The popularity of artificial flowers has gone up tremendously thereby increasing demand. People use them in their homes, offices, hotels, shopping malls and parties too. They have gained an edge over the real flowers because of their low maintenance, long life and most importantly because they look real. They don’t need water or fertilizers to make them look beautiful
and fresh. So when you go on vacation you don’t need to worry about your flowers. When you come back you will still find your flowers as fresh and new as you left them.
People are attracted towards artificial flowers because they don’t need water sunlight or fertilizers. They need not be replaced like the real ones because they don’t wither. They make the place look pleasant and warm just like real ones.
Artificial flowers are available in a large range that enables you to choose the best arrangement for your decoration. Party decorators are also going for artificial flowers because they look as attractive as real ones and it is a one time investment. Real flowers after being used for one occasion cannot be reused which is not the case with artificial flowers. Artificials can be reused and the best thing is they don’t lose their charm. The main reason they are gaining popularity among decorators is because they don’t become dull and withered after a few hours. They look fresh throughout the event or party irrespective of its duration.
Artificial flowers, plants and ivies have more use than just keeping them in a vase depending on the individual’s creativity. They can be placed on the wall with the help of support or even on the door. They can be strung over stair banisters, bookshelves, windows etc. Artificial flowers are available in unusual shapes and colors, which enables one to match them up with the décor of home or office.
In order to maintain them, you need to dust them regularly and clean them with water and mild detergent once in a while. Silk flowers need little more care in order to keep them fine-looking and fresh. Artificial flowers add color to your existing décor and make the other arrangements standout.
Artificial flowers are ideal option to fresh flowers without having to compromise on the quality or standard of decoration. The only thing that artificial flowers don’t have is the fragrance of natural flowers. This is a small price compared to the innumerable advantages that they have over natural flowers. They can be easily purchased online. So what are you waiting for? Order your artificial flowers today.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Home Vegetable Gardening Doesn't End In The Fall
Does the sound of the NFL or talks of the NHL season get you bummed out because that also spells the end of the vegetable gardening season? Well don't let it. You may not be able to grow tomatoes and peppers in the cooler months but there are plenty of crops you can grow, and also means by which to extend their growth right into winter.
There are so many varieties of vegetables that you can plant when the temperatures drop that you can literally be shocked and will invariably ask yourself why you didn't garden more in the cooler months in the past.
Radishes, lettuce (all varieties), spinach and Brussels sprouts are just four of the many vegetable varieties to choose from. We have a nice PDF you can download from our website that lists vegetables that can be grown when the temperatures have dropped.
These vegetables grow fairly quickly and produce into the months where there might be a fear of frost. I will get more into protecting them in a moment. If going organic is not that important to you, you can also purchase various varieties of seeds that have been genetically engineered to tolerate cooler temperatures.
Once you have your vegetables of choice in the ground you will want to come up with the means to protect them from cold gusting winds. One excellent option is something called a cold frame. It is basically a frame you build around you garden to keep the winds off of the vegetables. They can be as elaborate as a greenhouse or something simple like stacking bales of hay around the garden. Do a Google search on cold frame gardening and you will see what I mean.
But let's say you don't want to build a cold frame and you lack the space for a greenhouse. You can always plant your vegetables in pots and grow them indoors. I use this technique quite a bit, especially for my lettuce. I will plant my lettuce indoors in pots and keep them on a window sill that gets sunlight first thing in the morning. As the plant grows and matures, I cut off with scissors what I use and let the plant continue to flourish. There is nothing like eating a BLT in the winter where the "L" was harvested just seconds before it is consumed.
These are just some of the many ideas that come to mind as the temperatures begin to drop. Don't let the thought of winter coming get your spirits down about vegetable gardening. Extend your growing season by implementing some of these options previously mentioned.
There are so many varieties of vegetables that you can plant when the temperatures drop that you can literally be shocked and will invariably ask yourself why you didn't garden more in the cooler months in the past.
Radishes, lettuce (all varieties), spinach and Brussels sprouts are just four of the many vegetable varieties to choose from. We have a nice PDF you can download from our website that lists vegetables that can be grown when the temperatures have dropped.
These vegetables grow fairly quickly and produce into the months where there might be a fear of frost. I will get more into protecting them in a moment. If going organic is not that important to you, you can also purchase various varieties of seeds that have been genetically engineered to tolerate cooler temperatures.
Once you have your vegetables of choice in the ground you will want to come up with the means to protect them from cold gusting winds. One excellent option is something called a cold frame. It is basically a frame you build around you garden to keep the winds off of the vegetables. They can be as elaborate as a greenhouse or something simple like stacking bales of hay around the garden. Do a Google search on cold frame gardening and you will see what I mean.
But let's say you don't want to build a cold frame and you lack the space for a greenhouse. You can always plant your vegetables in pots and grow them indoors. I use this technique quite a bit, especially for my lettuce. I will plant my lettuce indoors in pots and keep them on a window sill that gets sunlight first thing in the morning. As the plant grows and matures, I cut off with scissors what I use and let the plant continue to flourish. There is nothing like eating a BLT in the winter where the "L" was harvested just seconds before it is consumed.
These are just some of the many ideas that come to mind as the temperatures begin to drop. Don't let the thought of winter coming get your spirits down about vegetable gardening. Extend your growing season by implementing some of these options previously mentioned.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Growing Mushrooms at Home Using Agar Plates
Growing mushrooms from home is a great hobby for both food, fun and profit. You will need some special equipment for following the Agar procedures. Mushroom cultivation can be done without this step but it is great for the enthusiast who wants to clone mushrooms and isolate sub-strains from fruiting mushrooms to store in their personal culture libraries.
