How to Care for Indoor House Plants

I must confess I do not have a green thumb, but I would love to have a home that's filled with green plants.

I have tried my hand at growing plants inside, but for some reason or another, they all end up turning brown.  It's been disappointing and downright embarrassing, but now I've found the secret to getting a green thumb indoors. 

Indoor House Plant Secrets

"Indoor House Plant Secrets"

"Caring for indoor plants is not difficult or HARD! In fact, you'll be amazed at how simple it is to have success with house plants in no time flat...

The reason you'll be off to such a fast start... and getting quick results... is that the book is written in Plain English!

Not the "scientific mumbo jumbo" other books have.!

I know you're probably skeptical and a bit on the conservative side, but think about this - keep doing the same things over and over again - and you'll only get the same results."

So, if you lack a green thumb, like me, and don't want to spend a lot of time, effort and money to figure out how to make your house look green, I'd encourage you to get "Indoor House Plant Secrets" today.

A rose is like no other.

Ask anyone who has a green thumb about rose gardening, and you may need a tape recorder to remember all the advice you'll get!  Almost anyone who has an interest in gardening flowers and plants will eventually mosey into rose territory.  It's almost irresistible because of the beauty and scent of one of the most popular plants on earth.

  Rose gardening then will certainly open up grounds for controversy among fellow gardeners.  It's a subject like that of rearing children.  To the rose gardening crowd, their plants often become like their own children.  They must be fed and nourished and guided properly to bloom and flourish into their majestic beauty.
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Outdoor kitchens

Outdoor kitchens are becoming all the rage these days making family barbecues easier than ever!  Cooking on the grill is a great way to entertain company or just feed the family without heating up the kitchen or making a mess for that fact. Running back and forth   from the kitchen to the patio gets old. These days grilling is easier and more enjoyable by putting together an outdoor kitchen. Even the simplest of set-ups can make outdoor cooking more efficient.  The fanciest ones mean you will not have to go back inside until all your guests leave because everything is right at your fingertips! Charcoal was great in the beginning but the gas grill took over because of its convenience. Today's most advanced grills have side burners, storage space and work areas built right in. Everything is incorporated to your outside patio and entertaining is no longer a chore to prepare.

Installing an outdoor kitchen may be just the thing for you if you have frequent cookouts and everyone is intrigued with your barbecue skills. Find out more at Easy Kitchen Remodeling

Rose Diseases

To make sure that your prized roses remain in the best of health, simply follow these tips.

1. Black Spots on Leaves

This disease is commonly known as black spot. Black spots appear as circular with fringed edges on leaves. They cause the leaves to yellow. Remove the infected foliage and pick up any fallen leaves around the rose. Artificial sprays may be used to prevent or treat this kind of rose disease.

2. Stunted or malformed young canes

Known as powdery mildew, this is a fungal disease that covers leaves, stems and buds with wind spread white powder. It makes the leaves curl and turn purple. Spray with Funginex or Benomyl to treat this fungal disease.

3. Blistered underside of leaves -FIND OUT MORE HERE!

Hydroponic gardening

Hydroponics was derived from the Greek word hydro, which means "water" and ponos, which means "labor or water-working". Hydroponic gardening involves growing plants with their roots in other nutrient solutions and without soil.

Hydroponic gardening is as simple as ordinary gardening. Both of them necessitate sufficient light, water, temperature, light, and humidity. But with hydroponics, no soil is used. Instead a soil substitute holds the roots while nutrients are carried by the water. Indoor hydroponic gardening is not that hard and plants respond well to this method of growing. VISIT EASY GARDENING, a site that will grow on you, to learn more!

I love to garden!

Mostly flowers and small trees, no veggies- the soil in Florida needs much enrichment. But, gardening has been a hobby of mine since I was in my teens. It is therapeutic for me after my accident with coming to terms with my disabilities, and gives me peace.

