Home Improvement

In strict terms, a formal garden is one that is entirely symmetrical, with one side mirrored by the other in a highly plotted geometric pattern. Although there are many gardens of which this is right, formal gardens have now also come to signify a design that is laid out with a degree of geometry and regularity, and with stylised planting – not necessarily with mirror images.

From the simplicity of a lawn punctuated by a single island bed to the complexity of an intricate knot garden, many types of formal garden may be plotted. But simple they may be, formal designs are typically ordered and elegant, well proportioned and balanced, and often strongly symmetrical or patterned.

Features typically include straight paths, closely mown lawns, borders defined by low hedges or edging plants, neatly clipped hedges or topiary, framed vistas and focal points, formal bedding in blocks of strong colour, and, on occasion, knot gardens and parterres.

Formal gardens require very regular and precise maintenance and are usually very labour-intensive. The more regular the design, the more any slight flaws will stand out.

The Principles of the Formal Garden Style

Many historic gardens were formal in design, and geometry has been used in garden styles from the very earliest times. Persian and Egyptian gardens relied on a formal structure of hard landscape, often within a courtyard, in which planting, pergolas and water features would be laid out in a symmetrical pattern. The fantastic Moorish gardens were largely formal, as were the sumptuous gardens of Renaissance Italy.

These gardens echoed the architectural styles of the day, and were designed to supply a strong visual connection between garden and house. In fact, any garden should do just that, but a formal style typically relies more heavily on the adjoining building for its inspiration. If the architecture of the house is classical, then formality in the garden should reflect this with features such as stone or gravel paths, parterres, stone paving, balustrading, formal pools, clipped hedging and framed views.

Of course, a building does not need to be classical to have an adjoining formal garden, but it does need to be a building with some character of its own. In this way, a formal garden could suit a Georgian house or a Victorian villa, but it could also suit a modern architect-designed building, reflecting the regularity of the house and providing a harmonious link between the inside and outside. But, a formal garden is less likely to work well with a pre-war semi or a developer’s house on a modern estate. These tend not to have a balanced facade or strong layout, so an asymmetrical design would probably look, and certainly feel, more comfortable in these cases.

A feeling of formality may be achieved by making classicism and symmetry in simple ways: by planting two or a number of symmetrically placed trees; by placing pots or urns on either side of a gateway; or perhaps by positioning clipped shrubs to flank a front door.

Such a strictly architectural style requires that plants be used to emphasise and embellish rather than dominate. Hedging, which can be close clipped, is the often one of the most vital features of the formal garden. Many hedges are made from clipped and severely restricted trees, for example, limes can be ‘pleached’ to make a narrow hedge on clear trunks or ‘stilts’. Fruit trees, carefully pruned for the purpose, can also be used to form linear barriers, and window-like holes can be even be carved into these hedges to make clairvoyees.

Formal gardens rely heavily on surfaces for much of their impact, and the lawn is vital for this reason. Colours are often muted in the formal garden, with green predominating, and the lawn acts as a subtle foil to other shades of green, such as the black-green of yew.

Strictly speaking, plants should not be allowed to spill over on to hedges and paths, or otherwise break up the strict architectural lines of the garden. But, some gardeners bend the rules and plant informally within the formal framework. This often involves planting drifts of flowers in the borders, and using a larger range of plant material than would be strictly appropriate for the traditional formal garden. This method of planting undoubtedly softens the impact of the formal lines, but that loss is often compensated by the splendour of the plants.

Classical Gardens

The formal gardens of ancient Rome and Greece were the inspiration for the impressive palatial and villa gardens of France and Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries. The essential qualities of these classical gardens are their strong symmetrical and architectural designs, which closely follow the scale and proportion of the building that they adjoin.

Italianate gardens are often set on elevated sites, with terraced gardens and flights of steps leading to long, shaded walks, cascades, fountains and canals. The cooling effects of water and avenues or canopies of trees are all part of the pleasures of these gardens, especially in the hot, Mediterranean climate.

