Plant Care Archives - Page 3 of 9

Growing Orchids in Water Culture – Is It A Good Idea?

I first came across water culture for orchids about 5 years ago. My immediate reaction was horror. I’ve been growing orchids for over 30 years and the thing that kills more orchids than anything else is overwatering. Now people suggest submersing the roots in water full time – that’s crazy – or is it?

Some people seem to be able to grow them well in water. The picture below is a large glass vessel containing several phalaenopsis orchids in water culture and they seem to be doing well. I am also part of a Facebook group dedicated to orchid water culture and I have personally tried both full and semi-water culture. In this post I will review the pros and cons of the technique and give you my impressions. I will answer the question, is this a good technique for growing orchids?

Growing Orchids in Water Culture - Is it A Good Idea? — Growing Orchids in Water Culture – Is it A Good Idea?

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Selecting the Best Potting Soil and Potting Mix

While creating some videos about potting soil (links below) I reviewed a lot of commercial products, looking at both ingredients and marketing claims. What a mess out there! It’s no wonder gardeners are confused when they go out an buy a potting mix. I created this post to try and bring some clarity to the situation.

I will go through a process of selecting a good product while pointing out the important issues and showing you what marketing gibberish you can ignore. This discussion applies to potting soil for houseplants, outdoor containers and starting seeds.

Selecting the Best Potting Soil and Potting Mix, credit: Pistils Nursery

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Are Fungal to Bacterial Ratios (F:B Ratio) Important for Plant Growth?

It has been known for some time that the ratio of fungi to bacteria varies in different types of soil and in different plant communities. Forests have a higher ratio of fungi while grassland and agricultural soil is higher in bacteria. This has led to the idea that plants grow best when the fungal to bacterial ratio is matched to their needs. Gardeners should not only monitor their fungi to bacteria ratio, but also modify the soil to change it.

In this post I will look at the science support this idea.

Are Fungal to Bacterial Ratios Important for Plant Growth?

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Fluoride Toxicity in Plants – Is Tap Water Harmful?

Many municipalities add fluoride to tap water and fluoride can be toxic to plants, so is this a problem? Is tap water harming your plants and what can you do about it?

A quick search on the internet reveals lists of fluoride sensitive plants – how sensitive are they and should you stop growing these if your tap wat has added fluoride?

Let’s have a look at the facts regarding fluoride and plants.

Fluoride Toxicity in Plants - Is Tap Water Harmful? — Fluoride Toxicity in Plants – Is Tap Water Harmful?, credit National Gardening Association

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Watering Plants in the Sun – Do Water Droplets Damage Leaves?

Common advice: you should not water the garden at midday because the water droplets act like magnifying glasses and will burn leaves. Is this true?

There are other similar beliefs that have nothing to do with plants. Many dermatology websites say that water droplets on skin will burn it. In the forest industry, it is believed that a rain drop can heat dry leaves to the point of ignition and cause forest fires.

Common sense and science will reveal the truth.

Watering Plants in the Sun - Do Water Droplets Damage Leaves? — Watering Plants in the Sun – Do Water Droplets Damage Leaves?

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Best Way to Fix Root Bound Plants, Before Planting

Many plants purchased from nurseries are root bound, also called pot bound, and the internet provides a variety of suggestions for dealing with this problem. Slice the sides, cut the bottom off, butterfly them or don’t do anything at all. Which method is best?

Is the best fix for this problem different for different kinds of plants? Should trees be treated the same perennials or annuals?

Let’s see what the science says.

Best Way to Fix Root Bound Plants, Before Planting

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Washing Tree Roots Before Planting

In a previous post I described the right way to plant a tree or shrub. If you follow that process you will have success most of the time. Today, I’d like to look at a new method for treating trees before planting; washing and pruning roots.

Science does not stand still. Tree researchers are continually looking at ways to improve the planting process and in recent years a new way of handling the tree roots has come to light. It goes against everything that makes common sense, but it could have some benefits.

Washing Roots Before Planting Trees — Washing Tree Roots Before Planting, photo source: Tony Fischer

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How To Debug Plants Before Bringing Them Indoors

Growing marginally hardy or non-hardy plants in cold climates usually involves growing them in containers and moving them indoors before winter. Everyone loves to see houseplants flourish when grown outside during warmer months – but no one likes bugs hitchhiking back inside! Fortunately, there are ways to remove unwelcome insects before they enter your home.

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Feeding Plants From the Kitchen – Which Products Actually Work?

What do you give plants to drink besides water and plant food? This question was asked on Facebook and I was surprised at the number of household kitchen products that are given to plants. What did not surprise me was that not a single person provided any evidence that any of them actually worked.

A very common expression people use to justify their actions is, “my plants love it”.

I hate that phrase. Plants do not show love – they don’t even say thank you. If you give something to a healthy plant you have no way of knowing if it is harming the plant or doing some good, unless you see huge changes in the plant, and even then the changes could be due to any number of other causes.

In this post I discuss 13 items people feed to plants.

Feeding Plants From the Kitchen - Which Products Actually Work? — Feeding Plants From the Kitchen – Which Products Actually Work?, source: Kitchn

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Wood Chip Mulch Myths

The use of wood chips for mulch is very popular but there are also many myths about it. Will it rob nitrogen from the soil? Is the dye on black mulch toxic? Do wood chips attract termites and can it ignite spontaneously?

These are just some of the myths I’ll investigate in this post.

Wood Chip Mulch Myths, source: Cindy Shebley

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Is Fish Fertilizer Better Than Compost?

Fish fertilizer is a common organic fertilizer that is recommended for both houseplants and the garden. It has a strong following and its proponents feel that it is better than any other type of fertilizer, but how does it really stack up against the most common organic fertilizer; compost?

Fish fertilizer – are the accolades true, or a bit fishy?

Compost vs Fish Fertilizer, by Garden Fundamentals

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21 Common Indoor Plant Myths – That Save You Time and Money

The popularity of indoor plants has skyrocketed in the last year and so have the myths surrounding them. I have gathered a long list of common houseplant myths to save you the trouble of making mistakes and getting into bad habits. Each myth has a brief description, and where appropriate, a link to a more detailed discussion.

Growing indoor plants is fairly easy if you take some time to research the plant you are growing and follow some basic rules. Don’t get sucked into internet hype about new ways to deal with problems. Experienced gardeners keep things simple.

Common Houseplant Myths That Save You Time and Help Plants Grow Better, photo by Proline

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