Category: Outdoor Life

DIY’s to make outdoor life more enjoyable.

Dividing Perennials

Dividing Perennial Daylilies and Other Plants in the Garden-VIDEO & WRITTEN DIY

Spring and fall are the perfect times to divide your perennials. Today weu2019re dividing daylilies and you can do the same with all kinds of plants. Theyu2019re very easy to divide and for many perennial flowers thatu2019s how you get more plants.

Watch the Video tutorial I made. If you prefer written DIY’s you’ll find that below.

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Daylilies can be cross pollinated pretty easily, so even if you did get seeds, unless youu2019re the only neighbor with them, it probably wonu2019t have true traits of the parent plant. That’s how new varieties are made and they can be pretty amazing. Hard to get plants can be divided.

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They’re very easy to divide and actually looked better if you divide them every few years. Itu2019ll give you more plants to spread around your yard or to share. Perennials are not usually propagated by taking a cutting and putting them in water like tropical houseplants are. (Though many can, but that’s not what this is about.) For most plants you have to divide the roots to make a clone of the plant. Itu2019s really easy.
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Daylilies, meadow sages, lambs ear, yarrow, bee balm, hyssop and more are divided like this.

As a general rule, however large the plant is on top, itu2019s probably got similar sized roots. Well established plants can have massive roots.

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Dig the roots out with a shovel or pitchfork carefully digging all the way around it so you donu2019t break the roots off. Clean the root of dirt just enough so you can see them well and divide them in half.

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If you bought a bare root plant, this is how it would come, with the roots washed of all the soil.

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If I hadnu2019t been able to coax and pull the roots apart apart easily, I would have used a knife or shovel and cut the whole root ball in half.

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Itu2019s really that easy. Make sure that any foliage has plenty of roots to support the new plant. Many of them can be divided several times, as I did here.

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Plant the new plants in the garden with compost for organic nutrients that break down over time and will continue to feed it all year. You can also plant it in a pot to give away as Iu2019m doing. Water them and youu2019re done. Keep them watered until established, then you have a whole new garden plant!

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I hope youu2019ve enjoyed this tutorial on I Breathe I DIY! Please share it with anyone who could use it.

You Can Start Seeds in a Small Space-Easy Growing Closet VIDEO Tour

If you’ve ever wanted to start your own vegetable or herb seeds indoors, and don’t think you have the space, you have got to see this super easy, small-closet grow space video I made. I show you my actual grow closet as I’m setting it back up for the year.

This idea could be used in any small areas like crawl spaces, sheds, garages, basements, closets, and more. If you have heat and power, you can set up your own grow space. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to enjoy growing your own food from seeds.

Here is a list of supplies for this closet:

Reflective insulation

24 inch shop lights

10 ft single jack chain

3-shelf wire storage

S hooks

Eye hooks

Outdoor Timer

Galvanized Steel Raised Garden Bed Installation & my Initial Review-VIDEO

Spring can’t come any sooner, and I’m dealing with spring fever. This year I want to put in raised garden beds, for planting my vegetables. I put a lot of thought into the type and placement of my new raised beds. I listed the pro’s and con’s between wood and metal, and went with metal.

I’ve always been a big fan of planing directly in the ground, but I’m tired of dealing with a bunny rabbit problem. Last year they munched my blueberry bushes to almost nothing, and nipped the tips of all my vegetable starts in early spring. I’m not one to try to kill the rabbits, I’ve tried to fence them out with no luck, so this is my beyond-frustrated solution. Raised galvanized garden beds! (I’ve heard from a gardening neighbor that she’s putting in raised beds because of the bunnies too…)

Saying I love to garden is an understatement. I’m actually a bit obsessive when it comes to gardening, but it’s a pretty healthy hobby- Not to mention the value it ads to my home– so I don’t really worry about it anymore. I dream of gardening all winter long (let’s be honest, winter doesn’t stop me). Any gardener can tell you, there’s just something that sings to the soul, when you have your fingertips in dirt or get to harvest your crops.

There are many raised bed kits you can buy, with varying materials. You can of course, construct them yourself too. I bought mine as a complete kit. I like the sleek design of the galvanized garden beds. I don’t want to deal with rot from wood, and I don’t have time to cut all the steel, and fabricate a corner.

I chose the EarthMark Alto Series 40 in. x 76 in. x 17 in. Galvanized Metal Garden Bed .

I made a short video of installing it, and a review of what I think. Click HERE to watch the YouTube video of installing this Galvanized Steel Garden Bed and my initial review of the product.

There is a shorter version of the raised bed, EarthMark Galvanized Low Raised Garden Bed which is 10 in tall, but I chose a 17 inch tall garden because it will deter rabbits more, and it will be easier on my back for years to come. It will need a lot more dirt though.

This one is 40 x 76 and 17 inches tall, which ends up being a square version of the garden bed plus one extension kit. You can attach up to three sections, or extensions together.

Wow! The square 40 x 40 is on sale right now at almost $40 off because it’s mid-winter.

EarthMark Alto 40 x 40 x 17 in. Square Galvanized Metal Raised Garden Bed

EarthMark Alto 36 x 17 in. Extension Set

Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel for the latest videos. Happy gardening!