There have been many gardening myths spreading around the net and I just wanted to clear up a few of them. 15 gardening myths exposed is the result of my gardening experience over the past 20 odd years. I hope you find it useful.
15 Gardening Myths Exposed
Here then, are my top 15 gardening myths exposed some are quite obvious but others might just surprise you. It’s my belief that everything should be challenged to see if it is actually true. So many times the reasoning behind these things is suspect.
You often hear things like “we’ve always done it that way”and that’s fine but not necessarily best practise.
#1 Eating Green Potatoes Will Kill You
This is one of those often quoted maxims that has some basis in fact, but is very misleading, and costs the food industry thousands of pounds each year.
Why Do Potatoes Go Green?
When exposed to light, potatoes accumulate chlorophyll which is safe for human consumption and glycoalkaloids which are known to be toxic to humans. However, these glycoalkaloids tend to accumulate just below the skin of the potato. So if all the green is peeled away, the potato should be safe to eat.
If after removing the green, the potato tastes bitter, then do not eat it. If it tastes OK then it’s safe to consume.
#2 Epsom Salts Makes Tomatoes Sweeter
It’s my belief that all gardeners should use Epsom Salts. It helps to prevent transplant shock, improves germination rates, aids nutrient uptake, helps prevent blossom end rot, and increases fruit production. But it does not make tomatoes sweeter! For more on the benefits of epsom salts click here.
#3 Adding Sugar When Planting Tomatoes Makes Them Sweeter
Tomatoes don’t uptake sugar through their roots, they convert sunlight into sugar. By adding sugar when planting tomatoes you will increase the risk of attracting ants. Ants farm aphids, which will weaken your tomato plants and possibly cause fatal infections.
Aphids travel from plant to plant and can spread diseases as they go. For more on how to grow sweeter tomatoes click this link.
#4 Companion Planting Basil With Tomatoes Makes Them Sweeter
Basil is a great companion plant for tomatoes, it will repel many pests including, aphids, thrips, white flies, and more besides. It will even help to improve the health, taste and growth of tomatoes but it doesn’t make them sweeter. For more on companion planting basil click here.
#5 Watering Plants In Full Sunlight Will Burn The Leaves
Plant leaves don’t get sunburn, the only reason you shouldn’t water plants when it is very hot is because a high percentage of water will evaporate. Causing your plants to die from dehydration. It’s always best to water plants before the sun gets on them.
The early morning is best because watering in late evening can attract slugs and snails to the moist soil. Also damp conditions can cause infections whereas watering plants in the morning will allow the top soil to dry out.
#6 Saplings Should Be Staked
This one is really old school, it goes back to my great grandads time, but it’s bad advice. Left to their own devices, saplings bend in the breeze, strengthening their trunks and also resisting the strong wind from snapping them plus their stake as well.
The technical term for this is Thigmomorphogenesis which basically means the wind buffeting causes the tree to release ethylene gas. Ethylene gas is a growth mediator that triggers wood strengthening lignin to form.
#7 If Your Lawn Is Brown In Summer It’s Dead
If subjected to heat and drought, grass has the ability to shut down. It doesn’t die, just stops working, the core of the plant is still alive. Once the temperature cools and it rains the grass awakens and regrows.
#8 Always Plant Potatoes On Good Friday
The date for the celebration of Easter can vary by up to 4 weeks, so this is just not a realistic option. The best time to plant potatoes is around 2 weeks before your last expected frost date. This allows them enough time to get established before they send up shoots.
#9 Always Add Bonemeal To The Soil When Planting Trees
It sounds like a good idea, bonemeal contains calcium and phosphorus, both of which are needed for plant growth. However most soils have sufficient quantities of both of these nutrients and so at best it’s unnecessary. At worst, bonemeal can inhibit the development of mycorrhizal fungi which aids plant growth by mutual exchange of nutrients.
#10 Bury Banana Peel Under Roses To Improve Growth
The peel from bananas contains high levels of potassium which is a necessary nutrient for roses and all plants. The problem is, the energy taken to break down the banana peel will cause a deficit of nitrogen in the soil. The best way to extract potassium from banana peel is in the compost pile.
#11 Place Green Tomatoes In Sunlight To Ripen Them
Tomatoes don’t need sunlight to ripen, the best way to ripen green tomatoes at the end of the season is by putting them in a brown paper bag. For fruit to ripen it needs ethylene gas, so try adding a banana or even a dandelion flower in the bag. Or wrap the tomatoes in newspaper.
#12 Add Salt To The Asparagus Bed To Prevent Weeds
This one will possibly work, because a build up of salt will kill all plants and damage soil structure. The take away from this one is salt kills plants indiscriminately. It is well documented that the Romans used to salt the soil when retreating to stop their enemies growing any food.
#13 Always Put Drainage Materials In The Bottom Of Plant Pots
This is not only unnecessary, it can also cause a build up of surface water, and it makes plant pots heavy. It’s much better to use a good quality potting compost and pots with drainage holes and leave the rocks, sand etc. on the building site.
#14 To Improve Clay Soils Add Sand
Clay soils are full of nutrients beneficial to plant growth and health. The problem with clay soils is they hold too much moisture, and dry out too quickly. So some amendments are necessary with clay soils. I’m no geologist but even I know that adding sand to clay soil will cause more problems.
The clay particles allow some moisture through but adding sand blocks any chance of drainage. The best way to amend any soil type is with compost or well rotted manure.
#15 After Cutting Tree Branches You Must Seal The Wound
This is very much old school thinking, in fact there has been plenty of research done on this subject. The results show that trees are capable of healing these wounds themselves and by artificially sealing them we cause more harm than good.
When potatoes are exposed to light they accumulate chlorophyll and glycoalkaloids. Chorophyll is what allows plants to absorb energy through light. This process is called photosythesis.
Glycoalkaloids are poisonous to humans and should not be consumed.
It is estimated that it would take 2lb (1 kilo) of green potatoes to kill a full grown adult. However cutting the green out and eating what’s left is harmless, unless the potatoes taste bitter.
No, Epsom Salts are a good source of magnesium and sulphur both of which are necessary for healthy plant growth. Epsom Salts are also good for protecting seedlings from transplant shock but it will not make tomatoes taste sweeter.
Basil and tomatoes are a good combination, basil will deter many pests but it will not make tomatoes taste sweeter.
The water will evaporate quicker, and it could also attract unwanted slugs and snails. But it won’t make the leaves burn.
By staking saplings you create weaker plants. when saplings sway in the wind they get stronger by a process called Thigmomorphogenesis.
No, it just shuts down, once temperatures cool and the grass gets moisture it will green up again.
The theory is good, because bananas contains high levels of potassium which is necessary for all plant growth and health. But the process of breaking down the banana skin will deplete nitrogen from the soil.
The best place for banana skins is in the compost heap.
No, ripening tomatoes or any fruit needs ethylene to speed up the ripening process. It’s much better to place the green tomatoes in a paper bag with either a banana or a dandelion flower.
Tomatoes convert sunlight into sugar. They don’t uptake sugar through their roots. All that adding sugar will do is attract ants, which in turn will attract aphids which will put your tomato plants under unnecessary stress.
So there are the growing-guides 15 gardening myths exposed and corrected. If you know of anymore please let me know in the comments below.
