Repotting orchids may be a little tricky because it is not the same as with other plants, but it’s easy if you know what you have to do. First you must be aware that repotting orchids is ideal for late spring or early summer. Also you must know that there are orchid types that need repotting every year while for others is sufficient once every 3 years.

When you decide to repot don’t forget to abundantly wash the orchid one day before. This will make the removal of the orchid from its pot easier for you. Now you must set up your work area and prepare your working materials. Wash your hands, clean up the working space and sanitize all the instruments needed as these might contain microbes that can hurt the orchid.

You can use the same pot with the condition to wash it thoroughly and soak it in a 10 percent solution of chlorine bleach for 30 minutes and then rinse it well. Easier would be to get a new pot for your orchid. It can be made of plastic, clay or can even be a decorator pot, but keep in mind that the type of pot you chose will influence water frequency. For example, an orchid in a clay pot will need more water than one in a plastic pot. Also be sure it is big enough to sustain two years worth of growth, but even so don’t go for a very big pot as it might not allow the medium to dry enough between watering, and in time the plant roots will take damage. Wash it thoroughly and soak it in a 10 percent solution of chlorine bleach for 30 minutes and then rinse it well.

The first thing you have to do is to remove the orchid from its former pot, turning it upside down. If the roots are stuck to the pot you can use a sanitized knife. The plant will be fine even if you damage some of the orchid’s old roots. After removing the plant, you must clean up the old pot mixture and dead roots. A dead root is easily distinguished from a healthy root by its color. A healthy root is white and firm while a dead one is brown and mushy.

If you have a big plant with six or more growths you can divide it with the condition to let at least three growths each. Orchids need good drainage so you should put a generous layer of broken crocks or plastic foam peanuts in the bottom of the pot before repotting. The potting mix should be soaked in hot water and left to dry before being used. When placing the division in the pot, position the older pseudo bulbs against one side so that the new lead has room to expand.

After repotting the orchid, water it two times a day and keep it in a shaded location until the new roots are visible and become stable. Repotting orchids is not hard if you do it correctly.

Alan Stables is a keen gardener, and one of his specialities is caring for orchids. Given optimum environment conditions depending on the various orchid types, the correct orchid food, and the right amount of sunlight and water, you too will be able to grow beautiful orchids in no time.

Organic matter that can be used to supplement your garden’s soil

Did you know that a good production of compost soil has value to it? Other than containing a varied number of nutrients, it has also been considered as the earths own treasured ‘black gold’. Organic matter that is simply converted into soil amendments helps improve the properties of the soil, while keeping the earth also teeming with hale and hearty harvests.

Healthy Soil = Healthy Plants

Organic gardening requires that you keep the soil of your garden at its best condition; and this also goes so that sustainability is also reached. Now, the ground for which the plants are basically embedded in, rely on the soil for their development and nourishment. Soil that is in good physical shape will be able to provide the necessary nutrients and moisture that plants may need throughout their growth process. In other words, the best soil simply grows only the best crops.

The nutrients contained in soil amendments

An organic soil amendment is basically composed of nutrient components; and organic compost basically contains the following elements: Calcium, Carbon, Hydrogen, Magnesium, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Sulfur. These macro and micronutrients can be usually absorbed from the soil, water, and air. Apart from these facts, these elements are also the ones that are being provided to plants to help with their ability to develop fully and to produce abundantly. A lack in any of these elements may actually inhibit a plants growth.

Why homemade compost is better

All kinds of organic-based composts are good. But the fresher the compost is, the better crops will be produced. Just take for example a worm bin composting system. A system such as this contains composting worms that work alongside beneficial microbes (good bacteria and fungi). A worm bin that is brimming with life will be capable of creating more worm castings that are filled with fresher elements for your soil to feed on.