Agar Culture:
Agar is a polysaccharide derived from marine red algae. Agar is unique because it has the ability to remain liquid until cooling below 36 degrees C. The advantage here is that nutrients and other growth media can be mixed together before the Agar solidifies. The agar will remain solid at room temperature. Once the solution is mixed together it can be poured into individual Petri dishes for use in inoculating with one of the following: mushroom spores, a liquid culture, an agar wedge from a colonized Petri dish or live tissue from the mushroom itself. Using live tissue is a method for cloning a desired species and capturing its unique characteristics.
There are 5 different types of media and their name refers to their functionality.
•??General Purpose Medium: This is designed to grow a broad spectrum of microorganisms. Nutrient Agar is a general purpose media.
•??Enriched Medium: This media is enriched with some kind of special growth factor such as blood, serum, hemoglobin etc.
•??Selective Medium: This contains a chemical that inhibits the growth of certain organisms while promoting the growth of others.
•??Differential Medium: This can grow several types of microorganisms, but can distinguish among them due to different appearances on the medium; color of the colonies or color of the medium where the organisms are growing.
•??Fermentation Medium: This determines whether a microorganism can ferment a particular carbohydrate. Fermentation is an anaerobic process that often generates acids. If the carbohydrate is fermented, acid is produced, and this can be detected by a PH indicator dye.
For our purposes in growing mushrooms we will be using a Selective Medium. We will be adding various nutrients, minerals, etc. to promote the growth of our mycelium. We can even add antibiotics to hinder the growth of some bacteria.
There are many Agar recipes that can be used but two of the most common are Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and Malt Extract Agar (MEA).
Malt Extract Agar (MEA)
10 grams light malt extract
9 grams agar agar
500 ml potable or distilled water
Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA)
Broth from boiling 150 grams sliced potatoes
in 500ml water for 30 minutes (add water to 500ml)
9 g agar agar
7 grams dextrose
1 gram brewers yeast or yeast-extract (optional)
Amaranth Soy Agar
20 grams amaranth flour
20 grams soy flour
9 grams agar agar
500 ml potable or distilled water
Cornmeal Dextrose Agar
25 grams yellow cornmeal
3 grams dextrose
9 grams agar agar
500 ml potable or distilled water
Dog Food Agar DFA
20 grams dry dog food
20 grams agar agar
1000 ml distilled water
One thing to note when preparing Agar recipes is that it is definitely a circumstance when less is more. If too many nutrients are added to the Agar it becomes hypertonic. What this means is there will be a higher concentration of particles in the nutrient solution than there are in the dividing cells of our mycelium. Nature prefers balance. When mycelium is placed into this hypertonic solution, equilibrium will try to assert itself. Because the cell membranes of the mycelium are selectively permeable; only allowing certain things across the membrane. The water inside the cell will cross the membrane by osmosis to the outside and the cells will dehydrate; halting growth. This is why sugar, an energy source for bacteria, can be used as a preservative in jams and jellies. The jam becomes hypertonic and inhibits growth.
When preparing Agar recipes, you will need a container to sterilize the mixture in. A quart size jar works perfectly for this. Drill a 3/8” inch hole in the metal lid and fit the inside with a tyvek filter disc. Mix the contents thoroughly inside the quart jar. Place the lid loosely on the jar and load into your pressure cooker (optional: you can preheat your water to boiling before adding the quart jar. This will prevent caramelization of the ingredients). Fill the pressure cooker with water until an approximately 1 “ water level is on the side of the jar. Sterilize the jar for 30-40 minutes at 15 p.s.i
After the sterilization time, allow the cooker to cool to zero pressure before attempting to open. The pressure cooker should be opened in front of a flowhood or a sterile glovebox should be used when pouring agar plates. Each recipe above will fill 20 agar plates.
When the jar is cool to touch but the contents are still liquefied, pour enough MEA or PDA to fill the bottom of the Petri dish. The longer the lids are left open to the air the greater the chance for airborne contaminates to enter the culture medium. Allow the agar plates to cool to room temperature and solidify. Optional: You may seal the edges with parafilm to help stave off bacteria contaminations.
When inoculating agar plates, again, it’s important to use a sterile glovebox or flowhood to decrease the chances of contamination. Each agar plate can be inoculated with agar wedges from a colonized plate, spores from a mature mushroom or a prepared liquid culture.
If you have purchased our pre-sterilized medium please follow these directions for reheating it.
Directions for Using our Agar Culture Medium.
Place your quart jar in a pot of water and fill the pot with water until it covers half of the quart jar. Leave the lid in place to prevent contaminates from entering. Raise the water temperature to boiling in order to liquify the medium. Agar will remain liquid until it falls below 96.8 degree F.
When the Medium has liquified it can be poured into waiting agar plates. It is important to pour your agar plates under sterile conditions. We highly recommend using a Flowhood but a glovebox might work. We make no guarantees if a Flowhood is not used. Bacteria are present everywhere including the air. It only takes a few particles to land on your medium to contaminate it. When the agar has solidified again you can seal the edges of the agar plates with parafilm or other sealing device.