The terraces might contain parterre designs with symmetrically positioned topiary pyramids or obelisks and box-lined scrolls of flowerbeds. Other typical features include balustrades, statuary, and well-proportioned vases or urns for ornamental plants.

Colour is generally limited to the dark green of the plants, the pale colours of the stone and gravel, and the white waters.

Many of these classical features may be integrated into contemporary garden designs to make a sense of grace, formality, and ordered tranquillity. Even in a relatively small area, the careful consideration to proportion, scale, balance, and harmony seen in classical gardens may be reproduced to make a simple, effective design.

Knot Gardens

Knot gardens were particularly well loved in the 16th century, and took the form of abstract patterns and interlacing bands containing coloured plants, sands or gravels, marked out and framed by low hedges.

They were grown with a variety or aromatic plants and culinary herbs, such as Germander, marjoram, thyme, southernwood, lemon balm, hyssop, costmary, acanthus, mallow, chamomile, rosemary, Calendulas, Violas and Santolina. Most knot gardens had edges made from Box (Buxus sempervirens), whose foliage has a sweet smell when bruised.

The patterns often took their inspiration from the knots and strapwork patterns of English Elizabethan and Tudor plaster ceiling decorations and needlework. So that this intricate detail can be truly appreciated, knot gardens are often best viewed from above, and they should be designed so that can be seen easily from a house window or raised terrace.

Given the right setting and a well-drained, level site, knot gardens are not hard to make and are straightforward to maintain. The patterns should be kept simple; this will ensure a pleasing design, and ensure that maintenance will not be too time-consuming.

Some suitable plants for the hedges include cotton lavender (Santolina chamaecyparissus) and dwarf box (Teucrium chamaedrys). If you choose to use plants rather than coloured sand or gravel to fill in the areas between the hedges, choose those that are in keeping with the character and scale of the design; as a rule, low-growing plants are suitable, although more unusual plantings, for example, succulents such as houseleeks (Sempervivum), may also he considered.

Do bear in mind that any weeds that appear on the gravel surfaces should be removed by hand, as weedkillers could hurt the shallow-rooting hedges.

Parterres

A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging and gravel paths, arranged to form a pleasing pattern. Often confused with knot gardens, parterres are larger in scale, and consist of ambitious and complicated designs, with flowering, scroll-like patterns or symbolic themes.

The pattern outlines are typically formed from low hedges of box, with the area in between the hedges filled with dense, colourful bedding plants, gravels of different hues or plants with muted pastel shades. There may also be evergreen shrubs trimmed into precise globes or pyramids, and other clipped, formal shapes in box or yew. A parterre should always be in scale with the size of the house or adjacent terrace.

Parterres became very well loved in the Victorian and Edwardian periods, especially in public gardens and parks, where they were transformed into extravagant bedding schemes and complex floral displays.

Topiary

Topiary is the art of making sculptures in the medium of clipped shrubs and sub-shrubs. The word derives from the Latin word for an ornamental landscape gardener: topiarius. For over 2,000 years, the art and craft of topiary has been practised in gardens; with time, patience, and suitable plants, “living sculptures” can be produced.

Topiary is often used in formal gardens to add shape, height, and sculptural interest; well-clipped pyramids, columns or spirals are used to emphasise the proportion and symmetry of a design. A single piece of topiary can provide a strong focal point, whilst several clipped trees or shrubs can supply the garden with a design cornerstone.

Simple, geometric shapes such as cones or spheres are usually the best forms of topiary for a formal or classical garden, although more whimsical styles such as animals, birds, or objects (such as chess pieces) can add a lively and witty touch. These more elaborate forms may be suitable in both formal and informal gardens, depending on the style, but would be out of place in a wild or naturalistic garden setting.