The benefits to using worm compost as an organic soil amendment

Worm castings have been recognized as a free garden resource, and as one of many essential soil amendments (there’s leaf compost, leaf mulch, mushroom compost, animal manure, etc.). It has always been a valuable resource that’s been used to aid in building both soil and plant qualities. Now, other than helping keep the soil fertility at its best, worm castings also strengthen the retention property of the soil, making it capable of storing nutrients and water for later use.

Soil fertility can be strengthened with just a simple application of worm compost tea derived from composting worms such as Red Wigglers. You can also get more info about how to get the finest worm tea brews from GardenWorms.com/blog.

Recently I have written some vegetable gardening articles that have taken a turn towards more of a scientific approach, albeit entry level plant science as opposed to advanced horticulture, but very important, I believe, none the less. I wanted to touch on the process of pollination and what this process means for your vegetable garden.

As you may remember from science classes past, pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred, which then enables the fertilization process. Pollen is a fine yet coarse powder, which in essence, contains the male portion of what is needed during the pollination process.

Pollination occurs when pollen lands on a compatible pistil or female cone. The pistil or cone will then germinate and produce a pollen tube which then allows the transfer of the male portion to the ovule.

There are two types of pollination processes, Abiotic and Biotic. Abiotic pollination is when the pollination process occurs due to a non-living organism, such as wind. This is more common in grasses, most conifers and trees. According to the US Forest Department, roughly 10% of flowering plants are pollinated without the assistance of animals (and other living creatures). Which brings us to the next type of pollination, Biotic.

Biotic is the most common form of pollination and requires pollinators, i.e., some living thing to carry the pollen from one plant to the next. From birds, bees, and bats to moths and butterflies, they all play an important and crucial part to make this process happen.

Pollination can be accomplished either through self-pollination or cross-pollination. As you can imagine self-pollination occurs when pollen from one flower pollinates the same flower or other flowers of the same individual. Cross-pollination occurs when pollen is delivered to a flower from a different plant.

Now that you know how pollination works, you can then gather it is an important part of your vegetable garden. Most vegetable gardeners rarely think about the pollination process, that is unless, their zucchini plants produce flowers and then nothing happens, meaning pollination is not occurring. A good trick would be to manually “do” the pollination process yourself by using a cotton swab or small brush. Of course, planting flowers nearby that attract bees or butterflies would help as well.

Tomatoes self pollinate rather easily which is why they are far and way the number one item grown in the home vegetable garden in America. They require very little maintenance. Corn, however, cross pollinates, and can be difficult if not done properly, producing very little yield.

Most home vegetable gardeners want to plant seeds and forget about it. That is fine, but you should learn some of the basics about plant science so that if a problem arises, you can diagnose it and come up with a solution.

About the Author
Mike Podlesny is the author of Vegetable Gardening for the Average Person: A Guide to Vegetable Gardening for the rest of us and creator of the Seeds Club.

An indoor garden can be more than just for fun. You can use an indoor garden as a way to earn a little bit of money. With today’s difficult economic times, more people are going creative routes to make extra money. With an indoor garden, you have the capability to grow plants, flowers, fruits, and vegetables the whole year. Even during the toughest winters, you can have beautiful flowers and vegetables that no one else in your community will have. This can also be a good way to save some income feeding your family. During this hard time, groceries and produce can be a huge expense for the average person to deal with. An indoor garden can be enjoyable as well as a helpful way to feed your family while giving you some extra income.

You don’t need to spend a ton of money to have an indoor garden. It is less expensive and easier than you might believe. It only takes a few basic items to have a flourishing indoor garden. First you will need to decide on a location. It can be somewhere tiny like a closet or something more open like an attic, basement or garage. Next, you will want to invest in a hydroponic system. Hydroponics allow you to plant almost any type of flower or produce indoors. It will only cost you a little amount to set up your system and start your garden.