Agar Culture:
Agar is a polysaccharide derived from marine red algae. Agar is unique because it has the ability to remain liquid until cooling below 36 degrees C. The advantage here is that nutrients and other growth media can be mixed together before the Agar solidifies. The agar will remain solid at room temperature. Once the solution is mixed together it can be poured into individual Petri dishes for use in inoculating with one of the following: mushroom spores, a liquid culture, an agar wedge from a colonized Petri dish or live tissue from the mushroom itself. Using live tissue is a method for cloning a desired species and capturing its unique characteristics.
There are 5 different types of media and their name refers to their functionality.
•??General Purpose Medium: This is designed to grow a broad spectrum of microorganisms. Nutrient Agar is a general purpose media.
•??Enriched Medium: This media is enriched with some kind of special growth factor such as blood, serum, hemoglobin etc.
•??Selective Medium: This contains a chemical that inhibits the growth of certain organisms while promoting the growth of others.
•??Differential Medium: This can grow several types of microorganisms, but can distinguish among them due to different appearances on the medium; color of the colonies or color of the medium where the organisms are growing.
•??Fermentation Medium: This determines whether a microorganism can ferment a particular carbohydrate. Fermentation is an anaerobic process that often generates acids. If the carbohydrate is fermented, acid is produced, and this can be detected by a PH indicator dye.
For our purposes in growing mushrooms we will be using a Selective Medium. We will be adding various nutrients, minerals, etc. to promote the growth of our mycelium. We can even add antibiotics to hinder the growth of some bacteria.
There are many Agar recipes that can be used but two of the most common are Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and Malt Extract Agar (MEA).
Malt Extract Agar (MEA)
10 grams light malt extract
9 grams agar agar
500 ml potable or distilled water
Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA)
Broth from boiling 150 grams sliced potatoes
in 500ml water for 30 minutes (add water to 500ml)
9 g agar agar
7 grams dextrose
1 gram brewers yeast or yeast-extract (optional)
Amaranth Soy Agar
20 grams amaranth flour
20 grams soy flour
9 grams agar agar
500 ml potable or distilled water
Cornmeal Dextrose Agar
25 grams yellow cornmeal
3 grams dextrose
9 grams agar agar
500 ml potable or distilled water
Dog Food Agar DFA
20 grams dry dog food
20 grams agar agar
1000 ml distilled water
One thing to note when preparing Agar recipes is that it is definitely a circumstance when less is more. If too many nutrients are added to the Agar it becomes hypertonic. What this means is there will be a higher concentration of particles in the nutrient solution than there are in the dividing cells of our mycelium. Nature prefers balance. When mycelium is placed into this hypertonic solution, equilibrium will try to assert itself. Because the cell membranes of the mycelium are selectively permeable; only allowing certain things across the membrane. The water inside the cell will cross the membrane by osmosis to the outside and the cells will dehydrate; halting growth. This is why sugar, an energy source for bacteria, can be used as a preservative in jams and jellies. The jam becomes hypertonic and inhibits growth.
When preparing Agar recipes, you will need a container to sterilize the mixture in. A quart size jar works perfectly for this. Drill a 3/8” inch hole in the metal lid and fit the inside with a tyvek filter disc. Mix the contents thoroughly inside the quart jar. Place the lid loosely on the jar and load into your pressure cooker (optional: you can preheat your water to boiling before adding the quart jar. This will prevent caramelization of the ingredients). Fill the pressure cooker with water until an approximately 1 “ water level is on the side of the jar. Sterilize the jar for 30-40 minutes at 15 p.s.i
After the sterilization time, allow the cooker to cool to zero pressure before attempting to open. The pressure cooker should be opened in front of a flowhood or a sterile glovebox should be used when pouring agar plates. Each recipe above will fill 20 agar plates.
When the jar is cool to touch but the contents are still liquefied, pour enough MEA or PDA to fill the bottom of the Petri dish. The longer the lids are left open to the air the greater the chance for airborne contaminates to enter the culture medium. Allow the agar plates to cool to room temperature and solidify. Optional: You may seal the edges with parafilm to help stave off bacteria contaminations.
When inoculating agar plates, again, it’s important to use a sterile glovebox or flowhood to decrease the chances of contamination. Each agar plate can be inoculated with agar wedges from a colonized plate, spores from a mature mushroom or a prepared liquid culture.
If you have purchased our pre-sterilized medium please follow these directions for reheating it.
Directions for Using our Agar Culture Medium.
Place your quart jar in a pot of water and fill the pot with water until it covers half of the quart jar. Leave the lid in place to prevent contaminates from entering. Raise the water temperature to boiling in order to liquify the medium. Agar will remain liquid until it falls below 96.8 degree F.
When the Medium has liquified it can be poured into waiting agar plates. It is important to pour your agar plates under sterile conditions. We highly recommend using a Flowhood but a glovebox might work. We make no guarantees if a Flowhood is not used. Bacteria are present everywhere including the air. It only takes a few particles to land on your medium to contaminate it. When the agar has solidified again you can seal the edges of the agar plates with parafilm or other sealing device.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
How to Create a Garden Office or Garden Studio in a Small Space
There are many people who love to spend most of their time in the garden. The concept of a garden office or garden studio is perfect for such kind of people. In today’s world many people work from their own home. It becomes very convenient for these people to own their own garden office. However, everyone may not have ample space for his or her garden office. In that case, they can take professional help to create their own garden office within a small area.
If you want a robust and secure garden office or garden studio you simply must purchase a product from a specialist company such as Garden Lodges. People who want to build their garden office within a small space normally resort to this method. People who generally work from home prefer using a garden office instead of a spare room. However, there are certain details that one should keep in mind while creating a garden office.
