Home Improvement Tips

Layering is a safe, sure, simple way to increase many types of plants, and particularly the climbers and danglers with which this book is concerned. The first requirement is that the plant have long, lax or drooping stems – which vining plants do. The rest is easy, because the stem is not severed from the parent until the new plant is well rooted and can survive on its own. Humidifying devices, bottom heat, and close protection are seldom called for.

Garden plants layer readily, sometimes even spontaneously. And layering is equally easy for indoor or greenhouse vines. A wandering stem or runner is simply pinned down on the soil in a nearby pot, and severed when it is securely rooted.

Ground layering in the garden takes place at the base of the parent plant. Loosen and lighten a small section of soil, and mix in some peat or other humus to help hold moisture. Select a firm, semiwoody stem, and open the thick skin in one of several ways to speed up rooting. The stem can be nicked underneath with a sharp knife, or split and held open by a small piece of toothpick or match, or simply twisted just enough to break the outside skin and separate a few of the inside tissues. Some plants insist on rooting at or near a node, others don’t care where. And some softer stems don’t even need to be nicked.

Now, bend down the long branch and bury the portion to be rooted in the prepared soil, leaving the tip section of the branch sticking up. Anchor it with a stone, clothespin, or crossed sticks. When the buried stem is well rooted, cut the old branch between new and parent plant, and transplant or pot the offspring.

Simple ground-layering can be modified or embroidered so that more than one plant is produced from each operation. In serpentine layering the stems are covered with soil at intervals, with sections of the stem looping up in the air between. Multiple, or continuous, layering works on plants and vines that root readily all along the stem or branch. The entire stem is buried, except for the tip, and new plants that come up at intervals are cut apart and transplanted.

Air layering is a procedure for thick, upright, canelike stems. The stem is nicked or opened near a node or not, depending on the plant; and that section of the stem is enclosed in a ball of moist sphagnum moss. This is held in place by a firm bandage of polyethylene, a plastic that permits passage of air but holds in moisture, tied to the stem at each end of the ball with soft cord. Check occasionally to make sure the sphagnum has not dried out. When you see roots inside the plastic, cut off the stem just below that point and pot up the new plant, its root ball intact in the moss.

Thomas Fryd shares his years of plant growing experience providing tips, advice and helpful resources on topics like brugmansia angel trumpet. Get to know www.plant-care.com stand out from the crowd in the world of lawn, garden landscaping, vines and house plants.

Most Enthusiastic gardeners agree that gardening is a grand adventure with thrilling experiences at almost every turn. Yet as I look around among my gardening acquaintances. I am amazed to find that many miss much of the joy of their hobby by limiting their activities to the few short months of summer.

There are many ways the hobby of gardening can be an absorbing enterprise the entire year, and one of them is by allowing the seed and nursery catalogs to carry you through strange and exciting adventures during the winter.

There is an idea abroad among matter-of-fact gardeners that a seed or nursery catalog is merely sales literature for ordering plant materials. Their catalogs are discarded after their needs are ordered so as not to clutter up the house. They miss the pleasure and instruction which can be theirs from the correct use of catalogs.

To make clear what one gardener thinks is correct use, let me recount a few of the exciting adventures that have come my way during the years in which I have let seed and nursery catalogs be a part of my year-round living, but please overlook the perpendicular pronoun if it becomes too prominent!

Let us assume that this winter evening a raging blizzard prevents you from going out. A new seed catalog has arrived in the day’s mail. Your evening is not lost, because your catalog will provide you entertainment if you will approach it in the right manner. As you sit down in your snowbound living room, let us suppose that your catalog falls open to the muskmelon section and that your attention is directed to one of the new hybrids.

Its description is so enticing you wonder what gardeners did before the days of hybrids. Then begins a delightful journey into the past, and if I happened to be the snowbound gardener, the journey would go something like this: I would reach for my file of old catalogs to be reminded of some of ths; good old varieties perhaps no longer available. I could no doubt recall the first time I tasted the superb quality. Then my glance might fall on an old Maurice Fuld catalog, and fancy would surely run rampant, finally coming to rest, no doubt, on a Japanese variety-perhaps, with “the sweetness of `honey dew’ and the delightful flavor of a high quality pear.”

