7. Play music for your plants

If you have been talking to your plants, as every conscientious gardener should, you can step it up with a bit of music.

Several plant biologists who have studied the effect of music on plant growth have come up with predictable results.

Plants show their affinity to music by putting out better growth.

And, if the experiments by Dorothy Retallack are anything to go by, they even lean towards the speakers that play the kind of music they like.

As far as likes and dislikes, it has been observed that plants prefer classical music to country music; they love jazz but hate rock.

Well, whether you believe it or not, DeMorgenzon vineyard in South Africa plays baroque music and Paradiso di Frassina in Tuscany Italy plays selected classical pieces to their grapevines to aid their growth and maturity.

8. Drive a nail into a tree to make it yield

The old practice of driving a nail into a tree is reportedly quite effective in jolting a tree into a flowering and fruit set.

Old apple trees that have stopped producing could be coaxed to flower by driving a nail into their trunk. In India, they do this to coconut trees to make them bear fruit.

If you have a fruit tree that refuses to bloom, you can try this trick. Nails in trees usually do not cause any damage to the trees.

Their self-healing mechanism produces scar tissue to enclose and isolate these foreign bodies.

9. Improve fruit set with Epsom salt

If you find your pepper plants dropping fruit, turn to Epsom salt. You will see a definite improvement in the fruit set almost immediately.

The magnesium in the Magnesium sulfate salt could be doing the trick.

Magnesium is an important component of chlorophyll – as important as iron is to the hemoglobin in our blood.

To make a foliar spray of Epsom salt, mix 2 tablespoons in a quart bottle of warm water and shake well to dissolve.

Spray the pepper plants once every two weeks from the time they start flowering until the fruiting is over.

Alternatively, you can sprinkle Epsom salt crystals around the plants once a week.

10. Rusty nails in a watering can help fight iron deficiency

Iron is necessary for healthy plant growth. A deficiency of this mineral causes a condition called iron chlorosis.

A typical symptom is the yellowing of leaves with their veins remaining green.

More often than not, it is the inability of the plants to absorb the iron from the soil, rather than the absence of iron in the soil that results in iron chlorosis.

Excess phosphorous in the soil or high pH could be preventing the absorption of iron from the soil.

While long-term measures to amend the soil are preferred for lasting results, spraying the plants with iron-rich water can be a quick fix.

A few rusty nails in the watering can ensure a regular supply of iron.

11. Coconut water for root development

The clear liquid inside the coconuts (some call it coconut milk, but others refer to it as coconut water) is rich in minerals, but what makes it interesting to the die-hard organic gardener is its capacity to enhance root development.

You can do away with synthetic rooting hormones and use coconut water rich in gibberellic acid and cytokinins to increase the germination of seeds and root development in cuttings.

12. Extend the growing season with tubs of water

You can regulate the microenvironment in your garden with tubs of water.

Solar radiation warms up the water and the garden soil during the day.

While the soil quickly cools down in chilly evening weather, it takes much longer for the water to release the stored up heat.

Water acting as a heat sink keeps the garden a few degrees warmer, giving your plants a bit more time to grow before winter takes over.

Water tubs are most effective in controlled environments within plant tents. Cover the tubs with black plastic sheeting to prevent water loss through evaporation.

This will help in better absorption of heat energy too.

To fight diseases:

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