On TV: Lawn and Garden Report

Lawn and Garden Report

Watch the Lawn and Garden Report on The Weather Network and you’ll have your neighbours asking you for gardening advice!

For starters, here are a few tips below for making your garden beautiful. Tune to the Lawn and Garden feature to learn more about these and other green thumb tips from Lorraine Mennen, with over 27 years of gardening experience.

Click here to find out when you can watch the Lawn & Garden feature on The Weather Network.

5 Gardening Tips from Lorraine Mennen:

1. Preparation

Work the soil. Before planting your garden, clear the earth of all weeds. Weeds are often difficult to eradicate from among established plants, which may need to be lifted and the weeds extracted from the root system. Use a garden fork to loosen soil or get between the plants. Cut a clean V-edge which will help keep the grass from growing into your bed. Work in organic compost every spring or fall to create loose, well-drained, moisture retentive earth.

2. Compost

Pathways to Perennials strongly recommend the use of organic fertilizers, because although inorganic liquid fertilizers may be suitable for containers or house plants as they produce immediate results, they are not recommended for the garden. This is because they build up salt levels that can be harmful to the beneficial organisms in the soil. Your own homemade compost and leaf rot is best. The addition of small amounts of well-composted manure will benefit plants greatly. Blood and bone meal are also beneficial, but only during the warm growing season. Bone meal is rich in phosphorous, but low in potassium, which is good for bare root planting. Bananas add potassium, which is very beneficial to blooming. Organic liquid can be made by stewing compost in buckets of water and pouring it around plants.

3. Mulch

Mulching is highly recommended, particularly in areas where drought and watering bans are common occurrences during summer months. Mulching prevents evaporation and improves rain penetration. It also reduces the need for weeding and can be very decorative. For a low maintenance garden, mulching is essential! Do not use dyed wood bark. The best variety is shredded pine bark mulch partially decomposed.

4. Water

Over watering is the number one cause for perennial death. With too much water, plants will drown, or will have poor root development, which weakens the plant. A weak perennial becomes susceptible to insect attacks as well as disease or fungi. Don’t water to the extent that puddles on the soil surface occur. Overly hard water pressure causes soil erosion and exposed roots, and also packs the soil hard. Think of a gentle rain shower. Given too little water, on the other hand, plants will be unable to extract nutrients from the soil, which in turn will stunt growth or yield few flowers. Collecting water in a rain barrel is a great way to water your plants! You can make your very own compost tea. All you have to do is fill an old pillowcase half way with useable compost and tie a piece of doweling in the open end securely. Submerse the pillow case into the rain barrel (held up with the doweling), and leave overnight. Remove the pillowcase the next day. Now replace compost into the compost pile and dry out the pillow case for next time. Your rain barrel is now filled with liquid fertilizer that is ready to use!

5. Bio-Diversity

Plant your garden with flowers and features that attract birds, butterflies and other beneficial insects and animals. They help to naturally protect your garden from pesky insects. Ladybugs eat soft bellied bugs like aphids and praying mantises eat leaf hopping bugs like grass hoppers and Japanese beetles. Releasing nematodes will take care of the grubs that destroy your lawn. Make sure you plant in layers to attract the right visitors into your garden!