From here, I might travel the uncertain road followed by De Candolle throughout the world in his search for the muskmelon’s origin. I would see Africans on the banks of the Niger gathering and eating little wild plum-sized melons which Thonning named Cucumis arenarius; and inhabitants of Northern India eating the wild form, which Roxburgh called C. turbinatus. A variable plant with fruit from the size of a plum to that of a lemon, its flesh may be sweet, insipid (such as some of the modern kinds we grew the past sunless summer) or slightly acid.

My mental wanderings would next take me to the hills of Persia, now Iran, where in modern times the world’s best melons are grown. Then, if I had more time and did not get too sleepy, I could follow the muskmelon from its introduction into Europe, perhaps about the beginning of the Christian era, to the present, savoring many of my own cultures during the years that I have grown muskmelons. Eventually I would return to the new hybrid described in my new catalog.

As you can see the world of the landscape and garden does not only happen in the greenhouse or outside in the dirt.

Keith Markensen continues to grow his education and enjoys sharing that knowledge providing resources, advice and tips on topics like ligustrum bonsai care. Uncover more at www.plant-care.com increase your education of houseplants, outdoor color, lawns and landscape.

Home gardeners find that rooting scented-leaved geraniums is not always easy. Often they have a favorite plant they want to propagate and after several attempts meet with failure. Among the many kinds, some root very easily, while others are very tricky.

Of the popular scented-leaved geraniums, the lemon-scented and the rose-scented varieties root easily and quickly under common propagating methods.

The lemon-scented (Pelargonium crispum) is a small stemmed plant, with tiny crinkled leaves, which requires considerably more water than most geraniums. Take cuttings about 3-3/4 inches long and trim off all leaves from the bottom up to 1-1/4 inches. Make a clean cut beneath an eye, dip the end into 3X rooting powder and insert the cuttings in clean sand, deep enough so that the lower leaves do not touch the sand. Shade until signs of growth are evident. Then remove shade and keep plants a little drier.

Oak-leaved varieties (Pelargonium quercifolium) are not too difficult. Take tender cuttings, but if they are hardened, root them under drier conditions. A 1X rooting powder is best. Practically all hardy and easy-to-root as well are the flowering scented varieties, none of which demand anything beyond normal cultural conditions. Here again water well, and allow the sand to become rather dry, but not arid, before watering again.

Spice-scented and fruit-scented varieties vary considerably in their needs, but here is how some of the more familiar kinds should be handled.

Use Rooting Powder

Cuttings from the nutmeg geranium (Pelargonium fragrans) and its varieties are made from the heaviest wood available and dipped in a No. 1 or No. 2 rooting powder. These are dependable rooters, but it is best to leave them in the sand for three or four months until the tuberous-type roots have formed.

Apple-scented geraniums (Pelargonium odoratissimum) are propagated from the very short joints which radiate from the main stem and then potted directly into 2-1/2″ pots filled with good soil. They will invariably lose all their leaves, but will fill out with new growth. So it is a must to know why there are brown tips on plants.

Ginger-scented, lemon-balm and almond-scented are all very easy to root under ordinary conditions.

Gooseberry-leaved geranium (Pelargonium grossularioides) is another very small-wooded variety which should he well shaded and given a little more than the usual amount of water, especially after the first week or two in sand.

Mint-scented varieties (Pelargonium tomentosam) including Peppermint, Pungent Peppermint and Joy Lucile require only the usual practices given cuttings.

More knowledge, more power, more success when you better understand the subject of brown tips on plants. Drop by today at http://www.plant-care.com/brown-tips-on-house-plants.html.

Chill November winds spur us on to get things done before the ground freezes in cooler sections of the country. Now is the time to finish cleaning up gardens before the appearance of the first snow or colder weather.

