We find the best online gardening videos and categorize them, just for you.

This video is on “Weed-Free Outdoor Hydroponic Gardening”. This video starts out really slow and there is a lot of dead time in the video. The quality of the video is a bit rough and fuzzy in places. The narrator (who presents the video behind the camera the whole time) has probably not made a lot of videos. However, he does bring out some good points about hydroponic gardening. If you are looking to learn something about the subject matter, then you should definitely take the time to watch this video.

According to the narrator, hydroponic gardening is the better way to garden. There is very little labor involved. You don’t have to do any weeding or watering. All you have to do is trellis fruit and then pick it. With hydroponic gardening, production is great and labor is low.

A lot of video time is spent with the narrator discussing what he has grown using hydroponic gardening. He talks about Carmella tomatoes, giant tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, rosemary, hot peppers, pumpkins, watermelons, basil, and all of the basics.

Here is how it works. You need a basic hookup with a spigot on the house. One side controls the water hose and the other side has a ¼” line which is buried underground. A float valve keeps the water level where it needs to be so it never runs dry. When it’s working, a timer will kick the pump on and nutrient solution will run through the tubing into trays. For half an hour, nutrient solution is delivered to the plants. The timer then shuts the pump off and everything drains back down. As the water is draining back down, it pulls fresh oxygen into the roots. This is what keeps the roots healthy and why hydroponic gardening is so successful.

Nice wide rows make it easy to find fruit. You will have a lot less bugs and weeds if you use hydroponic gardening. There are several different hydroponic systems to use depending on what you want and what works for you.

This video is recommended for those of you who need basic introductory knowledge of hydroponic gardening. You will most likely need to seek additional resources after watching this if you wish to embark on hydroponic gardening, as this video is not incredibly specific.

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This video on Green Roofs was quite a surprise. This video, put out by Earth Pledge, was very well done and nicely produced. It features fantastic scenery, narrator Vanessa Rae, researchers, cool music, and even rolls off production credits at the end. Some of the material in this video is a bit advanced. However, the format of the video makes it where anyone can understand it. Vanessa discusses the highlights of each segment and then the researchers delve into the scientific details.

If you watch this video (and you definitely should), you will learn that green roofs are very beneficial to big cities. This video was filmed in New York City, home to numerous skyscrapers. Covering these buildings with a green roof can help tremendously.

You may be wandering what a green roof is. Well, it is exactly what it sounds like – a roof covered with vegetation. A green roof can survive with little or no maintenance for as long as 30-50 years. That’s a pretty great thing in itself.

Researchers shown on the video discussed the research currently being done. The purpose of green roof research is to determine why green roofs are valuable. Researchers are measuring storm water runoff (how plants on the ground control the water flow to earth) and temperature (how roofs with vegetation compare to those without).

A helpful diagram is shown in the video. This diagram shows that green rooms are made up of the following in this order starting from the top: (1) vegetation, (2) growing medium, (3) drainage, aeration, water storage, and root barrier, (4) insulation, (5) membrane protection and root barrier, (6) roofing membranes, and (7) structural support.

One of the researchers goes on to explain that a green roof keeps temperatures down which in turn acts to cool down the city. What could be better than that in the middle of the summer?

This video is highly recommended. You are guaranteed to learn something and will probably even be entertained for five minutes.

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This video, very simply titled “Gardening Tips, is an excellent source of gardening tips. The narrator, who has done several other gardening videos, is well spoken and to the point. He holds your attention for the entire span of the short video (under three minutes). He offers some good gardening tips. Some of these you have probably thought of and some may be new to you.

Here are some gardening tips:
· Check the origins of your species before you plant anything. This will tell you the conditions that a plant likes. You can then make sure that your plants are in the proper place in your garden.
· Don’t throw out your old mop head. According to the narrator, an old mop head can be used to make hundreds of plant ties. These recycled ties are strong and just the right length to be used in the garden. What a great idea!
· When used together, a flowerpot and acrylic paint is a great gift idea for kids. The recipient will think of them whenever they see the flowerpot. Some of you may have thought about this already, but it’s still a classic idea.
· Here’s an excellent tip. You should take as many cuttings as you can from the gardens of people you know. Ask first! And always have your cuttings kit on hand. A cuttings kit consists of a damp tissue, rubber band, knife, and a freezer bag.
· You should label everything in your garden. Use a permanent marker to write your labels. Don’t stop here, or your labels will soon fade. Keep going by adding a coat of clear nail polish over the ink. Your labels will not fade this way.

The audience targeted in this video seems to be the novice gardener. While there are some useful tips for everyone, there is not really any hard to find or advanced knowledge provided here. Still, this video is worth watching and is recommended.

