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Techniques Of The Gardener.

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Techniques Of The Gardener.

By: Kane Ashley

Dibbing In:
Dibbing in is a simple and quick planting technique compared to using a trowel. The typical dibber is usually a stout wooden or metal spike bought from a disbuddinggarden shop or made at home from an old spade handle. These dibbers are for large seedlings. For pot culture and for small seedlings outdoors use a pencil or dowel. The tip of your dibber needs to be rounded rather than sharply pointed.

Dibbing in (or dibbling) involves inserting the dibber sufficiently deeply into the soil so the roots will fit comfortably. Place the plant into the hole and then firm the ground by re-inserting the dibber point about 1 - 2 inches from the stem. Move the dibber towards the plant in an effort to press the soil around the roots.

This is a great technique for planting vegetables which have been raised in a seed bed. Brassicas, like Cabbages, Brussels Sprouts etc, are popular examples. It is also trusted for planting cuttings, but in all cases you must ensure that the hole is no deeper than necessary. The role of dibbing in is limited - use a trowel and not a dibber for large size planting material like bulbs or tubers, and don’t use a dibber in heavy, wet soil.

Disbudding:
In general, flower buds in the garden are allowed to develop and open naturally to produce the maximum display. For exhibitors however, and others interested in the size of individual blooms, the flower stems are disbudded. This calls for pinching out side buds the minute they can be handled, leaving the central bud to grow to be a sizable specimen to catch the eye of the judge or earn the envy of the neighbours. Chrysanthemums, Dahlias and Carnations are frequently treated in this way for show purposes. Many Hybrid Tea Roses produce a lot more than one flower bud at the end of each shoot. With this flower it is nearly always desirable to seek the maximum size, so disbudding of side shoots is advisable. Delay removing the side buds if you want to keep back flowering for the day of your show. If the Rose variety produces very full blooms which spoil badly in wet weather, reverse the process and pinch out the terminal bud so that your side buds develop.

Earthing Up:
There are several reasons for earthing up, this means the drawing up of soil towards and all around the stems. Potatoes are earthed up to prevent the tubers being subjected to light. When the haulm is about 9 inches high a draw hoe is used to pile loose soil against the stems to form a flat-topped ridge. The greens (Broccoli, Kale, Brussels Sprouts etc) are earthed up for a different reason - soil is drawn up all around the stems of well developed plants to improve anchorage against high winds.

The stems of Celery and Leek are blanched by earthing up. This begins with Celery when it is about 1 foot high - with Leeks this is done in stages, the height being increased a little bit at a time by drawing dry soil all around the stems.

Earthing up is essential on the vegetable plot but it has a place in the herbaceous border. Shoots might appear early during a mild spell in early spring, it is advisable to draw loose soil over them using a hoe so as to prevent damage by severe frosts which can come later.

Article Source: http://articles.tiptopweb.info

I have been involved with the Do-It-Yourself and Gardening industry for over 30 years. So I think now is the time to spread the word a bit about Landscape Gardeners operating within in the UK. Most of them are fantastic. I have worked for one for over 20 years.

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