For creating a garden office or garden studio, it would be best if one has sufficient space. He should take into account all the requirements for building a garden office or garden studio. Proper insulation and security of the modular garden office has to be considered.
People often like to own a garden studio. Garden lodges are market leaders in this field. A person can design his garden office or garden studio as per his choice. He can opt for designing a traditional kind of a garden office or garden studio or opt for the modern type of garden office. However, a person has to take into consideration a lot of details while creating a garden studio within a small place.
People who have limited space to build their garden office or garden studio generally purchase smaller buildings. The most modern equipment can be installed into a garden office or garden studio. Micro pods from Garden Lodges based in the UK can also be used.
Top Quality American Flags made in the USA!
Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/how-to-create-a-garden-office-or-garden-studio-in-a-small-space-396083.html#ixzz0yfPGzoJb
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
If you want a robust and secure garden office or garden studio you simply must purchase a product from a specialist company such as Garden Lodges. People who want to build their garden office within a small space normally resort to this method. People who generally work from home prefer using a garden office instead of a spare room. However, there are certain details that one should keep in mind while creating a garden office.
For creating a garden office or garden studio, it would be best if one has sufficient space. He should take into account all the requirements for building a garden office or garden studio. Proper insulation and security of the modular garden office has to be considered.
People often like to own a garden studio. Garden lodges are market leaders in this field. A person can design his garden office or garden studio as per his choice. He can opt for designing a traditional kind of a garden office or garden studio or opt for the modern type of garden office. However, a person has to take into consideration a lot of details while creating a garden studio within a small place.
People who have limited space to build their garden office or garden studio generally purchase smaller buildings. The most modern equipment can be installed into a garden office or garden studio. Micro pods from Garden Lodges based in the UK can also be used.
Top Quality American Flags made in the USA!
Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/how-to-create-a-garden-office-or-garden-studio-in-a-small-space-396083.html#ixzz0yfPGzoJb
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Orchid Propagation - What's it Take to Get it Right? By Patianna A.
Patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to propagating orchids. That's because they are among the slowest plants to grow and reproduce. But in most cases, patience has great rewards because orchids can live practically forever and are valuable as well as beautiful.
Generally there are two ways to propagate your orchids: through plant division or with plant cuttings.
1. Plant division - the quickest way to propagate orchids
You can speed up the propagation process somewhat by dividing orchids like cattleyas. Rule(s) of thumb:
· The larger the divisions, the better - at least 3-4 growths.
· The largest divisions with the most pseudo bulbs will grow the fastest to blooming plants.
Simple steps to a typical plant division
· Start by sharpening and sterilizing your knife or pruners. This will reduce the possibility of spreading disease and helps to maintain the strength of the divisions.
· As you cut off any dead or unhealthy leaves, look for the best place to divide the plant; often you will find a natural division point in your orchid; this is great place to cut the root system
· After dividing plant, clean off old medium, dead roots and old leaf sheaths around the bulbs. Try to leave as many roots as possible. The more healthy roots you leave the better.
· Choose a pot that will allow about 2 year's worth of growth and add a layer of appropriate potting mix for your particular orchid in the bottom of the pot. Place orchid in pot and add more mixture around the root system.
· Either tamp the mixture or stake the plant to help it quickly establish itself in its new home and add a name plate with the date you divided the plant for a handy reminder to when you may need to divide it again.
2. Cuttings of back bulbs, "top offs" canes, and "babies"- the easiest ways to propagate orchids
· If you have an orchid like cymbidiums that have back bulbs (older stems that have lost their leaves), you can cut them off the main plant. After you've cleaned them of medium and any dead plant material, bury several together in a plastic bag containing 2" or 5cm of sphagnum moss up to a depth of about the bottom ¼ of the bulb. Seal the bag and place it in warm area (approximately 75Ës F or 24ËsC) with bright diffused light.
In 2-3 months new growth should become evident. When the leaves of these new plants are a few inches or centimeters long, place them all in a shallow container with a layer of sphagnum moss as you did in the bag. Again, allow them to grow for several months in diffused light. At that point you can then transplant each to its own individual pot.
· Many orchids grow tall and have extending roots from the stem. Cut the "top off" several inches of the plant that has roots and place in medium-filled pot. The bottom portion of the original plant generally will produce baby plants that can be cut off and planted as described above for the phaleanopsis.
· For orchids that have canes or long stems, you should cut up the canes into pieces (each containing at least two sections of cane where leaves used to be attached). Take these pieces and half-bury them horizontally in shallow dish filled with sphagnum moss. Cover the dish and let stand in warm area with dappled or diffused light. In a few months small plants will have sprouted. They can now be placed in individual pots.
· Orchids like phaleanopsis produce babies along a long, slim stem. After these develop several mid-sized roots of their own, cut them off the stem and place in each in their individual medium-filled pot.
The one way not to attempt to propagate orchids...
...Propagating orchids from seeds. If you're not a professional orchid grower, leave propagating orchids from seeds to the professionals. (Even they continually got it wrong up until about 85 years ago.) Instead purchase year-old small plants and start from there. If you're patient and fortunate, they'll reward you with blooms in a few years.
Patianna is a successful entrepreneur with a passion for orchids. An orchid enthusiast for much of her adult life, Patianna has provided guidance in growing and caring for orchids to novice and experienced orchid enthusiasts alike.
Learn how you can erase the mythological barriers that would hold you back from growing and enjoying orchids in your home or garden because you may think caring for these beautiful plants is too difficult. Her comment to this myth: "Nonsense. They're as easy to grow and care for as they are to admire and enjoy!"