Slow-growing, dense evergreen plants are the best sources for topiary, such as cultivars of box (Buxus sempervirens), bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), yew (Taxus spp.), myrtle (Eugenia spp., Myrtus spp.), holly (Ilex spp.) and privet (Ligustrum spp.). Ivies (Hedera) may also be clipped and trained over frames to form various shapes.

Sunken Gardens

Changes of level, even relatively small ones, can provide fascinating features in a garden. A well-plotted sunken garden can add a feeling of adventure and space, as well as bringing another dimension to the design.

Traditional sunken gardens were usually rectangular or square, enclosed by walls, and bordered by paved paths or raised grass so that they could be seen from above. The layout was typically simple and geometrical, with flowerbeds divided by a symmetrical framework of walkways and paths, perhaps with a central sculptural feature, such as a sundial or fountain.

As they are lower than the rest of the garden, sunken gardens are often secluded and sheltered, with a secret, sanctuary-like quality that is particularly restful and appealing. Formal bedding, herbs, and roses lend themselves particularly well for use in sunken gardens.

I. Garden Room Environment Connections

The Garden Room and its place in the world.
The Garden Room meets a need.
Garden Room Fantasies.

 

Every garden in the world is determined by its own biosphere. In Asia a historic garden room is the ‘pergola’ where foundations, four posts and a tiled or a thatched roof is the convention. So humid is it that in parts of Asia this works perfectly and allows for quick cover during tropical rain.

In contrast the thickly walled, Scandinavian log cabin has played an vital role as a garden room, housing the family sauna or as a barbeque room, in Norway and Denmark since the Bronze era. Due to a shear number of  Scot’s Pine Trees available it offers a resourceful efficient building material. The USA and the west inherited a fantastic deal of the building processes from Scandinavian regions and as a result it is a very common garden room style throughout the northern hemisphere of the world.

 

Here in Britain, life in the garden room varies from region to region.  Orchard rooms in Kent, Boathouses in Norfolk, Summerhouses in Devon, potting sheds in Yorkshire, Offices in London, holiday cabins in Scotland, work houses in Lincoln and kiosks in Essex. Garden room use changes by terrain, and the needs of the local people.

 

In Europe the garden room has evolved from a long history of early ‘AD’ pavilions for religious worship and also, from the 13th century, glass structures are used in to cultivate fruit and vegetables.

 

Later in European history we find a noticeable third reason for a garden room: to demonstrate wealth through the building of a folly. To make an impression within the grounds of their mansions and estates, the gentry of Europe built everything from pineapples to towers and temples to tree houses. In Europe, the garden room has been built in every shape and form.

 

Mother Nature has also been at work and has engineered the odd garden room of her own. See has made treehouses, nests, caves, dug outs, hives, tunnels, canopys, natural sunshades and grass houses.

 

Distant childhood memories provide a further twist on garden room dwellings. . As Beatrice Lillies elaborates in her 1934 record – there are “fairies at the bottom of the garden” and often the garden room takes centre stage. Fairytales and cartoons have fantasized of garden room flower pots in ‘The Wombles’; garden room tea pots in ‘Poddington Peas’ and let’s not forget Goldilocks’s experiences in the mysterious garden house or the adventures of The Three Small Pigs!

Throughout history the garden room has been more than a functional building. It is room for people to find themselves in, to explore their relationship with their own culture, their gods or themselves. It is a place of work, rest, play and worship.

 

The garden room protects its owner from demons. Used wisely the garden room protects your from extremes of weather, neighbours and intrusion. If you know the peace and tranquillity of the garden then the garden room is yours to cultivate, and thrive in.

 

I. The Garden Room. A Product of Nature.
Woods
Wools
Engineering
Mother Nature’s Garden Room Power

 

The Product of Nature: The Garden Room

 

If your garden room is an escape into your own, personal, piece of nature, it makes sense if the structure is built from natural materials so that it blends into it’s unique garden setting.

