, Campanula lactiflora
- Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea
- Granny’s bonnet, Aquilegia
- Bleeding heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis
- Lungwort, Pulmonaria
- Siberian bugloss, Brunnera macrophylla
- Amanda Castro
What to do if garden doesn’t get sun
Preparing the soil for your garden plants is one of the most important things you can do for them since they thrive in well-drained, rich soil.
Purchase low-light soil mixtures from gardening stores and supplement them with compost and slow-release fertilizer.
Plants that thrive in mild or partial shade should also be considered.
There are methods you may do to increase the amount of light in your garden.
Mirrors, for example, can be used to reflect light and heat from the sun.
Alternatively, paint a wall white to allow light to reflect and disperse in many directions.
- Amanda Castro
Will my garden thrive if it doesn’t receive sun?
It’s just as vital to know where to put your plants as it is to know what varieties to cultivate in the first place.
What can be easily cultivated will be significantly influenced by external temps, however, the final location of your chosen vegetables will determine how well they thrive.
Some plants like bright, sunny settings, while others prefer to be in the shade.
Most plants require at least six to eight hours of light every day, but others require as much as 10 or up to 14 hours of light to grow.
Some shade-loving plants may survive with only 3 to 4 hours of sunlight.
- Amanda Castro
Bad information leads to gardening mistakes
A considerable number of gardening mistakes can be attributed to bad information, according to Chloe Brooks, home gardening expert at Triple Oaks Nursery and Herb Garden in Franklinville, New Jersey.
That doesn’t mean strictly incorrect knowledge – usually, gardeners will take the information they find online and apply it to their circumstances without accounting for their specific climate.
And with weather conditions varying from year to year, it’s risky to take any single regional guide as gospel truth.
- Amanda Castro
Call your local garden center
If you are unsure of how to care for your plants, hop on the phone or online and get in touch with your local garden center, rather than resorting to the internet.
Nursery employees will have an up-to-the-minute understanding of your area’s conditions, and any plant care tips that are unique to your climate and soil.
Calling them with a question or stopping in is totally fine – they want your plants to thrive, too.
- Amanda Castro
Worst flowers for hay fever sufferers
Experts say some of the most problematic flowers for hay fever sufferers are:
- Daisies
- Sunflowers
- Baby’s breath
Best flowers for those with hay fever
Chris Bonnett from Gardening Express recommends the following plants for those who suffer from allergies:
- Roses
- Yarrow
- Camellia
- Geranium
- Lobelia
- Fruit trees
- Conifer
- Amanda Castro
How to use sugar on lawn
Expert Jordan Page said you don’t have to be precise and use a spreader, but instead, she recommended using an old juice container with a wide mouth to shake out the sugar.
She advised that you can’t use “too much” sugar, but typically you will want to use a 5-pound bag for every one thousand feet of lawn.
Page also recommended applying sugar several times during your first year of the process to help make up for years of chemical damage.
After applying the sugar, she said to simply wet down your lawn.
- Amanda Castro
Save hundreds by using sugar
Expert Jordan Page — the “Fun Cheap or Free Queen” — revealed how she uses sugar to keep her lawn greener than ever.
Rather than spend somewhere around $300-$500 on weeding and fertilizers, you can use white table sugar to solve many of your lawn’s problems.
Typically costing around $4, sugar is both super cheap and super easy to apply to your lawn.
Other than making your grass extra green, she said sugar is also beneficial for the environment.
- Amanda Castro
Replace fertilizer with sugar
Sugar helps feed the beneficial microbes, insects, and worms within the grass, which would usually be killed by fertilizer.
These microbes and insects help to improve the soil structure, increase photosynthesis, and provide resistance to extreme climates.
- Amanda Castro
DIY pesticide: plastic forks
As BBQ season approaches, the experts also advise using one everyday kitchen item to improve pest control in your garden.
They said: “If you’ve spotted stray cats, rabbits or mice in your yard, stick a few forks in the ground around their favorite hangout.”
“The sharp tines will deter most small animals, and keep young plants out of harm’s way.”
This comes as The Sun revealed the opinion of experts at Old World Garden Farms who warned of the danger of using harsh chemicals.
- Amanda Castro
DIY pesticide: insecticidal soap
Gardening experts at Bonvilla suggest the use of insecticidal soap as a “non-toxic solution” for spraying plants that are being bothered by bugs.
They advise to mix 1-2 drops of lemon essential oil, 1 tablespoon of pure liquid soap, like castile soap, per 1 quart of water, and to put it in a spray bottle.
However, avoid using dishwashing liquid, as the additives can harm plants, and be ineffective on insects.
They said: “Keep the bottle handy, and use it whenever you need to protect your garden from creepy-crawlers.”
- Amanda Castro
Repelling mosquitoes: Grow sage
When burned, sage produces an aroma that can help ward off mosquitos.
Gardening fans have warned online that sage shouldn’t be grown during the summer or autumn months.
Sage requires well-drained soil and the herb should be planted in a sunny space in your garden.
- Amanda Castro
Repelling mosquitoes: Grow rosemary
Rosemary is commonly used to flavor meat for a roast dinner, but the herb can also be used as an insect repellent.
The woody smell of rosemary is what helps repel the bug, according to gardening experts at Evergreen.
It keeps the bugs away and also attracts butterflies.
- Amanda Castro
Repelling mosquitoes: Grow garlic
Garlic is not just a staple ingredient in many foods, but it can also be used to ward off insects.
Planting garlic bulbs will give gardeners some extra protection this summer.
When crushed, garlic bulbs release a compound named allicin.
Patrick Parker, of the SavATree Plant Health Care Program, said: “When garlic extract is absorbed by a plant, biochemical changes take place in its foliage which causes it to actively repel insects.”
“In short, plants are provided with a long-lasting case of ‘garlic breath’ that causes insects to move elsewhere.”
- Amanda Castro
Repelling mosquitoes: Grow peppermint
Similar to basil, mosquitoes hate the smell that peppermint plants produce.
They also detest the taste of the plant.
Peppermint leaves are useful because they can also be used to treat mosquito bites as well.
It helps soothe the wound, meaning it shouldn’t sting as much.
- Amanda Castro
Repelling mosquitoes: Grow basil
Basil can be added to salads, put onto a pizza, or used as a garnish to finish off a dish.
It also happens to be a handy way to ward off mosquitos and other pests.
Basil is one of the most pungent herbs and mosquitos detest the smell.
It contains compounds that disrupt the insects’ carbon dioxide sensors, causing them to become confused.
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