How to Grow an Organic Flower Garden
How to Grow an Organic Flower Garden
eHow Article:
By Sarah Ince, eHow Editor
The lovely aroma of flowering plants can awaken the senses, giving a person a true appreciation for nature. Growing your own organic flower garden can bring the beauty of nature to your own back yard, without harmful pesticides. This can be a real treat both for you and the flowers. Pesticides can take a toll on your health and even reduce the life span of your flowers. Toxic chemicals such as mancozeb and chlorothalonil have been labeled as carcinogens. A carcinogen is a substance that is known to cause cancer. Pesticides and herbicides are toxic substances that kill living organisms. The Organic Trade Association has stated that side effects from pesticide exposure range from nausea, asthma, headaches and fatigue, to more serious side effects such as cancer and neurological disorders.
Instructions
Step1
Select a spot in your yard where the flowers are likely to get plenty of sun shine.
Step2
Prepare the soil. Loosen the dirt with a garden tiller. Sprinkle organic seed compost on the dirt.
Step3
Choose the type of flowers you would like to plant. Buy organic flower seeds at your local nursery or online (see Resources).
Step4
Soak your seeds. Prior to planting your organic flower seeds, pre-soak the seeds. Soak the seeds in purified water, preferably distilled. Soak the seeds for 15 to 24 hours before planting. This will help the seeds soak up additional moisture.
Step5
Dig several small holes in the dirt where your seeds will be planted. Plant and cover your seeds in the dirt. Lightly water the seeds.
Step6
Wait for your flowers to grow. Water your flowers early in the morning on a daily basis.
Step7
Keep up with pruning. Mildew and black spots can show up on flowers without warning. If the problem is not taken care of right away the disease will spread to other flowers. Prune any diseased flowers and spray all the flowers with organic sulfur spray (see Resources). Spray the flower itself, and the leaves.
Step8
Allow natural predators in your garden. For an organic garden to flourish, the garden must have beneficial insects, such as lady bugs, praying mantis, ambush bugs, spiders and lacewings. Include plenty of these friendly little critters. Lady bugs can be purchased at many garden centers or online (see Resources).
Tips & Warnings
* City water typically contains high levels chlorine and other chemicals. If you want to give your flowers only the best, invest in a water filtration system that also filters the water outdoors. Or, buy a simple charcoal chlorine filter at your local home improvement store.
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