 

A garden room should not be made out of plastic and PVC. This is an affront to the natural world and avoids the necessity for all of us to be more environmentally considerate. You can limit the carbon footprint of a new garden building by using locally sourced, natural materials that will automatically make the building blend into the domestic garden environment.

 

When the Pilgrims landed on the shores of the New World at the beginning of the 1600′s, they faced incredible hardships whilst building settlements and finding the means to survive.  Materials that they had brought from Europe were unable to stand the new and harsh environments that the Pilgrims’ found themselves in.  A source of help came from the local, indigenous peoples.

 

In the early days the Native Americans and the Pilgrims loved a more friendly relationship than what came later.  The early sharing that occurred between the groups is remembered in the American festival of Thanksgiving. One of the things shared by the Native Americans was the means to survive and build in the hostile American climate through the use of nature.

 

Western Red Cedar (Thuja Plicata) is the ideal material for roof shingles.  It is a durable and waterproof wood that survives the elements for decades.  It is the material that Native Americans used to build their canoes, fashioned simply from the logs of Western Red Cedar trees.  Able to remain in the water for long periods of time without succumbing to rot, it is a natural and renewable roofing material source that for a sustainable garden room.  The Thuja Plicata is also known for the smell of its cedar oil, which it keeps long after it has been cut into shingles, a welcome and soothing aroma in a garden environment.

 

As a proven example of the Western Red Cedar’s incredible endurance, many Native American Totem Poles have survived to the present day.  Another Native American use of the Western Red Cedar’s wood.

 

It’s a given that anything that can be used to build a boat is going to be a reliable material to survive the elements.  Like the Western Red Cedar’s use in Native American canoes, the best material for external wood cladding is Larch.  It is a tough and durable wood, famed for its waterproof properties.  Traditionally it was used in Europe for building fishing boats and it is still a favourite for yacht building. It lasts for years when used in salt water, one of the most corrosive natural elements on the planet.

 

As a living tree, the Larch is renowned for quick growth and its resistance to disease. These are properties that remain in the wood when it is harvested.  It is extremely resistant to rot, even when in contact with the ground, which will give any structure built with this material an extremely long life.  Larch is a quick growing tree, frequently grown in sustainable forests the UK. The British larch is known to be stronger and more durable than its European counterpart. This makes in a more sustainable choice than slow growing oak. Because the tree is grown in Scotland, its transport carbon footprint is small. A natural cladding wood for your garden room.

 

Comfort is vital in the twenty first century garden room. As a nation devoted to  home improvements the British are no longer interested in shivering in the garden shed of sizzling in the summerhouse Controlling temperature plays a huge part in comfort in a garden building. A functional garden room must be cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  Insulation is the key ingredient in a comfortable and sustainable garden room. But, many insulation materials are made from PVC and are not excellent for the environment. So what can we use that is more environmentally friendly?

 

The answer to this question is another question – “what is it that keeps people warm?”  Answer – “jumpers”.  A pure wool jumper is always snugglier than one knitted with man-made materials.  Sheep’s wool can work as the perfect eco-friendly insulation. It grows naturally on the back of the sheep and is both sustainable and renewable.  There are two major suppliers of sheepswool insulation the UK, helping to reduce carbon foot print of homes and garden rooms: Second Nature and Black Mountain Insulation.

 

iii. Garden Room Design

 

Garden Room Form Over Fiction
Nature’s design: The Garden Room
Modern Garden Room Myths
Garden Room Plights

 

When designers and builders combine simple, classic designs with the simplest, natural materials then something special is made. Every spring, birds in their millions prepare their own garden room up in the trees, using delicately chosen twigs and insulation. The materials they use remain far longer than the nest is needed and the result is a sustainable garden room.

 

A real garden room is a form of human nest building. The garden room owner seeks a natural habitat in the garden, where he or she can either delight in the garden, or completely ignore the garden and pursue their work or leisure activity. The garden room provides the escape that nature offers whilst deadheading the roses or escaping from the merry-go-round of life.