Generally there are two ways to propagate your orchids: through plant division or with plant cuttings.
1. Plant division - the quickest way to propagate orchids
You can speed up the propagation process somewhat by dividing orchids like cattleyas. Rule(s) of thumb:
· The larger the divisions, the better - at least 3-4 growths.
· The largest divisions with the most pseudo bulbs will grow the fastest to blooming plants.
Simple steps to a typical plant division
· Start by sharpening and sterilizing your knife or pruners. This will reduce the possibility of spreading disease and helps to maintain the strength of the divisions.
· As you cut off any dead or unhealthy leaves, look for the best place to divide the plant; often you will find a natural division point in your orchid; this is great place to cut the root system
· After dividing plant, clean off old medium, dead roots and old leaf sheaths around the bulbs. Try to leave as many roots as possible. The more healthy roots you leave the better.
· Choose a pot that will allow about 2 year's worth of growth and add a layer of appropriate potting mix for your particular orchid in the bottom of the pot. Place orchid in pot and add more mixture around the root system.
· Either tamp the mixture or stake the plant to help it quickly establish itself in its new home and add a name plate with the date you divided the plant for a handy reminder to when you may need to divide it again.
2. Cuttings of back bulbs, "top offs" canes, and "babies"- the easiest ways to propagate orchids
· If you have an orchid like cymbidiums that have back bulbs (older stems that have lost their leaves), you can cut them off the main plant. After you've cleaned them of medium and any dead plant material, bury several together in a plastic bag containing 2" or 5cm of sphagnum moss up to a depth of about the bottom ¼ of the bulb. Seal the bag and place it in warm area (approximately 75Ës F or 24ËsC) with bright diffused light.
In 2-3 months new growth should become evident. When the leaves of these new plants are a few inches or centimeters long, place them all in a shallow container with a layer of sphagnum moss as you did in the bag. Again, allow them to grow for several months in diffused light. At that point you can then transplant each to its own individual pot.
· Many orchids grow tall and have extending roots from the stem. Cut the "top off" several inches of the plant that has roots and place in medium-filled pot. The bottom portion of the original plant generally will produce baby plants that can be cut off and planted as described above for the phaleanopsis.
· For orchids that have canes or long stems, you should cut up the canes into pieces (each containing at least two sections of cane where leaves used to be attached). Take these pieces and half-bury them horizontally in shallow dish filled with sphagnum moss. Cover the dish and let stand in warm area with dappled or diffused light. In a few months small plants will have sprouted. They can now be placed in individual pots.
· Orchids like phaleanopsis produce babies along a long, slim stem. After these develop several mid-sized roots of their own, cut them off the stem and place in each in their individual medium-filled pot.
The one way not to attempt to propagate orchids...
...Propagating orchids from seeds. If you're not a professional orchid grower, leave propagating orchids from seeds to the professionals. (Even they continually got it wrong up until about 85 years ago.) Instead purchase year-old small plants and start from there. If you're patient and fortunate, they'll reward you with blooms in a few years.
Patianna is a successful entrepreneur with a passion for orchids. An orchid enthusiast for much of her adult life, Patianna has provided guidance in growing and caring for orchids to novice and experienced orchid enthusiasts alike.
Learn how you can erase the mythological barriers that would hold you back from growing and enjoying orchids in your home or garden because you may think caring for these beautiful plants is too difficult. Her comment to this myth: "Nonsense. They're as easy to grow and care for as they are to admire and enjoy!"
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Organic Indoor Gardening
Congratulations, you have decided to try gardening organically. Say goodbye to chemicals as you learn to work with nature to grow the best garden possible. It is not always as easy as conventional gardening, but it is well worth the effort. However, if you are stuck in a small apartment without any space outside for a garden, you will be faced with special challenges. Fortunately, there is no need to give up on your dream of having a thriving organic garden. With the right techniques, you can soon become a master of organic indoor gardening!
If you are new to organic indoor gardening, the easiest way to learn the ropes is to start an indoor herb garden. Herbs will be less demanding than other flowers or produce, and can add a lovely boost to your cooking!
Get some planter boxes from your local gardening center and place them in a sunny spot, although if you live in a cold climate you should make sure that the boxes are not so close to the glass that they will freeze. You should also separate pots. Some herbs, such as mint and oregano, will do better in their own pot as they will tend to overgrow any neighbors in a planter.
Once you have your boxes set up, you can move to the most important step: picking the right soil. You should ensure that you buy high quality potting soil with an organic fertilizer. Putting small stones in the bottom of the boxes is not essential, but will help with water retention. As for watering your herbs, just make sure that the soil is always damp. If you water the herbs too much, it can be just as damaging as not watering them.
If you are gardening indoors to escape the snow, when the weather turns you can always move your herbs out to your garden. Indeed, starting seedlings inside can often be beneficial, and help give you a head start on the growing season.
If you are dying for a bit of color in your apartment, an easy alternative to an herb garden is narcissus or daffodil bulbs. All you need to do is place the bulbs in a pot full of pebbles and add water. In five weeks, you will have lovely flowers in bloom.
There is nothing stopping you from trying organic indoor gardening - it is an easy, environmentally friendly way to spice up your kitchen and brighten your home!
Buy Any AeroGarden 3 and Save $10 When You Buy Additional Units in the Same Order
DirectGardening.com - Use special coupon # G5666 for 3 free Peacock Orchid Bulbs with any purchase!
