Problem: Article: toward the basket. Take the allowed two steps while palming the ball in your dunking hand and controlling your approach. Jump from about 1 metre out from the rim. Leap from your plant foot, opposite your shooting hand, extend your arm to the rim, and drive the ball through the net. You can build up to it. If you continue to struggle jump and grab the rim, and work up to using a ball. Getting the movement right is the hardest part. Dunk one-handed first. The two-handed slam is maybe the most dominating move in basketball, but it takes a lot more leap to touch the rim with two hands. It's much easier, when you're first starting out, to try dunking with a smaller ball. You'll be able to palm it more easily and control your approach, making the maneuver more satisfying and your practice closer to the real thing. Continue dribbling and shooting exercises with the appropriate-sized ball so you're not getting too used to the "wrong" size, but keep a small ball around for your sick dunks. Get a feel for how to use inertia to control the ball when your arm is extended. Even people who can palm a basketball sometimes lose their grip when dunking, so you need to get a feel for maneuvering the ball and controlling it in the air. Practice running at the rim and slamming the ball against it. Even if you're not "dunking," you're still practicing your approach and holding the ball correctly as you leap toward the hoop. You can try a tennis ball or golf ball first, then a volleyball, and work your way up to a basketball. It's common to focus all your energy on getting the rock in the hole and end up falling on your butt, which hurts. A lot. It happens, even to the pros, but spend some time completing the follow-through and focusing on completing the entire sequence of moves, landing safely, and you'll dunk more accurately and more consistently. Visualize the successful dunk and immediately focus on your landing. Try to land on both feet, cushioning your legs and flexing into the landing. Watch out for other players. Don't hang on the rim. In most games, hanging on the rim isn't allowed unless you're in danger of landing on someone below you. Hanging on the rim can damage the hoop and also throw you off balance by pulling your legs out from under you so you fall backwards. So, don't try to grab the rim after you've slammed the ball. Just dunk it and drop. Start with an adjustable height basket, if you have access to one. Lower the height so you can get a feel for dunking, then raise it gradually to the standard height as you improve. Most players find that high-quality shoes improve their ability to dunk, and more importantly, prevent you from getting hurt when you try to dunk. You'll likely embarrass yourself during your first several attempts to dunk, but get up off the floor and try again. You'll be very impressed at your improvement if you keep practicing your leaps and building the strength in your legs.
Summary: Dribble Use a smaller ball. Work on your ball handling. Land correctly. Practice dunking on a shorter rim. Invest in a good pair of shoes. Be persistent.

Problem: Article: In rainy climates, additional watering may not be required. For climates that occasionally go without rain for several days to several weeks, additional watering is almost certainly needed. Check the condition of the soil on a regular basis. Once the surface feels dry, you should give the soil a thorough drenching. Never let the roots stay too dry for too long, even after the plant is established. Rather than giving small watering every day, give a heavy watering every few days. Feed the plant with a slow-release fertilizer at the start of spring, and give them an additional dose six to eight weeks later. You can either use an all-purpose fertilizer that contains equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, or you can opt for a fertilizer that contains higher levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. Phosphorus helps with root and flower development, while nitrogen aids in the establishment of full, vibrant foliage. Note that you should only apply fertilizer when the soil is wet. Water the soil upon application so that the fertilizer washes down below the surface. Fertilizer should also be applied during the early morning or evening, when the temperatures have cooled. Following both of these measures will prevent the fertilizer from burning your plant. Use bark chips or any other type of mulch that retains moisture well. Scattering a solid layer of mulch around the plant base helps the soil stay moist and also acts as a type of weed control. Additionally, decomposing mulch can add more nutrients to the surrounding soil. The plants spread quickly, and as they spread, large clumps of root form. The crowns of these clumps tend to rise above the soil. You should cover the crowns with loamy soil to keep the roots from drying out. The most common insects and diseases to attack the Astilbe plant include the tarnished plant bug, powdery mildew, and bacterial leaf spots. Even so, the plant is not especially prone to pests. If any of these problems do emerge, you can apply an appropriate insecticide or fungicide then. Preventative pesticides are not recommended, however. Every spring, you should take divisions of the Astilbe plant's roots to prevent the roots from choking each other out. You can replant these divisions to create new plants, give them to gardening friends, or discard them. You can use your divided plants to form a solid bed of color, or line a shaded garden pathway with your beautiful flowers.
Summary:
Keep the Astilbe regularly watered. Apply fertilizer at least twice per season. Keep a layer of mulch around the plants. Bury the crowns as they rise above the soil. Apply pesticide only as needed. Divide clumps every few years.