You will need to add some other items to your list. You might want to purchase PH strips, pots, planters, LED grow lights, and nutrient solutions. You may need more products, depending on the size of your garden. If you are on a minimal budget, you don’t have to purchase any unnecessary accessories. Some hydroponic systems will include extra products. You may not have to worry about extra accessories depending on the system you end up purchasing.

You will have to take great care and watch closely to have a successful garden. Knowledge will be just as important as a hydroponic system and grow lights. Do some research and study on the family of plants or produce you are attempting to plant indoors. You will know exactly what your indoor garden needs.

Indoor gardens are helping gardeners everywhere save money and earn money. With the bad economy, people are finding creative ways to make some extra money. You can feed your family, and make some income in an enjoyable and easy way. With the high price of groceries, you can save money on wonderful produce right from your own garden. This can be great for providing others with produce and plants they can’t usually get during certain times of year.

Stealth Grow is a branch of the larger LED manufacturer Bright Light LED. Stealth Grow is comprised of a team of experienced growers and engineers who have worked to bring LED grow lights to the forefront of indoor horticulture. We manufacture our own components and as a result have an incredible amount of flexibility in testing our products like the SG 1250. Our lights bring the most advanced combination of spectrum and intensity of any LED grow lights.

Bring big dividends on your garden by composting fallen leaves

Nature has its ways of coping with the changes in time, just like the way each temperate season changes. Each season leaves behind something precious afterwards, like fallen leaves during autumn for instance. The leaves start to fall from the trees and shrubs at this point in time. But what can be done after these fallen leaves have been raked off from the ground? There are actually plenty of approaches, and one option is through composting. You can learn more about turning leaves into organic compost by reading further of this page.

What to do with fallen leaves

Leaves are precious even after these have fallen from the ground. You can rake these, and have the leaves placed on top of your shrubs or trees, or gathered into a pile on your garden. It’s highly encouraged to gather as much of these greeneries from the bare earth. These can also be turned into compost, and can instantly be used as a form of garden compost or mulch.

Leaf collection

Leaves come in different forms, and may also come in different colors. Your leaves typically turn into just two shades – green and brown. Green leaves are rich in nitrogen, while brown leaves are packed with carbon. You can also add some grass clippings to add more nitrogen-rich material. This mixture can also create a rich soil blend, the kind that will surely enrich your garden soil with supplemental and organic nourishment. Take for example the students at Gaia College, who were taught to gather leaves for their gardening project. They made sure to collect as much leaves as they can to help create a layered compost pile.

How to create leaf compost

Compost basically means the process of breaking down organic matter, with the help of beneficial organisms (good bacteria, fungi, bugs, etc.). Fallen leaves for this matter, compost better when these are also cut into smaller pieces. These free resources can either be placed into a leaf shredder or be run over using a lawnmower. This will help reduce the bulk from the leaves, and to prevent these from matting (a matted pile will only hinder the contents exposure to air and water). You can also create a pile as an outdoor heap, or arrange one inside a compost bin. Now, have these mixed altogether, and wait for a few months until the finished product is produced. Finished leaf compost will look just like a brown soil material.

Composting leaves during fall

The fall season can probably be the best time to get into composting, as there are a lot of garden scraps that can be used. Breanne Heath, a Field Training specialist, also believes so. Breanne is a specialist for a Chicago organic farm job-training program, Growing Home, who oversees six bins that are filled with shredded leaves. She helps create new leaf compost batches with her trainees.

Leaf composting not only produces free organic compost. These raw materials are also being reprocessed to help enrich both soil and plant properties. Learn more about turning leaves into compost at GardenWorms.com.

An orchid farm has an important role to play. Besides providing beauty, orchids also make up the largest plant family. Orchids grow wild in many countries around the world. Indeed there are thousands of species. The different types of orchids can be classified in several ways. Each has its own preference as far as watering, fertilizing and lighting are concerned. Even though it is the largest plant family, many orchids have been placed on the endangered list. This is because much of their natural habitats no longer exist. Forests of all kinds have been cut down for lumber and development. The land loses much of its natural vegetation when it is cleared for a new shopping center or housing development. Because of this, orchid farms have become more important to the preservation of these plants.