Some General Chores

Continue to rake up fallen leaves, dead annuals and vegetables and to shear perennial tops, placing them on the compost pile. Destroy corn stalks and other vegetables tops which harbor diseases. Sanitation practiced now will do much to prevent pests and disease next year.

For Cleaning Tools

Clean tools to prevent them from rusting. Go over lightly all metal parts with a stiff brush and then rub with light oil. On very rusty tools, use a commercial rust remover and rub down handles with equal parts of linseed oil and turpentine. Sharpen grass clippers and lawn mower blades before putting away and remember to grease and oil metal parts of garden furniture.

To Winter Mulch

Mulch flower beds, perennials and bulbs after the first frosts have frozen the ground. Use only material which will not mat down plants. Cranberry tops, straw or hay, marsh hay or pine needles or boughs are all excellent materials for mulching. Leaves tend to pack too closely and should only be used in a layer of one-half inch thick. Mulching prevents the ground from freezing and thawing, one of the chief reasons for its use.

Bring in Potting Soil

Bring inside garden soil, compost, sand and pebbles, as well as other materials that will be needed during the winter months for repotting house plants, forcing bulbs or for starting seeds next February or March. Keep the soil covered to retain its moisture and keep the bacteria alive.

Pruning Trees and Shrubs

Many trees and shrubs may be safely pruned now that the leaves have fallen, removing broken, dead or diseased wood. Do some pruning of summer blooming hydrangeas, rose of sharons, vitexes, and tamarisks by thinning out crowded branches. Shrubs that flower on old wood should be pruned just after flowering is past in the spring. These include flowering quince, forsythia, weigela, vanhoutte spirea, viburnums, deutzias and bush cherries.

On House Plants

Syringe house plants frequently if room is dry to provide some of the humidity they need. All house plants will benefit from this syringing except succulents and cactus. Shift plants around every week or two so they will not lean towards the light. Watch for mealy bugs, scale and other insects, spraying with neem oil or an insecticidal soap. Re-pot plants that become pot bound. It is a good policy to water plants thoroughly less frequently than to water often.

In the Vegetable Garden

Mulch strawberries with marsh hay or sawdust, as well as asparagus after the tops are cut to the ground. Blackberries, raspberries and currants will also appreciate a mulch as they are shallow rooted. It is too early to mulch in warmer parts of the country, but get the materials ready.

Trees and Shrubs

Continue to plant deciduous trees like the ficus benjamina and shrubs until the ground freezes. Also plant evergreens and water well as they give off more water during winter than they can replace. By watering woody plants freely before the ground freezes, their barks will be less apt. to suffer from sunscald, while the leaves of evergreens will be in less danger of windburning.

Care of Roses

Finish planting roses in well-prepared soil that is rich in organic matter. Mound new as well as old plants with soil, taken from elsewhere, to protect from winter injury. Fill depressions with leaves or marsh hay to prevent water from settling in these low spots. With standard or tree type roses, bend carefully and cover the tops with soil to prevent winter killing. Plants may also be lifted, placed in a trench and covered with soil where winters are very severe.

Join Keith Markensen at http://www.plant-care.com. We’ve created the perfect resource for you on the topic of ficus benjamina.

Ideal plants for those value fragrance rather than color, are the scented-leaved geraniums.

These offer a combination of pleasant perfumes and a wide variety of foliage form and texture. Since they are plants that are comparatively easy of culture, maintaining a collection is relatively simple.

Scented geraniums can be grown as house plants, in a greenhouse or as garden subjects left out all year in the more temperate south and southwestern parts of the country. They demand only ordinary care. Give them good garden loam, sunshine, moderate water, a reasonable amount of feeding, as well as occasional pinching, and they will thrive happily.

The scented varieties never become dormant. During dark, winter days, to be sure, they do not grow as fast as in spring and summer, but they always remain in full leaf, their hidden fragrance awaiting the slightest touch. As house plants, they are excellent, where they succeed in any sunny window. They are also not excessively sensitive to house conditions, such as dry atmosphere, high temperatures and the occasional presence of minute amounts of gas.