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This video entitled “Coffee to Compost” is a promotional video put out by the Missoula Urban Demonstration Project (MUD), which sponsors many projects promoting sustainable development around Missoula. This video is not an educational video – it’s more of an experience instead. Although the video is supposed to be serious, it comes off as somewhat funny. You should watch it for a giggle if nothing else. It definitely has its moments, or seconds to be more specific as this video is only two minutes and five seconds long. All joking aside, there is a serious message in the video about doing something good for the earth, which is always of great value.

The project up for discussion in the video is “Coffee to Compost”. With this program, volunteers go around Missoula on a bicycle equipped with a trailer collecting old grounds from coffee shops. There was even a “dedicated coffee hauler” interviewed in this video (you see, it really does have its funny parts). The program’s biggest donor shop fills two garbage cans each week with coffee grounds. Once the grains have been gathered, they are mixed into the compost bins back at MUD. The compost is then used at the Northside Community Gardens. The coffee grounds are great for the compost. The Coffee to Compost program helps keep over 5000 gallons of coffee waste out of landfills every year. That’s a pretty big feat!

There are things that we can all do to help out. Bring your own coffee cup when going out for coffee. Don’t use lots of Styrofoam because it’s bad for the environment.

This video is worth watching. It puts out a good message – that we should do whatever we can to save Mother Earth. It’s nice to know there are some people trying so hard. They are doing a great job and we can all learn from them.

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This video called “How to Prune Your Plants” is worth watching. It’s extremely short at only 1 minute 29 seconds. It’s a great bit of knowledge on a very specific topic in a small amount of time. There are some great close-ups. The woman speaking is very articulate which always makes things easier.

If you watch this video, you will learn that February is the best time to prune shade trees, roses, evergreens, and crepe myrtles. The narrator goes on to elaborate with several pruning tips.

There are three tools to choose from when pruning. If you watch this video, you will get to see which each tool looks like. Hand pruners should be used for small jobs, lofters and tree pruners should be used for large branches, and a pruning saw is needed for branches that are bigger than one inch in diameter.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can buy pruning tools and never have to care for them. Apparently, tool care is imperative. You must keep pruning tools sharp and clean. You can clean them with steel wool. This is important because dirty pruning tools spread disease among plants. You can disinfect pruning tools with rubbing alcohol.

The best place to make a pruning cut is outside of the branch column. The healing will occur quickly here. It is also important to know that the branch collar is the swollen area of trunk tissue that forms around the base of the branch.

Plants such as Forsythias and Dogwoods should be pruned after they finish blooming. If you prune them before they bloom, then you will end up pruning off spring’s flowers.

The narrator defines good pruning as removal of all crossing, rubbing, or diseased branches. Pruning is extremely important for the crepe myrtle. If the crepe myrtle is not pruned each year, then it will grow more and more flowers on all of the branches.

You should take the short amount of time needed to watch this video. You and your plants will most definitely be rewarded.

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If you have ever been baffled about what to do to treat bugs in your garden, then you need to watch this video. David Epstein of Growing Wisdom presents this video on “Controlling Pesky Bugs in the Garden”. This video is presented in a very straightforward and easy to understand manner. Production quality is good. The total time of this video is two minutes twelve seconds.

It goes without saying that bugs in your garden can be a problem. Therefore, it is important for you to stay ahead of things and look for any evidence of bugs on your plants. You should examine your plants closely every week or so. Take a good look at them. Turn the leaves over and look for any aphids, bugs, or mealy bugs underneath the plants.

If you have found bugs on your plants, you need to act as soon as possible. This may be new territory to you, but you have several options of both organic and non-organic varieties available for treating this problem.

Organic products, or natural products, are a good choice. David recommends two organic products in this video. Kheem Oil is an insecticide and fungicide that controls aphids, mites, bite flies, and powdery mildew. All Seasons Horticultural Oil, another organic product, works by smothering the insect. Nature’s Avenger is an organic weed eliminator to try if needed.

If you prefer non-organic (and it’s okay if you do), there are products out there for you too. David recommends Sevin. He points out that if you do decide to use Sevin for your bug problems, you should not use it on anything flowering because it is very toxic to bees. When using Sevin you need to follow directions very carefully. It especially works well on the Red Lily Beetle. Another non-organic product recommended by David is Bayer, an insect, disease, and mite control.

This video is highly recommended. It will definitely make a confusing shopping trip easier for all. You should definitely take the time to watch and absorb this video.