 

So there’s an enormous value in having a garden room, and the process involved in commissioning the right one can be demanding. We’ve all plotted projects like this at some time or another in our lives… an thought, a huge prevailing vision, then inspiration, followed by pricing, conformity and regulations, revising our thoughts and our budget and then finally – choice time. But, in the end, the vital thing is to be pleased in a room of our own, at the bottom of the garden.

I. Garden Room Environment Connections

The Garden Room and its place in the world.
The Garden Room meets a need.
Garden Room Fantasies.

 

Every garden in the world is determined by its own biosphere. In Asia a historic garden room is the ‘pergola’ where foundations, four posts and a tiled or a thatched roof is the convention. So humid is it that in parts of Asia this works perfectly and allows for quick cover during tropical rain.

In contrast the thickly walled, Scandinavian log cabin has played an vital role as a garden room, housing the family sauna or as a barbeque room, in Norway and Denmark since the Bronze era. Due to a shear number of  Scot’s Pine Trees available it offers a resourceful efficient building material. The USA and the west inherited a fantastic deal of the building processes from Scandinavian regions and as a result it is a very common garden room style throughout the northern hemisphere of the world.

 

Here in Britain, life in the garden room varies from region to region.  Orchard rooms in Kent, Boathouses in Norfolk, Summerhouses in Devon, potting sheds in Yorkshire, Offices in London, holiday cabins in Scotland, work houses in Lincoln and kiosks in Essex. Garden room use changes by terrain, and the needs of the local people.

 

In Europe the garden room has evolved from a long history of early ‘AD’ pavilions for religious worship and also, from the 13th century, glass structures are used in to cultivate fruit and vegetables.

 

Later in European history we find a noticeable third reason for a garden room: to demonstrate wealth through the building of a folly. To make an impression within the grounds of their mansions and estates, the gentry of Europe built everything from pineapples to towers and temples to tree houses. In Europe, the garden room has been built in every shape and form.

 

Mother Nature has also been at work and has engineered the odd garden room of her own. See has made treehouses, nests, caves, dug outs, hives, tunnels, canopys, natural sunshades and grass houses.

 

Distant childhood memories provide a further twist on garden room dwellings. . As Beatrice Lillies elaborates in her 1934 record – there are “fairies at the bottom of the garden” and often the garden room takes centre stage. Fairytales and cartoons have fantasized of garden room flower pots in ‘The Wombles’; garden room tea pots in ‘Poddington Peas’ and let’s not forget Goldilocks’s experiences in the mysterious garden house or the adventures of The Three Small Pigs!

Throughout history the garden room has been more than a functional building. It is room for people to find themselves in, to explore their relationship with their own culture, their gods or themselves. It is a place of work, rest, play and worship.

 

The garden room protects its owner from demons. Used wisely the garden room protects your from extremes of weather, neighbours and intrusion. If you know the peace and tranquillity of the garden then the garden room is yours to cultivate, and thrive in.

 

I. The Garden Room. A Product of Nature.
Woods
Wools
Engineering
Mother Nature’s Garden Room Power

 

The Product of Nature: The Garden Room

 

If your garden room is an escape into your own, personal, piece of nature, it makes sense if the structure is built from natural materials so that it blends into it’s unique garden setting.

 

A garden room should not be made out of plastic and PVC. This is an affront to the natural world and avoids the necessity for all of us to be more environmentally considerate. You can limit the carbon footprint of a new garden building by using locally sourced, natural materials that will automatically make the building blend into the domestic garden environment.

 

When the Pilgrims landed on the shores of the New World at the beginning of the 1600′s, they faced incredible hardships whilst building settlements and finding the means to survive.  Materials that they had brought from Europe were unable to stand the new and harsh environments that the Pilgrims’ found themselves in.  A source of help came from the local, indigenous peoples.

