Fasciation is an abnormal growth found in over 100 vascular plant families that forms weird-looking roots, stems, and flowers. The science is not well understood, but citizen scientists can contribute to our body of knowledge.
Become fascinated with fasciation.
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I went shopping for some compost and was surprised at what I found on the label. Most of the contents in a bag of compost are NOT compost!
Cool season crops are cold-hardy vegetables that thrive at lower temperatures. They are typically planted in very early spring for an early summer harvest. This includes things like lettuce, spinach, peas, carrots, radishes, beets, cabbage, and onions.
Such seeds are normally planted as soon as the soil can be worked. It is usually still cold and they can even get snow and frost. The seeds of cool-season crops don’t seem to have a problem dealing with these harsh conditions. I’ve been gardening for 50 years and have given classes on vegetable gardening and made many videos on the topic. I have always told people to plant their cool-season seed as soon as they can. That is the advice everyone gives. But ….. we may have been doing it wrong!
I have been growing Streptocarpus for several years, doing a lot of breeding to develop new cultivars. A couple of years ago, I got a seedling that was a stable peloric. Its offspring have now flowered, and I have several pelorics. These are a bit more common in Europe, but few people seem to be breeding them in North America, so I decided to start a breeding program for them.
The purpose of this blog post is to document both my journey and the information I find about breeding peloric streptocarpus, which seems fairly limited.
Here is a quote that was posted in our Facebook Group: “If you give a tomato plant too much nitrogen, it grows lots of green stuff, but not many tomatoes. Apparently, for maximum production, you have to intentionally starve it of nitrogen a little bit to force it into fruit mode. What is the “right” amount of nitrogen and when?”
I have seen this claim before. Too much nitrogen produces too many leaves and little fruit. But is the claim correct? Should gardeners reduce nitrogen levels as the plant starts producing fruit?
Watch the video version of this post: https://youtu.be/IyKjz77edm4
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I see a lot of online comments from people who feel their tap water isn’t suitable for plants. People are moving towards distilled, RO water, or rainwater instead. Is this necessary? Is your tap water a problem?
The following are some concerns people have.
Tap water is rarely a problem for outdoor gardens growing in real soil, but it can be a problem for houseplants and plants growing in soilless mixes, and that is the focus of this post.
Heavy, sticky clay soil is a problem for gardeners who will try anything to make the soil easier to dig. One proposed option is expanded shale.
Does it work? Should you use it?
Watch the YouTube version of this post: https://youtu.be/tBChiT11Ba4
For millennia, wool has been prized as a textile fiber, valued for its warmth, durability, and moisture-wicking properties. Is it also a great soil amendment and fertilizer in the garden?
Watch the video for this post here: https://youtu.be/nC3h7vkPozY
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I was working on a new video about growing tomatoes in hot climates and found all kinds of suggestions about the best NPK for tomatoes. Much of that information was wrong. People are just picking numbers out of the air.
What does science say?
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Humidity is a form of water, and water is critical for plant growth. We can all sense high and low humidity, but what effect do these extremes have on plants? How does a gardener control humidity to help plants grow well?
Let’s clarify the misunderstandings and myths about providing humidity for plants.
I have been growing orchids for over 40 years, and at one point, I grew over 1,000 orchids. Whenever I was asked about the best orchid pot, I responded with the same answer. Any green plastic pot will work just fine. If it had a raised bottom with drainage holes at the bottom rim (azalea pot), to allow better water drainage, that would be better, but any pot will work.
That answer is still correct. We know that because most hobbyists use that kind of pot.
However, there is some new research that suggests a clear pot may be better. Let’s have a look at what the new science says.
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Plant identification apps for phones and tablets have become very popular, but they are not all created equally. In this article, I will compare 7 popular apps to see which ones perform best.
I’ll also provide pros and cons for each app.