Take a peek at this great new web site that is growing with information about all things Gardening, called
Easy Gardening

Plant Once with Bulbs

 

Nothing says "Time for spring" like Daffodils.  Just when it seems that winter might go on for ever, up they come.  Happy and sunny and glad to be.  As a gardener, I really appreciate the call to arms from my bulbs.  I am lucky enough to live in an area where we do not have to dig up our bulbs for winter.  As a matter of fact most of the homeowners around here inherited some sort of flower that was planted years ago and still returns.  First the snow drops than the daffodils and crocuses and then, Bam!  The irises.  They just show up out of nowhere.  Some wonderful Gardener planted those ages ago and they just keep returning. 

I buy annuals for my flower boxes, but right now I am all about the perennials and bulbs.  Every year my budget goes down but my garden gets bigger.  Once you have a good amount of things in the ground that will return every spring, it becomes mostly a maintainence issue to care for the garden.  I only have a few bulbs right now.  Last year I planted perennial plants and some flowers, but this year I am going for bulbs.   I especially want daffodils and Irises.  I'm a researcher, so I have compiled a good amount of tips that I would like to share:

·          Buy quality bulbs.  They should be firm and plump, without any mold.  A healthy bulb will feel heavy.   It is true that the larger the bulb is, the bigger the flower will be.  I recommend looking earlier in the year for the best choice and health.

·          Plant them quickly after purchasing.  The rule is, plant winter and spring flowerers in Sept and October.  Summer flowers like autumn crocus and Lilies get planted in the summer.  Tulips can go as late as November.

·          Choose locations carefully.  You are giving the bulb a home.  Sunny, sheltered spots are best.  Most bulb plants are strong stemmed, but avoiding windy spots is still a good Idea. 

·          Make sure there is good drainage.  Bulbs shouldn't sit water.

·          Plant it 1 1/2 times as deep as its height.  If a bulb is 3 inches long plant it 5 inches down.

·          Once the bulbs are in the ground water lightly so the settle.  Do not waterlog.

·          You may want to mulch the area if it very cold in the winter.

Come spring you'll have beautiful bloom.  Although they seem to appear like magic. The new plants will need a little care too. 

·          Feed the plant when the buds appear at least once every two weeks while it blooms. 

·          Stake tall stems if they need support.

·          Remove faded flowers.

·          Let the stems die back naturally.  Don't cut them until the leaves are completely brown.

·          Every 5 years or so, dig up and split the bulbs.

That’s it that is all there is to bulbs.  I can't wait to get started and I can’t wait for next year t see how they do!                                            Happy Houseplants

 

 

 

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Biodiversity crisis

Biodiversity, as defined by E.O. Wilson, "is meant to be all inclusive- it's the genetic based variation of living organisms at all levels, from the variety of genes in populations of single species, through species, on up to the array of natural ecosystems." This includes plants, animals, insects, fungi, bacteria, and all microorganisms. All of these things create what is known as a web. These things interact with each other in some way there for they depend on one another throughout their lifetime. There are many separate ways in which we can study biodiversity. These ways include, genetic, species, community, ecosystem, and taxonomic diversity. Biodiversity can be best number of species in a given area, or scientifically, "species richness."

Today there is a biodiversity crisis facing us. This is caused mainly by the destruction of habitats. This dramatically increases the rate at which species decrease in number and become extinct. It is appalling to know that we are the main cause of this. Over fishing, pollution, over cutting, and an increase in population contribute to this problem. An example of this is the gold mining operation that we saw in the video. While mining, Mercury was dripping into the water. The mercury then got into the fish and into the humans who ate the fish.

Biodiversity promotes a healthy environment. Environments rich in biodiversity are stronger and can with stand things such as drought, disease, and other stresses that environments that lack it cannot. In the video, during the drought, the side of the field with a more diverse environment held stern as the other wilted away.

Areas that are very diverse are very important to humans as well. They provide a wide arrange of pharmaceuticals such as aspirin and penicillin.