 

In the early days the Native Americans and the Pilgrims loved a more friendly relationship than what came later.  The early sharing that occurred between the groups is remembered in the American festival of Thanksgiving. One of the things shared by the Native Americans was the means to survive and build in the hostile American climate through the use of nature.

 

Western Red Cedar (Thuja Plicata) is the ideal material for roof shingles.  It is a durable and waterproof wood that survives the elements for decades.  It is the material that Native Americans used to build their canoes, fashioned simply from the logs of Western Red Cedar trees.  Able to remain in the water for long periods of time without succumbing to rot, it is a natural and renewable roofing material source that for a sustainable garden room.  The Thuja Plicata is also known for the smell of its cedar oil, which it keeps long after it has been cut into shingles, a welcome and soothing aroma in a garden environment.

 

As a proven example of the Western Red Cedar’s incredible endurance, many Native American Totem Poles have survived to the present day.  Another Native American use of the Western Red Cedar’s wood.

 

It’s a given that anything that can be used to build a boat is going to be a reliable material to survive the elements.  Like the Western Red Cedar’s use in Native American canoes, the best material for external wood cladding is Larch.  It is a tough and durable wood, famed for its waterproof properties.  Traditionally it was used in Europe for building fishing boats and it is still a favourite for yacht building. It lasts for years when used in salt water, one of the most corrosive natural elements on the planet.

 

As a living tree, the Larch is renowned for quick growth and its resistance to disease. These are properties that remain in the wood when it is harvested.  It is extremely resistant to rot, even when in contact with the ground, which will give any structure built with this material an extremely long life.  Larch is a quick growing tree, frequently grown in sustainable forests the UK. The British larch is known to be stronger and more durable than its European counterpart. This makes in a more sustainable choice than slow growing oak. Because the tree is grown in Scotland, its transport carbon footprint is small. A natural cladding wood for your garden room.

 

Comfort is vital in the twenty first century garden room. As a nation devoted to  home improvements the British are no longer interested in shivering in the garden shed of sizzling in the summerhouse Controlling temperature plays a huge part in comfort in a garden building. A functional garden room must be cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  Insulation is the key ingredient in a comfortable and sustainable garden room. But, many insulation materials are made from PVC and are not excellent for the environment. So what can we use that is more environmentally friendly?

 

The answer to this question is another question – “what is it that keeps people warm?”  Answer – “jumpers”.  A pure wool jumper is always snugglier than one knitted with man-made materials.  Sheep’s wool can work as the perfect eco-friendly insulation. It grows naturally on the back of the sheep and is both sustainable and renewable.  There are two major suppliers of sheepswool insulation the UK, helping to reduce carbon foot print of homes and garden rooms: Second Nature and Black Mountain Insulation.

 

iii. Garden Room Design

 

Garden Room Form Over Fiction
Nature’s design: The Garden Room
Modern Garden Room Myths
Garden Room Plights

 

When designers and builders combine simple, classic designs with the simplest, natural materials then something special is made. Every spring, birds in their millions prepare their own garden room up in the trees, using delicately chosen twigs and insulation. The materials they use remain far longer than the nest is needed and the result is a sustainable garden room.

 

A real garden room is a form of human nest building. The garden room owner seeks a natural habitat in the garden, where he or she can either delight in the garden, or completely ignore the garden and pursue their work or leisure activity. The garden room provides the escape that nature offers whilst deadheading the roses or escaping from the merry-go-round of life.

 

So there’s an enormous value in having a garden room, and the process involved in commissioning the right one can be demanding. We’ve all plotted projects like this at some time or another in our lives… an thought, a huge prevailing vision, then inspiration, followed by pricing, conformity and regulations, revising our thoughts and our budget and then finally – choice time. But, in the end, the vital thing is to be pleased in a room of our own, at the bottom of the garden.

