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GMO Myths – Understand the Truth About GMO Plants

GMOs are very controversial for two reasons. Firstly, there is a lot of misinformation out there, and secondly, GMOs are not well understood by the general public. Rather than discuss the topic in detail I have decided to focus on some of the common myths. I will present a number of GMO myths and if the reader is interested in more detail, they can look at the references.

If you have formed an opinion on GMOs based what you have read on popular websites and in newspapers, you have probably reached the wrong conclusion. The anti-GMO movement is strong and based almost entirely on emotion and fear. Science does not back up most of their claims.

GMO Myths - Understand the Truth About GMO Plants — GMO Myths – Understand the Truth About GMO Plants, source Antoine.Couturier

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Lawns Reduce CO2 Levels

Is the lawn good or bad for the environment? You can look at this problem from different points of view and today I would like to examine the specific question; do lawns reduce CO2 levels.

A study done by Scotts Miracle Gro concluded that “The lawn is a good and valued resource for sequestering carbon, even under various typical lawn management practices”. Is this really true??? The answer is more complicated than you might think.

Lawns reduce CO2 levels, source: Jeremy Page

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How to Keep Cats Out of Your Garden

Do you hate strange cats using your yard as a personal litter box? You’re not alone. Keeping cats out of your garden is a big problem that comes up all the time on social media.

In this post I’ll examine the many proposals for controlling cats to see which ones actually work. Spoiler alert – most suggests are just myths and don’t work or are not practical, but some are worth trying.

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It’s Seed Starting Time

I know it is still snowing, but this is perfect weather for winter sowing. It is also a good idea to look at your seeds and figure out which are still viable using my simple seed test. You should also start getting your equipment ready. Is this the year you order new LED lights?

Below are some excellent videos that answer many of the questions you have about starting seeds including my most popular video about using the baggy method for seed starting which now has 1.2 million views!

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Soil Calculator | How Much Soil Do You Need?

Automatically calculate the amount of soil you need in both imperial and metric units. This soil calculator shows the amount for both bulk and bag purchases and can be used for any type of material, including topsoil, compost, mulch, and gravel. It automatically calculates the soil needed – give it a try to see how easy it is.

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18 LED Grow Light Myths You Should Know About

LED Grow Lights are becoming very popular and they are a good choice if you are buying a new grow light system or upgrading your old florescent fixture. This post about LED grow light myths will save you time and money.

As with any new technology there are many myths about LED grow lights. Some are started because of a lack of knowledge by the general public, but many are started by manufacturers who are trying to sell their product. Some of them prefer to keep us in the dark so they can make outrageous claims, but the better companies don’t do this. We need to do our part and become educated consumers so that we can properly evaluate both the message being broadcast and the product itself.

Don’t go shopping for LED grow lights until you read all of this post.

LED grow light myths, showing a red and blue LED

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Best Seed Starting Mix, Including DIY

You work very hard to grow the very best seedlings you can. So start them off right and give them best seedling mix you can. I have grown over 2,000 varieties of plants from seed and wrote the book Soil Science for Gardeners. In this post I review the best commercial and DIY seed starting mixes and give you my opinion on starting your babies off right.

Two hands potting up a tomato seedling — Use the right seed starting mix

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What You Should Know About Composting Cat Litter

Composting cat litter can help keep it out of your garbage while turning the waste into something beneficial for your garden. Composting litter though is not as simple as composting food scraps and there are special risks you need to understand. However, done right it is easy and safe to compost cat litter.

cat on the toilet holding a paper towel roll — Composting cat litter is a bit harder than just sitting your cat on the toilet, photo source: flamsterette

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Can You Compost Dog Poop?

The number of dogs and cats in North America has skyrocketed and pet waste is becoming a huge problem. Can you compost dog poop?

In an urban area, leaving it where the animal dropped it is not a good idea. Collecting it and putting it in the trash bin has its own problems as you will see below. That only leaves composting, but there are also warnings about composting pet waste. Is composting really a problem? Is there a safe way to compost it? As a gardener it seems like a real waste not to use dog poop in the garden.

Dog standing on its hind feet, with a shovel and rake, picking up dog poop — Should You Compost Dog Poop?, photo source: Shmula.com

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Does Planting With The Moon Work?

The idea that the Moon affects plant growth is an old one that is believed for many moons. It can be found in the folklore of ancient societies ranging from the Celts in Britain to the Maoris in New Zealand. Roman historian, Pliny the Elder, in his History of Nature, Book 18, gives much advice on planting by the moon phases. Today, it is still a rural tradition and in most countries you can buy moon gardening calendars.

The lunar experts suggest that you pick fruit at the full moon for the market as it will weigh more and pick at the new moon for personal consumption because the fruit stores better. Seeds also germinate faster when planted under the right phase of the moon.

A picture was posted recently in a Facebook Group showing a Planting by the Moon calendar on sale. I made a comment about being surprised people still believe in such things. That was a big mistake. Dozens of people jumped on me for not being a believer. How dare I say anything derogatory about what granny believed. Not one person came to my defense. The belief in planting by moon phases is still very common.

Planting by the moon phases — Planting with the moon phases

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Vinegar Weed Killer Myth

Commercial weed killers have been banned in a number of Countries including Ontario, Canada and people are now looking for natural weed killers. Does vinegar kill weeds? Is it a natural weed killer? Let’s have a closer look at this common garden myth.

bottle of vinegar — This is NOT a good natural herbicide, source: Joe Shlabotnik

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What’s New in LED Grow Lights

LED Grow lights have come a long way in the last 5 years and there are some great new designs and changes that make these lights even more attractive to home gardeners. In this review I will have a look at some very important innovations and price changes that make LED grow lights an even better choice.

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