When to Water

Water these geraniums only when the soil begins to dry, but then do it thoroughly. One way to determine the moisture of the soil is to feel it with the fingers. Another is to tap the pot lightly with a stick. The quality and pitch of the tapping sound indicates the degree of saturation. A dull, heavy sound means the soil is moist, while a sharp, ringing sound that it is dry. Some growers, after a little practice, can determine the amount of moisture by the weight of the pot. Always, however, take care to avoid the easy method of watering plants by a set schedule. The condition of the plants themselves should be the only guide for watering.

Pinching plants is necessary to induce branching. The blind -grower finds out when to do this by feeling their shape. Only the growing tips should he removed gently with the fingers. Since the scented varieties are naturally more bushy than the zonals, they require less pinching.

Repotting plants like the butterfly bush is needed only a couple of times a year. When the pot becomes full of roots, move to a larger container. At any time, the root ball can be gently removed from the pot and the roots felt with the fingers to determine if repotting is necessary. The “scenteds” will be healthier, however, if kept slightly pot bound to maintain firm, woody growth. Plants grown from cuttings taken in late summer are satisfactory for house plants and do not require so much room as older, larger specimens.

Fertilizing is scarcely a problem. Newly-potted cuttings do not need feeding for several months. After that give a light sprinkling of ammonium sulphate or a balanced chemical fertilizer. The root ball should be moist before feeding to avoid burning the tender roots. Fertilizing during the period of slow growth is not advisable.

For a greater understanding on the subject of butterfly bush. Drop by today at http://www.plant-care.com/butterfly-bush.html.

An outdoor pond absolutely needs to be water-proofed. One of the easiest ways to go about this is using a pond liner. But how does one choose? Well, your liner should be selected with respect to the size and shape of your pond. Fitting it to your budget wouldn’t hurt either. There are two primary types of liners: pre-formed and flexible. Pre-formed liners are basically rigid shells that you can install in a hole or a raised pond structure. The drawback is that they can be pricey. On the upside, pre-formed liners are durable, easy to use, and come in many shapes and sizes.

Of course, not every pond design has a matching pre-made liner. So if you want an unusually shaped or a very large pond, flexible liner is the way to go.

Once you’ve opted for flexible liner, you have to choose the material. The two most common choices are PVC and synthetic rubber. PVC has the advantage of being cheaper but has a shorter life span than rubber liner. Either of these is available in pre-cut sheets in sizes from 25 to over 1500 square meters.

Durable and reusable, flexible liners can be modified to fit a pond of any shape. Certain manufacturers even allow you to order liner in custom sizes. You shouldn’t have any problems using it as long as you remember to clear out any sharp rocks and roots that may puncture the liner.

Pond Liner Guidelines

Examine the ground in your pond site. If it has a lot of rocks, you might want to purchase cushioning material to place under the liner. Also make sure that the liner has no harmful chemicals that may leech into your outdoor pond. And while most liners are ultraviolet light-resistant; it won’t do any harm to check.

Pre-formed liners have a set depth. If you’re using one, make sure that it’s deep enough to house all your fish and plants. Make the mistake of choosing too small a liner and you could end up with a stagnant outdoor pond.

Damaged liners are difficult to repair, not to mention that it will cost you quite a bit of money. Investing in a strong, durable liner will save you from a lot of trouble. Your local pond building community can probably help you choose the best possible materials. Remember, if you make educated choices and follow the liner’s installation guide, you can create a long-lasting pond that requires very little maintenance.

Looking for some ideas and inspiration for your outdoor pond, then visit pond-building-mastery.com to find essential tutorials, know-how and tips about pond building.

In my garden one of the joys of autumn is Cyclamen neapolitanum, a small hardy relative of the larger florist’s cyclamen. Dainty, soft pink to pale lavender pink flowers appear like a flock of butterflies in late August or early September and last until hard frost. There is also an ethereally lovely pure white, C. neapolitanum album.