Like the plants that they take care of, orchid farms have faced destruction in favor of modern conveniences and expansion. In Somerset County, New Jersey, the Duke Gardens once housed an impressive display of ferns and orchids in its Georgian Garden. The Duke Gardens was a collection of many different plants created by Doris Duke in honor of her father. It was decided that the location of the Duke Gardens would be ideal for a new environment and learning center. The gardens were dismantled in 2008 and replaced by the learning center. The good news is that their plants were not tossed aside. Rather, new homes were found for them on the campus.

In Singapore, Orchidville, as well as orchid farms along the Cheng Lim Farmways and Buangbok Farmways were decimated and replaced with new developments. Orchidville, once the largest orchid farm in Singapore, was turned into the Mandai Depot. It is now a full service train depot. The two farmways were orchid farms temporarily leased to revitalize old pig farm land. They became the Sengkang New Town and Punggol New Town housing developments.

Luckily, not all orchid farms have gone the same way as these have. The Sessa Orchid Sanctuary in India boasts over two hundred species, including twelve species that are considered to be classified as rare. What’s even better is that the twelve rare species span multiple orchid families. New Zealand farms many of these flowers in the area of Rotokauri in western Hamilton. Unique to this area is that all of its orchids are grown under glass. The money that these farms bring in also greatly improves the local economy. The country of Thailand thrives on the income and tourist attractions created by its numerous orchid farms. For the preservation of the largest plant family, an orchid farm plays an important role.

Alan Stables is a keen gardener, and one of his specialities is caring for orchids. Given optimum environment conditions depending on the various orchid types, the correct orchid food, and the right amount of sunlight and water, you too will be able to grow beautiful orchids in no time.

Eating Your Own Garden Vegetables.

There is nothing better than sitting down to a fresh salad of crispy lettuce, firm pink tomatoes, onion, peppers and cucumber, all freshly taken from your own garden.

There after, a beautiful baked potato, garnished with broccoli or cauliflower, also from the soil of your own garden. The cost of this fresh healthy food, almost nothing.

Most of the rubbish we throw in our bins, that gets taken away and dumped, like old vegetable peels, leaves, twigs and most debris we call rubbish, aside from plastic, can be put back in the garden to enrich the soil, and grow good healthy vegetables.

Apart from these vegetables costing you only the price of watering them, they are far fresher than any Super Market can sell them to you for, and they even taste much better when coming straight out of the garden.

Another big plus for eating from your own garden is that you know that the vegetables are free of pesticides, which Farmers use to keep their vegetables free of insects and birds.

Location is also very important when growing vegetables, as different vegetables thrive in different climates, and it would be best to see which vegetables would suit your climate for growing purposes.

I have the good fortune of living in one of the best all year round climates in the World. Here in the City of Johannesburg, in South Africa, we are located six thousand feet above sea level, and although it is not the best location for vegetable growing, it is good enough with our summer rains and low humidity with plenty sun for vegetables to thrive in.

I also grow a Zimbabwean delicacy known as chimolia, which is like a spinach type of vegetable, and You just plant the stalks, and the next thing, you have new shoots growing. I even sell bunches of chimolia to the locals and that covers the cost of watering the vegetables when there is no rain.

Potatoes only take a short while to grow too, about a month after planting them, you can take them out of the ground as you need. You don’t even have to spend money or waste time driving to the Super Market to buy potatoes that have probably been dug out of the soil about a week ago or in some cases even longer. Cool hey! Your tomatoes as well, you pick as you need, and they’re firm and crispy, a real delicacy.

It is also a great feeling of achievement, when you sit down to your meal, to know that all This lovely food comes out of your own garden, planted by you.

Ian Russell Smith.

