Watering Tomato Plants in Your Vegetable Garden

Watering your tomato plants is a very important thing to do like with any other plant in your garden they all need watering if there has been a dry spell of weather. This applies to the tomato plant also. It is very important to regularly water your tomato plants if you age growing them in a greenhouse because the natural rain water cannot get to then because they are under cover.

There are a few ways in which you can make sure your tomato plants get the right amount of water. When I say the right amount of water I mean not to much so the plant rots or bacterial fungus occurs like botrytis I am talking about the right amount to keep the tomato plant happy and healthy.

Lets look at the first method. You could use a irrigation system that uses a timer to water the plants at a certain time of the day and at a certain length of time so you can then calculate how long to allow the system to water the plants. This is very good if you work long hours or you are away from home a lot.

The second method is the simple method and that is watering them by hand. All you need for that is a supply of water and a watering can. This in my opinion if you have the time and are willing to do this is the best method of watering your tomato plants. This way you can water the plants and also check them for any pests and diseases that may occur so you will have better plants and you can also look at the container that the tomato plant is growing in to see if it needs water just by the feel of the soil.

Tips on How to Plant Clematis in your Garden

Clematis are a great climbing plant for the garden. There are many different types of clematis that can be grown in the United Kingdom. A recent study found that there where 297 species of clematis in existence. The most commonly grown genus of clematis is the Viticella type. These are grown in many gardens up the trellis work or growing up supports over fences and walls. A great way to grow a clematis is to grow it up a large tree as the tree will act as a large support and also add colour. A good tip is if you have a dead tree in your garden then why not bring it back to life by planting 2 or 3 different clematis around it and allowing them to grow up the tree. If you choose to do this then choose clematis that flower at different times of the year. Choose one that flowers in the spring, one that flowers in the summer and there is a type that will flower in the winter. With a little time that dead or dying tree you had in your garden would have been bought back to life with all year round colour.

When you plant a clematis you must remember to plant it so that the stem is buried about six inches bellow the soil, this is because of clematis wilt. If you do this and your clematis does get clematis wilt then the plant should survive because it will root on the buried bit of the stem and push up new growth from the base of the plant. If planting by a fence or wall make sure that it is planted roughly a foot or so away from the fence or wall as these can draw moisture from the soil so leaving the clematis plant with very little moisture.

Insects And Your Garden

by J. Brian Keith

Have you ever considered if what you know about Insects And Your Garden is accurate? Consider the following paragraphs and compare what you know to the latest info about Insects And Your Garden.

While many types of insects, birds and animals seen in the home are unwanted intruders, others play a vital role in pollinating plants and moving seeds from one place to another. In fact, without these animal and insect helpers, most plants would be unable to reproduce.

Even though most gardeners understand how important this cycle of pollination and seed dispersal is, few fully understand why it occurs, or how it benefits both the plants and the animals.

The rewards of pollination and seed dispersal to the plants are easy to determine - they get to spread their seeds far and wide, and start new plants in far off locations. The rewards the insects, birds and mammals derive are many as well, and they are:

Nectar
nectar is actually a sugary solution, and therefore it is highly prized by all kinds of animals both for its good taste and for the ample energy it provides. Getting at this nectar is what prompts most pollinating insects, birds and animals to do such a good job. Nature has provided plants with various ways to attract pollinating insects, birds and animals.

Many types of flowers store their nectar in special glands called nectaires. These nectar glands are most frequently found in flowers, but they are also sometimes contained in leaves or other parts of the plant as well. Most plants are designed to protect their nectar stores from non-pollinating insects and animals, through the use of special storage locations that only pollinating insects can reach, for instance.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

The use of nectar and the plants, insects, birds and animals that depend on it is a fascinating study in co-evolution. The sugar concentrations of many plant nectars have evolved to match the energy requirements of the types of animals, birds and insects that pollinate them. For instance, bees require a 30-35% concentration of sugar in order to make the honey needed by their larvae in the winter. Therefore, bees will not visit flowers whose nectar contains less than 30% sugar. Therefore, the flowers and plants that depend on bees for pollination have evolved high concentrations of sugar in their nectar to attract these pollinator’s.

Pollen
Pollen is also used by flowers and plants to attract the insects, birds and animals they need. Pollen is eaten by bees, and it is also used to make a substance called bee bread, which is a high protein combination of pollen and nectar. This bee bread is used to feed the larvae, which require a high concentration of protein to grow and thrive. Some plants, such as peonies, poppies and roses, use only pollen as a reward and produce no nectar at all. Other types of plants produce two types of pollen - their normal pollen and a sterile pollen with is attractive to pollinating insects. This evolutionary strategy ensures that the good tasting pollen will be eaten while the reproductive pollen will be spread to other areas by the insects, birds and animals that visit the plant.

Of course, this pollen and nectar does the plants no good if the birds, insects and animals cannot find it, and plants and flowers use their bright colors and strong scents to attract these animals and let them know that pollen, nectar, or both await them.

Some pollinating species rely primarily on their sense of sight, and the bright flowers are used to attract their attention. Other species, particularly nocturnal ones, rely primarily on smell. It is the scent of the flowers that attracts these scent oriented pollinator’s.

There’s no doubt that the topic of Insects And Your Garden can be fascinating. If you still have unanswered questions about Insects And Your Garden, you may find what you’re looking for in the next article.

B. Keith Johnson is a contributing author for Flower Gardens. Visit his other sites for Product Reviews, Free Website Content and Free Photo Sharing

Article Source: http://www.articlegarden.com