The foliage looks like English ivy. It is a leathery dark green with white veinings. After the flowers fade and sometimes with the later flowers, the handsome evergreen leaves appear and persist all winter until early summer when they disappear for a couple of months.

Seed is produced freely. The stems holding the seedpods coil under like springs until the pods touch the ground where they lie, protected by the leaves, until they ripen the following summer. Seed is the only means of propagation as there are no cormlets. The corms produce no young but enlarge year by year and produce more and more flowers as they grow older. Corms 75 years old and bearing over one hundred flowers at one time are known in England. In my Oregon garden I have several plants raised from seed. These have been blooming for 15 years and have 20 to 30 blossoms at a time.

My cyclamen grow in a shady spot under Douglas firs. A slight slope in a shady part of a rock garden is ideal or use rocks for landscaping. I use well-drained woodsy loam and add a little lime each season. The important thing is to have light, leafmoldy, well-drained soil. Corms should be planted with their crowns level with the surrounding soil. A covering of pine or fir boughs may forestall winter heaving but usually a cover is unnecessary as this cyclamen is very hardy here.

Established plants seed themselves prolifically. One can find tiny plants all around the parent. These may be transplanted to make new colonies. One never seems to have too many of these lovely flowers, especially the white form which is rather scarce. This is harder to raise than the pink form although, once at home, it is as hardy as the commoner type.

Join Thomas Fryd at http://www.plant-care.com as he continues to explore more effective ways on rocks for landscaping.

The pseudobulb, a green, banana-like object at the base of the leaves, is a very interesting and vital part of the orchid plant. In it the food and moisture obtained from the air and water (the orchid’s sources of nourishment) are stored.

This fleshy plant part is a sort of gauge of the plant’s health and wellbeing. If wrinkled and dry, more moisture is needed. If yellow, the plant needs more light or may be getting too much water. If it rots, much less water is the prescription. If fat and full and green, all is well. One soon learns to strike a happy medium.

The few minutes daily care that orchids require is mostly a matter of watering. Those grown loose in the living-room should be submerged, pot and all, in a pail of room-temperature water for half an hour a week. The plant tops should be sprayed a few times a day.

Orchids grown in a case should get thorough soaking once a week till water runs out the bottom of the pot. Leaves should be syringed daily. The chemicals in most city reservoirs aren’t fatal to orchids but neither are they beneficial. We use rain water collected from one of our house gutters. In winter we use melted snow stored indoors till it is room temperature.

The reason why orchids are so dependent on top spraying and humidity for their general health is because most kinds are incapable of taking in adequate amounts of water through their roots alone.

They absorb additional quantities through their leaves. In a sense, they have amphibious instincts. Their roots need air as well as moisture and their tops want water as well as air.

Grow-pause-flower-rest is the annual growing cycle of the orchid. When the plant is growing actively it needs more water. When its new growth is complete, the orchid must make a decision.

If the plant is kept warm and wet, it makes more fresh greenery. But if at this point it is given less water, its urge for reproduction is quickened and the decision is made in favor of a flower spike.

When a new plant is bought it is usually properly potted. It needn’t be disturbed for a year or longer. If you are a gardener, it is a must to know when to repot a plant. Three ways to tell when an orchid needs repotting are: when the potting media rots or disappears; when the plant looks sick (due, perhaps, to inadequate drainage) ; when it outgrows its pot.

Orchids have a cheery habit of sprawling new growth right across the pot from one side to the other. When it dangles new, pale green roots over the edge of the rim, it’s time to repot it.

For a greater understanding on when to repot a plant. Drop by today at http://www.plant-care.com/repotting-house-plants-why.html.

There are three basic elements of a soil mixture for indoor plants, each available in different forms, and each needed in varying proportions by different types of plants. The following is a basic recipe that should be varied depending on a plants requirements. For example, for plants that like soil “rich in humus,” you would double the quantity of humus. For a “sandy soil mixture,” double the amount of sand.

