cycl
beginner's corner
Y
I
D
S
T
’
N
O
D
BY
Do-it-yourself
solutions can be
a great way to save
money, but there are
some fixes that you just
shouldn’t do in your garden.
W
hen you are trying to maxi-
mize the potential of your
plants while sticking to a budget,
it can be easy to turn to a variety
items for a quick fix. Sometimes common
household or hardware store items may
seem like a good idea, but there are often
unintended consequences that should
make you think twice. Here are some of
the more commonly used fixes that should
have no place in your garden.
BAMBOO STAKES
One of the more popular items found in grows
are bamboo stakes. They are cheap, they
work, and if they break, it’s not a big deal.
Unfortunately, bamboo can carry fungal spores
from wherever it was grown. These spores can
contaminate your grow, introducing mildew
and mold that can one day lead to an outbreak
of powdery mildew on the leaves of your plants.
Bamboo is also porous, which means it will catch
and hold moisture. After repeated use, the odds of
your stakes becoming infested with mold go up.
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grow cycle
CO
RY
HU
GH
ES
TWINE , WOOD, & CORK
Another item often found in home gardens
is twine. Twine can be used to secure
plants or as a trellis to offer support.
However, much like bamboo, twine soaks
up water and moisture and can lead to prob-
lems with mold. If you need a trellis or to
tie off your plants, always plastic, metal, or
something else that won’t capture moisture.
Also, always avoid items like wood
and cork. They also hold moisture,
and the only thing that should hold
moisture in your garden is your soil.
If your garden is elevated, using wood
instead of an aluminum frame will
undoubtedly lead to mold and mildew.
TWIST TIES
It may seem like a good idea to use twist
ties to secure your plants for support—that
is, until you realize that they girdle your
plants. Girdling occurs when the outer
layers of your plant are stripped away at a
single point. Since twist ties don’t expand
as the plants grow, they choke the plant and
effectively cut off nutrients from going up and
unused nutrients from recirculating to the lower
limbs of the plant. Some growers use advanced
girdling techniques to produce abnormally large
yields; however, this is not a common practice
and for most of us, girdling equates to plant
death. Instead, use a flexible support like rubber
ties, that will expand as your plant grows.