Nitrogen (N)

The most essential of all nutrients for leaf and stem development. Nitrogen consumption depends on a plants growth cycle and in a vegetative growth phase of plant nitrogen consumption is greatest. Hydroponic nutrients solutions labeled as “grow” or “flower” contains more concentrations of nitrogen. Nitrogen deficiency is the leading cause of plant growth in indoor hydroponic garden systems. Yellowish, soft and weak plants and leaves are tell-tale signs of nitrogen deficiency.

Half-strength nitrogen solutions are ideal for plants between growing phases. This will prevent plant stretch while it’s switching its energy over to flower development. Normal feeding is resumed once the plant reaches the flowering stage.

 

Phosphorous (P)

Phosphorous plays a major part in root and flower development. Phosphorous deficiency signs are slow and stunted plant growth. Phosphorous is crucial to a plants flowering stage. “Bloom” type formulas contain a 0-50-30 concentration, containing no nitrogen and high levels of phosphorous and potassium.

Potassium (K)

Different in action from the previous two nutrients, it doesn’t feed the plant directly in any specific stage of growth. It merely facilitates plant intake of other primary and secondary plant nutrients. Potassium deficiency cause irregular plant growth and susceptibility to pests and disease. Potassium inhibits fruit production and should be lessened during this stage.

 

Secondary Hydroponic Nutrients

Calcium (Ca)

Facilitating and filtering the absorption of other nutrients Calcium is one essential nutrient. It is also a natural base that increases the pH level is needed. Commonly used in the vegetative phase of plant growth, calcium consumption is decreased during the flowering stage.

 

Magnesium (Mg)

Mainly for chlorophyll production in photosynthesis, deficiency causes yellow leaves.

 

Sulfur (S)

Yellow leaves are a sign of sulfur deficiency and are only used in small amounts.

 

Iron (Fe)

Used in small amounts, iron deficiency is similar to sulfur deficiency. Yellow leaves are the general signs of deficiency. High pH causes iron absorption problems so constant monitoring is advised.

 

Molybdenum (Mb)

Mainly for nitrogen absorption and converts nitrates to ammonium

 

Boron (B)

Facilitates carbohydrate transport in the phloem, it is not essential and maybe disregarded. Boron overdose causes plant kill, it is not found in regular soils and only supplemented.

How to preparing hydroponic Nutrient Solution

Nutrient solution is made of water with dissolved fertilizer. It is preferable to have excellent quality water to be mixed with the fertilizer, the amount of which is always indicated by the manufacturer. It is very vital to check and adjust if necessary pH level of nutrient solution with liquid pH adjusters. Usually, pH level of the nutrient solution depends on the plant; but, most often it is between 6.0 and 6.5 for the majority of the starter cubes, with the exception being Rockwool, which needs pH level of 5.5 to 5.8. Fertilizing young plants, a gardener should use a nutrient solution as weak as ¼ to ½ of the full strength suggested by the manufacturer. Only plants older than two weeks can be fertilized by the full strength nutrient solutions. It is recommended to keep the growing medium moist, but not too wet or soaked with the hydroponics nutrient solution.      

How to Transplant Seedlings

The seedlings should be transplanted when the roots have grown out of the starter cubes. It is just necessary to place the seedling along with the starter cube on top or into the permanent growing medium, which can be any hydroponic growing medium or just soil. 

Notes in taking cutting for clones

Cutting, as a method of plants propagation, works well only if every step of the procedure is done correctly. Otherwise, experiments may result in devastating consequences. Though, when done properly, up to 95-100% of all cuttings grow successfully, it is still may be a excellent thought to take twice as many cuttings as needed, if you are making first steps in growing cuttings. 

 

One of the hints to increase chances in successful outcome is to use distilled water, while growing cuttings. Generally speaking, this is one of the most reliable and proven methods of plants propagation, suitable for most of the plants. Other examples of propagation techniques are dividing, air layering, and tissue culture. It is even possible to root cuttings without the use of any growing media in specific hydroponic systems. After forming the first roots, such cuttings are usually transplanted into any type of preferred growing media.