Now is the time to start planting your fall gardens. Mastergardening.com has everything you need. Buy now for great fall deals!
Live Healthier, Save money and Grow it yourself Your Mantis tiller will pay for itself with the money you'll save!
If you are new to organic indoor gardening, the easiest way to learn the ropes is to start an indoor herb garden. Herbs will be less demanding than other flowers or produce, and can add a lovely boost to your cooking!
Get some planter boxes from your local gardening center and place them in a sunny spot, although if you live in a cold climate you should make sure that the boxes are not so close to the glass that they will freeze. You should also separate pots. Some herbs, such as mint and oregano, will do better in their own pot as they will tend to overgrow any neighbors in a planter.
Once you have your boxes set up, you can move to the most important step: picking the right soil. You should ensure that you buy high quality potting soil with an organic fertilizer. Putting small stones in the bottom of the boxes is not essential, but will help with water retention. As for watering your herbs, just make sure that the soil is always damp. If you water the herbs too much, it can be just as damaging as not watering them.
If you are gardening indoors to escape the snow, when the weather turns you can always move your herbs out to your garden. Indeed, starting seedlings inside can often be beneficial, and help give you a head start on the growing season.
If you are dying for a bit of color in your apartment, an easy alternative to an herb garden is narcissus or daffodil bulbs. All you need to do is place the bulbs in a pot full of pebbles and add water. In five weeks, you will have lovely flowers in bloom.
There is nothing stopping you from trying organic indoor gardening - it is an easy, environmentally friendly way to spice up your kitchen and brighten your home!
Buy Any AeroGarden 3 and Save $10 When You Buy Additional Units in the Same Order
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Friday, July 23, 2010
Find Peace And Happiness Through Gardening
Gardening is a wonderful and relaxing hobby enjoyed by many all over the world. People who enjoy gardening often feel a deep-rooted sense of calm and tranquility, and they also forge a stronger connection with nature.
There are many types and forms of gardening. Organic gardening is a unique method of gardening and allows the gardener to really bond with Mother Nature. Organic gardening really gets down to the basics of growing fruits and vegetables, using only what Mother Nature provides. Container gardening is another way of gardening and allows many people who do not have their own garden to still enjoy gardening using pots and containers.
Container gardening is a great way to decorate and accentuate your house and your outdoor area. Plant containers such as clay urns, metal pans, terra cotta pots, wine tubs, wood boxes, bath tubs, glass bowls, wire baskets, sisal rope planters, cement hollows etc. all work well. You want to be sure to have an assortment of beautiful flowers and plants of varying heights as well as shapes and textures when planning your garden.
Organic gardening requires much more attention and involvement in the whole process. When you grow the plants organically, you do not add any artificial or chemical substances to the soil to avoid their negative health consequences. In organic gardening natural compost is needed to fertilize the soil. Natural compost is derived from plant, fruit or kitchen waste and contains no harmful chemical pesticides in it.
Whether you go for container gardening or organic gardening, the preparation and gardening methods are pretty similar. After you decide on what type of gardening you want to do, prepare your spot and soil for planting. You must remove all weeds, grass, stones, etc using various gardening supplies or herbicides. When this is completed, you can plow the planting area and add nutrients such as manure, compost, peat or sand to the soil. If your soil is too sandy, you will need to add compost to give it the necessary nutrients it needs.
Gardening supplies are essential for good gardening. They make gardening easy, and there are certain gardening supplies that gardeners find indispensable, including gloves, spade, scissors, pruners, levelers etc. Make sure to buy good quality gardening supplies for ease of use, such as gardening gloves made of high quality leather, and gardening spades or pruners made of stainless steel.
SerenityHealth-Floor Water Fountains Outstanding Floor Fountains at incredible prices.
There are many types and forms of gardening. Organic gardening is a unique method of gardening and allows the gardener to really bond with Mother Nature. Organic gardening really gets down to the basics of growing fruits and vegetables, using only what Mother Nature provides. Container gardening is another way of gardening and allows many people who do not have their own garden to still enjoy gardening using pots and containers.
Container gardening is a great way to decorate and accentuate your house and your outdoor area. Plant containers such as clay urns, metal pans, terra cotta pots, wine tubs, wood boxes, bath tubs, glass bowls, wire baskets, sisal rope planters, cement hollows etc. all work well. You want to be sure to have an assortment of beautiful flowers and plants of varying heights as well as shapes and textures when planning your garden.
Organic gardening requires much more attention and involvement in the whole process. When you grow the plants organically, you do not add any artificial or chemical substances to the soil to avoid their negative health consequences. In organic gardening natural compost is needed to fertilize the soil. Natural compost is derived from plant, fruit or kitchen waste and contains no harmful chemical pesticides in it.
Whether you go for container gardening or organic gardening, the preparation and gardening methods are pretty similar. After you decide on what type of gardening you want to do, prepare your spot and soil for planting. You must remove all weeds, grass, stones, etc using various gardening supplies or herbicides. When this is completed, you can plow the planting area and add nutrients such as manure, compost, peat or sand to the soil. If your soil is too sandy, you will need to add compost to give it the necessary nutrients it needs.
Gardening supplies are essential for good gardening. They make gardening easy, and there are certain gardening supplies that gardeners find indispensable, including gloves, spade, scissors, pruners, levelers etc. Make sure to buy good quality gardening supplies for ease of use, such as gardening gloves made of high quality leather, and gardening spades or pruners made of stainless steel.
SerenityHealth-Floor Water Fountains Outstanding Floor Fountains at incredible prices.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The Problem with Traditional Vegetable Gardening? By Jonathan White, environmental scientist.