I am Very Passionate about my Online Marketing Business, and Dedicated to Helping Others to Succeed.
I also Enjoy Helping People Who Want to Succeed in What They’re Doing.

People everywhere love growing their own fruits and vegetables, but very few have the space to do it in. Anyone can grow correctly and in a very small space today because grow technologies have evolved so much. Today, growing vegetables is efficient and safe, without all the bad factors classic grow containers come with.

The casing of the grow box is the most essential part to buy. Containers that are uncomplicated to modify and access are probably what will serve the person best. Large plants could even be grown, but a two door metal cabinet would need to be used in that case. The only thing that the individual must pay attention to is purchasing a box that is not made from flammable materials. A house fire can be sidestepped by containing the fire within one area instead of letting it spread.

Constructing a box has many options, but only a couple of necessities. Secure mounts for the grow lights are necessary, and a ventilation system is needed for certain types of bulbs. Since they produce such little heat, LED grow lights are sometimes used for grow rooms where room is an issue. These kinds of lights are also very power efficient, so they will put far less of a hurt on the power bill.

Adding tin foil or some other reflective material to the walls helps transfer light through the setup. In order to offer enough carbon dioxide, it is also great to add a ventilation system. If smell is a problem with what is being grown, an exhaust fan can be added with a small charcoal or other air purifier to remove the smell. Concealed units can have external feeding methods in case they are hidden and hard to open. As with any grow operation, a light timer should always be included in the setup so the person does not have to worry about always turning the light on and off.

Many people add reflective material to the sides to transfer the lighting better. In order to offer enough carbon dioxide, it is also great to add a ventilation system. If smell is an issue with certain types of plants, sometimes air filters are added, so that the odor of the home is kept the same. Another popular option is adding watering lines, which allow for daily watering and nutrient supplementation to be performed without opening the box up. As with any grow operation, a light timer should always be included in the setup so the individual does not have to bother with always turning the light on and off.

The box itself can have some problems that are not recognizable yet, and the individual should really start with a simple to manage soil setup for their plants. Usually these boxes can be opened for water or nutrients to be added, but when they are covered or placed aside this can prove challenging. It is good to test the box first since hydro systems can be added in later at any time.

Stealth Grow is a branch of the larger LED manufacturer Bright Light LED. Stealth Grow is comprised of a team of experienced growers and engineers who have worked to bring LED grow lights to the forefront of indoor horticulture. We manufacture our own components and as a result have an incredible amount of flexibility in testing our products like the SG 1250. Our lights bring the most advanced combination of spectrum and intensity of any LED grow lights.

The dreaded pest that seems to takeover ones lawn once it gains a foothold. Whether it is chickweed, speedwell, knotweed, henbit, clover, speedwell, ground ivy, violets, plantain, or the one I personally hate most, dandelions. They are all an ancient old enemy of lawn and garden enthusiasts.
Why all the fuss? Well to answer that we first need to know this. What exactly is a weed?

Weeds are unwanted plants that grow out of place at any given time. However, that said, just because a plant is a weed, does not mean it does not have its use. For example Ground Ivy is a weed, and has many plausible applications in landscaping, but it is most useful in preventing ground erosion. So weeds can be good and bad, depending on the circumstances. When it comes to one’s lawn and or garden then weeds are much less favorable. Weeds interfere with plant growth; they rob nutrients from the area, compete for moisture and light and take up space. Not to mention some weeds have an unsightly and unmanaged appearance to any lawn or landscape, and will greatly reduce the aesthetic value.

Weeds also can be a breeding ground for rodents and plant diseases. In some situations weeds can even pose a health risk to humans, a common example of this would be poison ivy, oak, or sumac.

A successful weed management program should include all available control options, rather than rely one alone, also such programs should minimize one’s labor. Site preparation, cultural practices, means of mechanical control, and even herbicides are all part of an integrated approach to managing weeds.

