Mycorrhizal Inoculant products have been around for more than 10 years but the number of products available is rapidly growing. Clearly manufacturers are finding customers willing to pay for these products, but are they worth the money? Do they work? Are companies able to provide solid evidence that their products work?
I have done an investigation and you will be surprised by the results.
It’s planting time and most fertilizer manufacturers and nurseries are pushing their high phosphorus products, usually under names like Plant Starter, Root Booster and the one I really like “MegaMass”. These fertilizers claim to “supply the high phosphorus needed for rapid root development”.
Who doesn’t want good roots on their newly planted babies? Are roots not the key to great plants?
Let’s have a look at this extremely common myth.
Fertilizing orchids has always been a mystery for the novice orchid grower, but once you understand your orchids it is very easy, as I’ll show you below.
It’s no surprise that fertilizing orchids is confusing since manufacturers go out of their way to make it complex. First of all, they sell special containers labeled for orchids. Here is your first news flash – there is no such thing as orchid fertilizer, and I will prove it below.
Secondly, they sell products you don’t need, like this orchid plant food mist. Not only is misting not good for orchids, but they don’t need a foliar fertilizer. If you think that misting helps keep the humidity high, have a look at Increasing Humidity for Indoor Plants – What works and What Doesn’t. But even that does not bother me too much. What really ticks me off is the price they charge for these products – its criminal.
Ladybugs, which are also called ladybirds and lady beetles are good predators for things like aphids and many people recommend buying them as a natural method of pest control in the garden.
Does this work? Should you buy ladybugs for the garden?
“Virtually every year, a new product appears on the market that claims to be the answer for the elimination of mosquito nuisance. In nearly every case, the promotion is accompanied by a great deal of advertising, but the merits of the product are rarely backed with scientific testing. The American public has invested billions of dollars in zappers, repellers, and plants that claim they will keep mosquitoes from biting. ”
This quote is from Dr. Wayne J. Crans, Professor of Entomology, Rudgers .
In this post I will review a number of products for keeping mosquitoes away and determine if they work. Unless specified differently, the following quotes are taken from Dr. Crans’ report.
Growing orchids is popular now that plant prices have come down and people are starting to learn how to grow the plants. For orchids to do well they need to to be repotted regularly in a good airy media.
In recent years, suppliers of commercial potting mixtures have switched from clear bags to white bags. There are probably some good financial reasons for doing this, but it also causes a problem; you can’t see what you are buying. For regular soil that isn’t as much of a problem, but for orchid media it is a big concern.
Jiffy peat pellets, also called Jiffy pellets and Jiffy-7, are a convenient way to start seeds. Just add water to the small pellets and they expand, ready for us. Place a seed in the top and in no time you will have happy seedlings.
This all sounds like a good idea, but how well do plants grow? Are the pellets bio-degradable in the garden?
Someone on a social site asked if anyone knew of a light meter that would measure the amount of light in their garden. I burst out in laughter thinking this was a great joke. Then someone posted a link to just such a product; the Sunlight Calculator. I cried. Are people really buying such a product?
