Growing African violets under lights allows you to control the amount of light the plants receive by changing the type of light, the distance between the plant and the light, and even the duration of light used. But how much is the best amount of light for growing and flowering African violets?
I decided to dive into the research to see what the experts say.
I have been growing houseplants for 50 years, and flushing is a critical step in the process. It makes plants grow better, it solves issues with hard/alkaline tap water and it reduces the number of times you need to replace potting media. So it saves money. Will it harm plants? If done correctly, it can’t possibly harm your plants.
View the video for this blog post: https://youtu.be/FS4g7uuVsJU
It seems like every summer now, a familiar haze blankets large parts of North America. We check the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) or PM2.5 levels before stepping outside, grab an N95 mask to walk the dog, and worry about what this toxic soup is doing to our lungs.
But as you stand in your backyard looking through that eerie orange or gray sky, you have to wonder: what about the garden? Your tomatoes, hostas, and apple trees are stuck outside breathing this stuff 24 hours a day.
Does wildfire smoke harm plants?
The internet is full of conflicting advice. Some bloggers claim smoke is great for gardens because it blocks harsh sunlight and provides carbon dioxide. Others warn that your vegetables are absorbing deadly toxins and should be thrown into the landfill.
The reality is that the smoke has both positive and negative effects. Let’s dig into the data and look at what wildfire smoke really does to plant physiology.
Watch the Video version of this blog post: https://youtu.be/vlneaGoBvIs
African violets have been grown for many years, and I have been growing them more. They are very similar to my streptocarpus and require almost the same care. Unfortunately, the large interest in the hobby has resulted in several myths. Here are the ones I have identified so far.
Streptocarpus normally have 5 petals, two upper ones and three lower ones. In many cultivars and most species the color of both the upper and lower petals are the same, or at least very similar. Some newer cultivars are known as “bicolors”. In these plants, the upper petals have one color scheme and the lower petals have a different one, hence the name bicolor. This blog post details the origin of the first bicolor streptocarpus and documents some other special characteristics of bicolors.
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