"Some 40 percent of U.S. prescriptions are for pharmaceuticals derived from wild plants, animals and microorganisms.(E.O. Wilson)" They also provide fruit, oils, beverages, drugs (including illegal narcotics), fuel, and much more. Humans also benefit from biodiversity from what E.O. Wilson calls "biophillia," which is the natural affiliation humans have for natural environments.(E.O. Wilson)

Old growth forests play a detrimental role in biodiversity preservation. It's most important feature is biodiversity. Old growth forests provide us with many of the things that we as humans take for granted, for example, breathable air pure water, and pest control through birds, bats, and insects. In the Eastern U.S., most of the old growth occurs in small isolated areas. Scientist have come to the conclusion that even if these matured areas cover a substantial portion of landscape, it will not provide long term diversity for many species that live in such a community. (How much old growth..?)

Many environmentalists are increasingly concerned with this biodiversity crisis. As humans we need to do our part to end this. Most people don't realize the impact of the environment on our lives. "Our most valuable but least appreciated resource.(E.O. Wilson)" This quote best summarizes society's action towards our ecosystem.

Fabulous home cooking from yesteryear

Ever wish you could make those fabulous desserts like your mother, grandmother, aunt, etc. could make? Wonder what happened to your family's heirloom recipes- did they get thrown out when your relative died, to be lost forever?

You can recapture some of the nostalgia with this collection of fabulous home cooking from yesteryear, including such scrumptious favorites as:

• Grandma's Best Gingerbread Cookies
• Surprise Packages
• Aunt Annie's Pumpkin Pie With A Twist
• Grandma's Hand-Me Down Pumpkin Pie
• Sweetheart Shortcakes For Two
• Fair Farms Country Resorts Corn Bread
• Blue Ribbon Blueberry Muffins
• Mama Rita's Lasagna Bolognese
• Grandpa's Five Mile Barley Soup

Is your mouth watering yet? if it isn't, do you STILL HAVE A PULSE????
Slobber on over to: http://tinyurl.com/2mt2xd

Veggies and fruits from your own garden

Nothing beats the taste of veggies and fruits from your own garden! Even when I lived in FRIGID upstate New York, I grew some wonderful organic carrots in a little box with topsoil and horse manure. "YUCK", you may say, but they tasted SO GOOD- so much like pure-CARROT!! The flavor was intense!

Now, our soil has gotten worn out or maybe even contaminated with toxic waste. Yet, we still yearn for "pure", wholesome food, and not the genetically tampered with, processed, vitamin-poor, barely nourishing stuff that is sold today. Plus prices for fresh produce have gotten out of sight for many hard-working people. We want to grow our own food supply, but the soil in our back yard is no good- what to do?

It's possible to "augment" the soil by adding fertilizers, both chemical and organic. However, for a great alternative, RUN, don't walk., over to: http://tinyurl.com/37dedz

Apple trees are the most popular fruit tree

Apple trees are the most popular fruit tree grown in America. The seed of the apple could be planted to establish a permanent food supply. These apples could be eaten fresh or dried and the seed of the apple could be planted to establish a permanent food supply.

Fruiting of apple trees is perhaps the most troublesome characteristic experienced by an orchardist or a backyard fruit tree gardener. Most cultivator's of apple trees require cross pollination of two separate varieties in order to set fruit on the tree.

Using modern day cultivators is the easiest way is the simple way. the crabapple, which sheds its pollen over a long period of time and easily overlaps the apple tree cultivator flowering period. Crabapple trees produce a fruit that is much smaller than the common apple, but it can be used in cooking in various ways, and it is loved by wildlife in the fall and winter when wildlife food is scarce for animals and birds.

Here are a few ideas on growing apple trees. Experiments from researchers in California have shown that apple fruit is very rich in antioxidants, a biological compound that combats, stroke, heart disease, and many other health problems.