Garden Myths - Learn the truth about gardening

Miracle-Gro Orchid Plant Food Mist – Huge Fertilizer Ripoff

Fertilizing orchids has always been a mystery for the novice orchid grower, but once you understand your orchids it is very easy, as I’ll show you below.

It’s no surprise that fertilizing orchids is confusing since manufacturers go out of their way to make it complex. First of all, they sell special containers labeled for orchids. Here is your first news flash – there is no such thing as orchid fertilizer, and I will prove it below.

Secondly, they sell products you don’t need, like this orchid plant food mist. Not only is misting not good for orchids, but they don’t need a foliar fertilizer. If you think that misting helps keep the humidity high, have a look at Increasing Humidity for Indoor Plants – What works and What Doesn’t. But even that does not bother me too much. What really ticks me off is the price they charge for these products – its criminal.

Miracle-Gro Orchid Plant Food Mist - Huge Fertilizer Ripoff

Miracle-Gro Orchid Plant Food Mist – Huge Fertilizer Ripoff

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Ginkgo Biloba Tree Myths – The Maidenhair Tree

Ginkgo biloba (also spelled gingko) has become a popular tree and many people are able to recognize it. Its a living fossil that has been around for millions of years. Dinosaurs roamed the ginkgo forests and its been part of Chinese herbalism for centuries. It is unlike any other tree we grow and it has become the symbol of strength, hope and peace.

Several ginkgo stood near the detonation site of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima. They not only survived the blast, but they fully recovered and are still standing. It is now regarded as a symbol of endurance and vitality.

Its long history and unusual botanical attributes have contributed to a number of myths about Ginkgo biloba.

Ginkgo Biloba Tree Myths - The Maidenhair Tree

Ginkgo Biloba Tree Myths – The Maidenhair Tree

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Plants Don’t Produce Oxygen (O2) From Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Everyone is aware of the high carbon dioxide levels in the air and its contribution to global warming. And many of you have heard that plants can convert this CO2 into oxygen. Plants are important in controlling the CO2 level, but they don’t convert CO2 into O2.

Did you know that plants also take in oxygen and produce carbon dioxide, just like animals?

All of this is a bit academic, but very interesting if you really want to understand plants.

Plants Don’t Produce Oxygen (O2) From Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

Plants Don’t Produce Oxygen (O2) From Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Photo source: Science Sparks

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Understanding Soil – A New Course Offered by Mother Earth News

Mother Earth News and I have teamed up to bring you a new course called “Understanding Soil”. This will be part of their virtual fair program called Mother Earth News Fair Online.

This course has hours of instructional information presented in 10 online workshops. Garden aficionados know that vibrant, productive gardens start with healthy, nutrient-rich soil. This new course on understanding soil is designed to go in-depth in helping you navigate this vital living ecosystem. Author and master gardener Robert Pavlis is the instructor for this ten-part program that covers topics like plant nutrients; testing soil nutrients, soil pH, and soil texture; fertilizer selection, soil myths and the rhizosphere.

Understanding Soil - A New Course Offered by Mother Earth News

Understanding Soil – A New Course Offered by Mother Earth News

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Neem Oil Insecticide and Fungicide For Plants

Neem oil has become a popular insecticide and fungicide that is used by many gardeners. The attraction is that it is natural, organic, and relatively safe. It can be used to control or kill a wide range of pests, and it’s relatively available to the consumer.

Discussions on social media suggest that neem oil controls just about any insect and disease found in the garden. Such an all inclusive product would certainly be good to add as a gardening tool, but before you do that, I suggest you read this post and get some important information about it. It is critical that you buy the right product because a lot of the commercial neem products have a limited ability to control insects.

Note: this was originally posted in GardenFundamentals.com, but I think this is a better place for it.

Neem Oil Insecticide and Fungicide For Plants, image source: Hayavadhan

Neem Oil Insecticide and Fungicide For Plants, image source: Hayavadhan

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