An essential part of any integrated pest management program is proper identification, and understanding the growth and development of said pests. One must regularly monitor their landscape if it is susceptible to weeds, and other pests. By doing so you will be able to identify and control new weeds before they have the chance to become a problem.

When using spot treatment herbicides carefully read and follow the manufactures specifications, and directions of application. All too common someone will use an over the counter weed control product, only to find out that they have also killed the plants that were intended to keep, One’s grass for example. Because most plants are classified as a grasses (except sedges, which are neither grasses, or broadleaves, but hold characteristics of grasses), herbaceous broadleaves, or woody plants, one needs to pay close attention to what the product is intended for. This among several other reasons is why it is best to leave any pest and weed control up to a licensed professional. There are many restrictions that are in place to insure the safety of both humans, and the environment.

So next time you pick up that container of any old herbicide at your local garden center, think before you act. If you don’t know what you’re doing it is probably best to leave it to you lawn care provider. However if you are still a hard pressed DIYer then simply read and follow the instructions, remember always better to use not enough, rather than to much when starting out.

Same can be said for fertilizations; for example, you got yourself a bag of fertilizer, and one of those fancy little applicators, so now what?

The first thing one should know about fertilizers is the three (3) numbers on the bag. Ever wonder what those numbers mean? The numbers stand for the ratio of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium the fertilizer contains and, in that order.

So a bag of 10, 05, 20 would contain 10% N, 5% P, and 20%K. Nitrogen (N) the first number, promotes green growth. Phosphorous (P) the second number, promotes root and bloom growth. Potassium, (K) being the last number, is used for over all turf health.

Now that we have a basic understanding of what exactly weeds are, how fertilizer works and how to read the nutrient levels in the bag, lets discus how to keep a beautiful green lush lawn.

When first seeding a lawn you would want to use a higher percentage of nitrogen, (to green it up) early spring. About mid spring, switch to higher percentage of phosphorous, or a good “Balanced” fertilizer, to promote the health of the turf. So one to green it up, and one to keep it green. Always remember most fertilizer applications are based on pounds per 1,000 square feet.

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You can grow rosemary in a container. These herb plants are ideal for growing in your favorite pots. Because they usually need to be brought indoors for the winter, they are a perfect choice for container gardening. They will provide you with an abundance of flavorful leaves for your cooking delight. By following a few helpful tips you can have a plentiful supply of this herb for your kitchen use.

Container gardening is the ideal method for the propagation of this species. You should start your plants from a greenhouse purchase or with cuttings. The medium is the first thing that you need. A good high quality potting mix is essential for good growth. A number of different companies offer good quality mixes for your use.

Terra cotta is the ideal material that your container should be made of. This product easily dries out and allows for the roots to be able to achieve maximum growth. It is important to make sure that the roots on your plant can get plenty of oxygen. This prevents many problems that are associated with root rot.

If you want to use cuttings to start your plant, this is easy to do. Simply find a mature plant that has many sprigs you can use for cuttings. These should be fairly big so that there is room for root growth. You should snip off all of the leaves on the bottom of the cutting and then dip this in rooting hormone. Your cutting should then be placed in a pot and kept moist and humid for two weeks. After this time, roots should be starting to develop. You can test for root growth by gently tugging on your plant.

It is very easy to dry these plants out for use in your kitchen. You should first clean and inspect the branches for any insects. These branches should then be bundled up and placed in a paper bag to air dry. By keeping them in a warm, airy room, the leaves will dry out in no time. Once they are completely dry, you can put them in a bottle or other storage container.

You can grow rosemary in a container. This is the ideal way to grow this flavorful herb. Since these plants need to be brought indoors for the winter, you need to make sure that your plants are mobile. When the temperatures get above freezing, you can then put the plants outside in a sunny spot.

Alan Stables is learning how to grow herbs indoors including growing cilantro and rosemary, and is currently experimenting on fertility herbs. Check out his findings.