Baking soda in the garden seems to be the next fad. Numerous videos and blog posts tout the many ways you can use baking soda, but do any of these hacks work?
It’s a pesticide, a herbicide, a fertilizer and it makes tomatoes taste sweeter. You can even use it to measure the pH of your soil. It’s a wonder product for the garden. You might think that is all nonsense, but there is some truth in some of the claims. In this post I will look at the claims and separate fact from manure.
Indoor plants are not too fussy about the water they get, but certain conditions like pH, alkalinity, hardness, chlorine, and sodium levels are a concern. If the water is not suitable, plants fail to grow properly and may die. Many gardeners blame themselves for having black thumbs when, in fact, their problem is “black” water.
In this post, I will discuss things that you can do to try and correct any water issues you might have.
There are many different sources of water that can be used for plants including tap water, reverse osmosis water, softened water, and rain water. What are the differences between these and which are the best ones for plants?
When someone says, ” I just use tap water for my plants” you really have no idea what type of water they are using. It could be water straight from a municipal service or from a well. It could also be water that has gone through a softening process or a reverse osmosis system. It could be naturally hard or soft or it might contain a lot of sodium chloride. All of these can come out of a water tap.
In this post I will discuss the various types of water and how they affect plants. In a future post I will give some practical advice for solving problems you might have.
Alkalinity is used incorrectly by many gardeners and even garden writers. I’ll bet I’ve made this mistake. If you think alkalinity refers to a high pH, you should read this post.
You have probably heard that chlorine in tap water is harmful to plants. Some cities have switched to using chloramine in tap water and that is also a concern for plants because it is much harder to remove before watering indoor plants.
What is the difference between chlorine and chloramine? Will they harm your plants? How can you remove them from tap water? These are all good questions gardeners should be able to answer and in this post, I will help you do just that.
A common quote on the internet is, “It’s best to use strongly scented plants for companion planting because they confuse pests looking for their host plant.” This is a commonly voiced opinion, and it usually follows with a list of fragrant plants that make good companion plants, such as marigolds, onions, mint, chives, lavender, wormwood, and many other herbs.
This seems to make perfect sense. Insects looking to lay eggs on a cabbage might be confused when they smell a marigold and leave the area thinking there are no cabbages.
Read any of the thousands of websites and books about companion planting and they all agree; that strongly scented plants are your best option. The only problem is that none of these suggestions are based on science. ………. The facts are going to surprise you.
Is it safe to use coffee grounds in the garden? Coffee grounds are routinely recommended for the garden, but in the last couple of years, I’ve seen several articles about the possible harm coffee grounds do to plants and soil. Just because it is free organic material does not mean it is something you should be using.
In this post, I will look at several of the claims made against using coffee grounds in the garden and determine their validity.
To soak or not to soak, that is the question Hamlet would have asked if he liked growing peas. Lots of people recommend soaking peas before planting, but does it do any good? Will soaking peas speed up germination? Will it produce fruits sooner?
Dry pea seed is extremely wrinkled and soaking in water plumps them right up. It is also known that seeds need to absorb water before the germination process can start. Soaking peas before planting makes perfect sense but what happens in the garden. Is there really a benefit to soaking?
Sun mapping your garden will help you buy the right plant and place it in the right location. Plants grow best if you give them the right amount of sun, and the only way to do this is to know how much sun each of your garden spaces gets. In this post, I will show you a very easy way to get this information and develop your personalized sun map.
Aspirin rooting hormone is recommended as one of the best rooting hormones for plant cuttings. Dissolve an aspirin tablet in water and soak cuttings in it for an hour. It increases the chance of rooting – or so it is claimed on many DIY sites – but does it work?
How do you winterize pond plants? Pond plants seem to be segregated into their own little class of plants, but they are not all that different from regular plants. Non-hardy garden plants need protection in winter and so do non-hardy pond plants. The hardy ones in both groups can be mostly left alone.
This is the first of a two part post that will provide detailed information on how to winterize pond plants. This post will provide general information that applies to all pond plants. Part II will provide more detailed information on some specific plants.
Seedling Heat Mats are used by quite a few people and many web sites suggest that they are required for germination. But other people never use them; so are they really necessary? What, if any advantage do they offer? Can you grow better plants if you use a seedling heating mat to germinate seeds?
In this post I will look at the truth about seedling heat mats.