Traditional vegetable gardens require an enormous amount of hard work and attention - weeding, feeding and strict planting schedules. There is also the problem of seasonality, allowing beds to rest during the cooler months producing nothing at all. Then we are told to plant green manure crops, add inorganic fertilizers and chemicals to adjust imbalanced soils. It takes a lot of time, dedication and a year-round commitment to grow your own food the traditional way.
But does it really need to be that difficult?
Let me ask you this question. Does a forest need to think how to grow? Does its soil need to be turned every season? Does someone come along every so often and plant seeds or take pH tests? Does it get weeded or sprayed with toxic chemicals?
Of course not!
Traditional vegetable gardening techniques are focused on problems. Have you noticed that gardening books are full of ways to fix problems? I was a traditional gardener for many years and I found that the solution to most problems simply caused a new set of problems. In other words, the problem with problems is that problems create more problems.
Let’s take a look at a common traditional gardening practice and I will show you how a single problem can escalate into a whole host of problems.
Imagine a traditional vegetable garden, planted with rows of various vegetables. There are fairly large bare patches between the vegetables. To a traditional gardener, a bare patch is just a bare patch. But to an ecologist, a bare patch is an empty niche space. An empty niche space is simply an invitation for new life forms to take up residency. Nature does not tolerate empty niche spaces and the most successful niche space fillers are weeds. That’s what a weed is in ecological terms - a niche space filler. Weeds are very good colonizing plants. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be called weeds.
Now back to our story. Weeds will grow in the empty niche spaces. Quite often there are too many weeds to pick out individually, so the traditional gardener uses a hoe to turn them into the soil. I have read in many gardening books, even organic gardening books, that your hoe is your best friend. So the message we are getting is that using a hoe is the solution to a problem.
However, I would like to show you how using a hoe actually creates a new set of problems. Firstly, turning soil excites weed seeds, creating a new explosion of weeds. And secondly, turning soil upsets the soil ecology. The top layer of soil is generally dry and structureless. By turning it, you are placing deeper structured soil on the surface and putting the structureless soil underneath. Over time, the band of structureless soil widens. Structureless soil has far less moisture holding capacity, so the garden now needs more water to keep the plants alive.
In addition to this problem, structureless soil cannot pass its nutrients onto the plants as effectively. The garden now also needs the addition of fertilisers. Many fertilisers kill the soil biology which is very important in building soil structure and plant nutrient availability. The soil will eventually turn into a dead substance that doesn’t have the correct balance of nutrients to grow fully developed foods. The foods will actually lack vitamins and minerals. This problem has already occurred in modern-day agriculture. Dr Tim Lobstein, Director of the Food Commission said. "… today's agriculture does not allow the soil to enrich itself, but depends on chemical fertilisers that don't replace the wide variety of nutrients plants and humans need." Over the past 60 years commercially grown foods have experienced a significant reduction in nutrient and mineral content.
Can you see how we started with the problem of weeds, but ended up with the new problems of lower water-holding capacity and infertile soils. And eventually, we have the potentially serious problem of growing food with low nutrient content. Traditional gardening techniques only ever strive to fix the symptom and not the cause.
However, there is a solution! We must use a technique that combines pest ecology, plant ecology, soil ecology and crop management into a method that addresses the causes of these problems. This technique must be efficient enough to be economically viable. It also needs to be able to produce enough food, per given area, to compete against traditional techniques.
I have been testing an ecologically-based method of growing food for several years. This method uses zero tillage, zero chemicals, has minimal weeds and requires a fraction of the physical attention (when compared to traditional vegetable gardening). It also produces several times more, per given area, and provides food every single day of the year.
My ecologically-based garden mimics nature in such a way that the garden looks and acts like a natural ecosystem. Succession layering of plants (just as we see in natural ecosystems) offers natural pest management. It also naturally eliminates the need for crop rotation, resting beds or green manure crops. Soil management is addressed in a natural way, and the result is that the soil’s structure and fertility get richer and richer, year after year. Another benefit of this method is automatic regeneration through self-seeding. This occurs naturally as dormant seeds germinate; filling empty niche spaces with desirable plants, and not weeds.
Unfortunately, the biggest challenge this method faces is convincing traditional gardeners of its benefits. Like many industries, the gardening industry gets stuck in doing things a certain way. The ecologically-based method requires such little human intervention that, in my opinion, many people will get frustrated with the lack of needing to control what’s happening. Naturally people love to take control of their lives, but with this method you are allowing nature to take the reins. It’s a test of faith in very simple natural laws. However, in my experience these natural laws are 100% reliable.
Another reason that traditional gardeners may not like this method is that it takes away all the mysticism of being an expert. You see, this method is so simple that any person, anywhere in the world, under any conditions, can do it. And for a veteran gardener it can actually be quite threatening when an embarrassingly simple solution comes along.
I have no doubt that this is the way we will be growing food in the future. It’s just commonsense. Why wouldn’t we use a method that produces many times more food with a fraction of the effort? I know it will take a little while to convince people that growing food is actually very instinctual and straightforward, but with persistence and proper explanation, people will embrace this method.
Why? Because sanity always prevails…
…eventually!
Buy Any AeroGarden 6 or 7 and Save $20 When You Buy Additional Units in the Same Order
Mastergardening.com is your premier garden supplier. We have everything you need to get your garden growing. Free Shipping over $100.