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Kim Todd, a UNL Extension Landscape Horticulture Specialist, presents this video on “Fall Container Gardening”. Kim appears to be very knowledgeable and shares a great deal of information. The target audience is people interested in container gardening. Apparently, it opens up numerous possibilities. This video is very informative. Production quality is good. Total video time is five minutes two seconds.

Kim spends a great deal of the video discussing good choices for Fall containers. She suggests:
· Annual Panasinos – These are grasses with a wonderful purple fall color
· Peppers – The kind shown were little tiny black peppers that turn red when they ripen
· Cabbage or Kale – These add an interesting and strange texture.
· Pumpkin – When set amongst fall containers, this helps pick up on the orange and adds a cool texture
· Rebekia – This is not a reliable perennial, but is still worth it
· Cherokee Sunrise
· Cherokee Sunset – This is double with tonal coloration.

For more color contrast, you can add these to the container:
· Purple Majesty Millet
· Polius – This comes in all sorts of colors and shapes.
· Swiss Chard – This is an edible landscape with great color.
· Fall Blooming Aster – This is an early perennial that will give great combination.
· Grasses – These are also a great combination.

Kim provides many tips for container gardening. She also points out that container gardening is wonderful for many reasons. The containers are beautiful. There are many colors, sizes, and shapes of containers to choose from. You can mix containers with plant material. You can change locations with containers. Lastly, you can change plants from spring to summer to fall when using containers.

This video is recommended for those who have an interest in container gardening. It is a good resource for container gardening.

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This video on “How to Grow Vegetables” is a bit overwhelming at first.  The man in the video seems overly eager, speaks very fast, and has a thick British accent, which is difficult to understand initially.  However, he is very knowledgeable and passes on a great deal of useful information in this short five-minute video.

He begins with a discussion on recycling old videotape. Apparently, when pieces of videotape are tied to line in the garden, the sun reflects off the tape and scares the birds. Therefore, recycled videotape is an excellent bird scarer.

The narrator also demonstrates a use for baby bottle teats in the garden. When they are placed on top of canes, they immediately become eye protectors. Other objects such as empty film containers can also be used to protect your eyes from the sharp edge of the cane.

Several additional gardening tips are passed on:

strong>Carrots: Look for different varieties, flavors, and tastes. This can make gardening fun. You can and should grow carrots all year round even though seed packets say differently. For year round carrot growing, carrots should be planted in ice cream containers. Choose carrots of the short rooted variety. You won’t yield a great deal of carrots, but it can be great fun to pull them on Christmas morning.

Onions: Small spring onions can be grown in a small garden. Choose varieties that will bulk up when you thin them out. Use the smaller ones as salad onions.

Runner Beans: Grow flowers alongside runner beans.  The flowers are used to attract insects to the flowers in the beans.  Every evening you should mist the flowers in the beans to make sure the pollen falls off and they set.

Potatoes: Grow different varieties. Potato barrels are an excellent way to grow new potatoes.

You really will gain some useful gardening knowledge by watching this video. It is very much worth your time. This video is highly recommended.

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This video called “Gardening – Tomato Plants” is actually pretty neat. It’s always great to learn about strange tips of any kind that really work. That’s what you will find in this video. The narrator is very energetic, knowledgeable, and seems to be right at home in front of the camera.

The narrator begins the video by comparing tomato plants to children. This is definitely a strange analogy. However, he elaborates by talking about how fussy and hungry tomato plants and children both are. This is an interesting thought for sure.

He then goes on to explain that tomato plants require trace elements – potassium, manganese, boron, calcium, and sulfur. Of course, you can spend lots of money on this at the gardening store. Or, you can use his suggestion.

His suggestion seems very strange at first. According to the narrator, the best food for tomato plants is vacuum cleaner fluff. Apparently, when dead skin, dust mites, and pet hair break down, they release nutrients into the soil. So, if you have tomato plants you should recycle your vacuum cleaner fluff. Sound gross but it seems to work.

Here’s how you do it. Dampen the fluff. Place one handful around the base of the plant. Mulch it in to make sure it stays in the pot. One handful per plant per week is all that is needed for a supplement to the normal tomato feed.

It is also a good idea to use bottomless pots to plant tomatoes in. This increases the potential for better growth and more tomatoes. When you first plant the tomatoes, the roots aren’t in competition with other plants if they are in pots.

Here is the other tip. The ant is a very big annoyance to tomatoes. This is no surprise. However, he instructs the viewer to kill the queen with sugar. Lace sugar with borax using one part borax to one part sugar. Sprinkle this mixture where there are ant problems. The worker ants will take the sugar/borax mixture back to the queen and it will kill her. The ants will then disperse when the queen is dead.

This video is well done and worth your time. It is highly recommended. You truly cannot fully understand the whole idea until you watch the video.

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