Tips for Gardening

Individual clay particles are so small they are visible only under a microscope and clay soil is made up of more than 25 per cent of them. Mixed with water, they can be sticky and cement-like. Where there are less than 8 per cent clay particles, yet the soil is still heavy, there could be silt mixed with the clay. Silt compacts easily but is less sticky. Tiny particles mean tiny pores and a clay or silt soil is less well aerated and dries much more slowly than a sandy soil. Although sticky clay soils can drive you mad when they bake hard in summer and are too wet to work during winter, the very nature of those tiny particles means they can hold onto water and nutrients and are great for plant growth. A wide range of plants, including roses, relish improved, fertile clay soils and if you switch, as I have, from an impoverished sand to silty clay, you will certainly see a difference in growth rates.

Tips for gardening on clay
- If you need to access heavy clay soil or are standing on a lawn edge, use boards to spread the weight.

- Improve drainage for crops like garlic by planting into ridges made above soil level. This is especially useful for winter crops and early plantings because the roots are raised out of the coldest, soggiest part of the soil.

- To dry a cold, wet, heavy soil early in the year prior to planting and sowing, cover with plastic sheeting. Alkathene piping fixed over beds in hoops will raise the plastic off the soil to keep the rain off but will allow air into dry and warm the soil.

- Drying soil by covering is easier when the beds are only 4 feet or so wide and slightly raised above the surrounding level.

Tips for Gardening on Sandy Soil

The large particles making up sandy soils refuse to bond together into a good crumb structure, and this means they lose water quickly and don’t hold onto nutrients well. But gardening on a light, sandy soil is not all bad. These soils warm up quickly in spring and you can tread, fork, and dig them on virtually any day of the year. Improvements include adding lots of organic matter, but you’ll find this disappears quickly. There are plenty of plants more than happy to grow on well-drained soils, including many of Mediterranean origin. Herbs such as lavender, thyme, and rosemary will be much happier on sand than a sticky clay. Plants of dubious hardiness will come through hard winters much better with drier roots and survive on sands when they would have rotted away on damp clays.

Tips for gardening on sandy soil
- A good way of conserving water in sandy areas is to mulch beds with a layer of shingly stones. Start by digging and enriching your flower bed with plenty of humus. Choose a good range of drought-tolerant plants and plant them slightly above the soil. Water thoroughly and mulch with a 3-4-inch layer of shingly stones (not too fine). The stones will help to keep out the weeds and protect the soil from evaporation.

Tips on Keeping the Water Clear and Weed-Free in Your Garden Pond

Once the pond has settled down and there is a balance between aquatic insect life, plants, and oxygen levels, the water should become clear and clean. If it doesn’t, try immersing barley straw into the water, which should clear the water after about six weeks and help keep it free of algae for the rest of the summer. You can buy sachets of barley straw that will give some idea of the quantity you need; alternatively, for a pool 10 feet in diameter and 24 inches deep, an old pair of tights packed with straw will be adequate and entertaining. Introducing water snails and oxygenating plants such as Ceratophyllum demersum (6-9) or Lagarosiphon major (8-10) will also help. Water lilies and other leafy aquatics provide shade and reduce the risk of green water.

Thick strands of dark green blanket weed are best removed by hand or with a net, or by twisting them around a brush shaft. Never use a rake, fork or other sharp tools in the pond; the liner is tough but not immune to being punctured.

Oxygenating plants quickly form a mass of foliage. In summer, this carpet should be thinned to prevent it choking the pond. In autumn remove dying foliage before it sinks to the bottom as the gases that are released when it rots may be harmful to fish and other pond life

Any weeds, plants, debris, or bottom mud that is removed from the should be left beside the pond overnight to give insects a chance to return to the water before it is dumped or put on the compost heap.

Tips on Siting a Garden Pond

Depending on the type and size of the water feature, positioning can be critical. Here is a list of things to avoid for all but the smallest of features.

Don’t excavate for a pond where there is a naturally high water table because the pressure from below will push the liner up, forcing the pond water out. You can work out the level of your water table by excavating a hole until you see water. It is best to do this in winter when any water table will be higher than in summer.

Don’t position the pond under or close to deciduous trees. Autumn leaves will be a problem over a four to six week period.

Don’t site a large pond in full sun because it will attract green algae (which respond to sunlight). If there is no alternative site, in the northern hemisphere, you should plant a selection of bulky shrubs on the south side to cast shade over part of the surface of the water.

Don’t forget that for moving water, the pump will be powered by electricity. Consider access to household current and make sure you employ a qualified electrician.

Don’t construct the pond on sloping ground. The water surface will always be level, leaving the liner exposed at the highest end.

Don’t undertake too major a job. Employ a contractor to do the heavy work.

Safety: remember that all electrical work must be undertaken by a qualified electrician. Water and electricity don’t mix well. Always switch the power supply off at the main before repairing or cleaning the pond, or servicing the pump.

Where there is the concern for young children and the risk of accidents, cover the pond with galvanized wire mesh. This, in turn, may, for aesthetic reasons, be covered with water-worn, smooth river stones. Fencing the pond is a practical, if unattractive, alternative.