For quality flower bulbs and perennial plants at rock bottom prices, go to BloomingBulb.com
DirectGardening.com - Use special coupon # G5666 for 3 free Peacock Orchid Bulbs with any purchase!
10% Off at TaylorGifts.com + Free Gift & get your order in time for Christmas!
But does it really need to be that difficult?
Let me ask you this question. Does a forest need to think how to grow? Does its soil need to be turned every season? Does someone come along every so often and plant seeds or take pH tests? Does it get weeded or sprayed with toxic chemicals?
Of course not!
Traditional vegetable gardening techniques are focused on problems. Have you noticed that gardening books are full of ways to fix problems? I was a traditional gardener for many years and I found that the solution to most problems simply caused a new set of problems. In other words, the problem with problems is that problems create more problems.
Let’s take a look at a common traditional gardening practice and I will show you how a single problem can escalate into a whole host of problems.
Imagine a traditional vegetable garden, planted with rows of various vegetables. There are fairly large bare patches between the vegetables. To a traditional gardener, a bare patch is just a bare patch. But to an ecologist, a bare patch is an empty niche space. An empty niche space is simply an invitation for new life forms to take up residency. Nature does not tolerate empty niche spaces and the most successful niche space fillers are weeds. That’s what a weed is in ecological terms - a niche space filler. Weeds are very good colonizing plants. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be called weeds.
Now back to our story. Weeds will grow in the empty niche spaces. Quite often there are too many weeds to pick out individually, so the traditional gardener uses a hoe to turn them into the soil. I have read in many gardening books, even organic gardening books, that your hoe is your best friend. So the message we are getting is that using a hoe is the solution to a problem.
However, I would like to show you how using a hoe actually creates a new set of problems. Firstly, turning soil excites weed seeds, creating a new explosion of weeds. And secondly, turning soil upsets the soil ecology. The top layer of soil is generally dry and structureless. By turning it, you are placing deeper structured soil on the surface and putting the structureless soil underneath. Over time, the band of structureless soil widens. Structureless soil has far less moisture holding capacity, so the garden now needs more water to keep the plants alive.
In addition to this problem, structureless soil cannot pass its nutrients onto the plants as effectively. The garden now also needs the addition of fertilisers. Many fertilisers kill the soil biology which is very important in building soil structure and plant nutrient availability. The soil will eventually turn into a dead substance that doesn’t have the correct balance of nutrients to grow fully developed foods. The foods will actually lack vitamins and minerals. This problem has already occurred in modern-day agriculture. Dr Tim Lobstein, Director of the Food Commission said. "… today's agriculture does not allow the soil to enrich itself, but depends on chemical fertilisers that don't replace the wide variety of nutrients plants and humans need." Over the past 60 years commercially grown foods have experienced a significant reduction in nutrient and mineral content.
Can you see how we started with the problem of weeds, but ended up with the new problems of lower water-holding capacity and infertile soils. And eventually, we have the potentially serious problem of growing food with low nutrient content. Traditional gardening techniques only ever strive to fix the symptom and not the cause.
However, there is a solution! We must use a technique that combines pest ecology, plant ecology, soil ecology and crop management into a method that addresses the causes of these problems. This technique must be efficient enough to be economically viable. It also needs to be able to produce enough food, per given area, to compete against traditional techniques.
I have been testing an ecologically-based method of growing food for several years. This method uses zero tillage, zero chemicals, has minimal weeds and requires a fraction of the physical attention (when compared to traditional vegetable gardening). It also produces several times more, per given area, and provides food every single day of the year.
My ecologically-based garden mimics nature in such a way that the garden looks and acts like a natural ecosystem. Succession layering of plants (just as we see in natural ecosystems) offers natural pest management. It also naturally eliminates the need for crop rotation, resting beds or green manure crops. Soil management is addressed in a natural way, and the result is that the soil’s structure and fertility get richer and richer, year after year. Another benefit of this method is automatic regeneration through self-seeding. This occurs naturally as dormant seeds germinate; filling empty niche spaces with desirable plants, and not weeds.
Unfortunately, the biggest challenge this method faces is convincing traditional gardeners of its benefits. Like many industries, the gardening industry gets stuck in doing things a certain way. The ecologically-based method requires such little human intervention that, in my opinion, many people will get frustrated with the lack of needing to control what’s happening. Naturally people love to take control of their lives, but with this method you are allowing nature to take the reins. It’s a test of faith in very simple natural laws. However, in my experience these natural laws are 100% reliable.
Another reason that traditional gardeners may not like this method is that it takes away all the mysticism of being an expert. You see, this method is so simple that any person, anywhere in the world, under any conditions, can do it. And for a veteran gardener it can actually be quite threatening when an embarrassingly simple solution comes along.
I have no doubt that this is the way we will be growing food in the future. It’s just commonsense. Why wouldn’t we use a method that produces many times more food with a fraction of the effort? I know it will take a little while to convince people that growing food is actually very instinctual and straightforward, but with persistence and proper explanation, people will embrace this method.
Why? Because sanity always prevails…
…eventually!
Buy Any AeroGarden 6 or 7 and Save $20 When You Buy Additional Units in the Same Order
Mastergardening.com is your premier garden supplier. We have everything you need to get your garden growing. Free Shipping over $100.
For quality flower bulbs and perennial plants at rock bottom prices, go to BloomingBulb.com
DirectGardening.com - Use special coupon # G5666 for 3 free Peacock Orchid Bulbs with any purchase!
10% Off at TaylorGifts.com + Free Gift & get your order in time for Christmas!
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