1 part soil – the “base” of most soil mixtures, often called “garden loam.” Soil may be acid, neutral, or alkaline; clay-like or on the sandy side; high in humus content, average, or low. If soil is acid, add horticultural lime for plants that need it. If it is heavy with clay, add more sand; if sandy, add more humus. (Your County Agent will tell you how to have your soil tested for acidity or alkalinity, or you can test it with one of the available kits.)

1 part humus – to condition the soil, make it lighter and more porous, help hold moisture. Humus may be prepared and packaged, or scraped up from the forest floor. Peat moss, partially decayed leaf mold or compost, and manures – always well-rotted – are humus materials. Add less humus if soil is highly acid or already humus-rich.

1 part sand or substitute – to improve drainage, aerate soil, separate minute particles so roots have air to breathe. Use coarse builder’s sand, not fine-grained or salty seashore types. Or substitute bird gravel, chicken grits, commercial brands of pelletized volcanic rock, coarse or fine vermiculite. Add extra sand to heavy clay soils.

Sift all ingredients through a screen with a mesh at least as small as a half inch, to remove stones and other undesirable foreign matter. Add fertilizers like bone meal or superphosphate according to each plant’s needs.

To illustrate the “grain of salt” with which this recipe should be taken – most cacti and other succulents are potted like potting indoor plants in a mixture of three parts coarse sand or finest gravel with one part soil. Some growers add humus, some don’t. Many add lime to neutralize acid. But the epiphyllums, orchid cacti, need a good proportion of humus.

Try to know your plants’ needs, and suit the soil mixture to them. When plants are growing well, resist the temptation to experiment with some other soil mix, no matter who recommends it. It may be just the thing for your neighbor’s plants, completely wrong for yours. When you do change soils, do it temperately and tentatively – try it on one or two pots before you take chances with more.

Kent Higgins frequently contributes to http://www.plant-care.com. The more you know the better decisions you can make, like the topic of potting indoor plants.

Finding the right place to build your pond may seem trivial, but you should realize that the location of a pond should suit its purpose. How so? Well, formal ponds are often designed to impress your friends. That means that you should build it in your front yard where it can be seen by all. On the other hand, informal ponds are usually designed as private retreats. They are best built as backyard ponds, perhaps as part of your garden or tucked away in a secluded corner where you can keep it for your personal enjoyment.

Weather effects on pond sites

A pond needs a certain amount of sunlight for it to thrive. That’s why it’s important to choose a site that has the right amount of sun and shade. Your pond should receive enough sun for the plants to grow and the warm the water enough for your fish. Too much sun and algae blooms may start to appear, not to mention that the water could become too hot for aquatic life. Adding a few trees or tall shrubs can provide extra shade, allowing you to control the sun exposure of your outdoor pond.

Wind and debris are other pond building concerns. Try to build your pond some distance from your garden since leaves, fruit, flowers and seed could pollute your pond, possibly even clogging the filter. Sits that are subject to strong winds are also to be avoided since winds can increase water evaporation and disrupt the spray of fountains and other water features. Again, trees and walls can be used to block the wind and lessen its ill effects.

Your Pond Site’s Ground Condition

The rise and run of the ground is a major pond building factor. Your site might be flat, hilly, sharply sloped, or a combination of the three. That, plus the hardness of the ground, will greatly affect the amount of work you’ll be doing.

Depending on the site, you’ll be doing a certain amount of digging and grading. Sites that receive a lot of water runoff might force you to take specific measures. You might need to adjust your pond’s coping height or even create a gravel-filled trench to divert the water.

Practicality is important, but don’t forget to choose a location whose rise and run complement the style of your pond.

Pond Sites Utilities

A pond site usually needs access to an electrical circuit. This lets you power the array of pumps, filters, and other pond equipment that you have, as well as any lights you’ve installed in and around your pond. If there’s no power source nearby, be prepared to install a new circuit (following the local building codes as you do so). Lastly, try not to build your pond over or near other utilities such as gas lines and sewage pipes.

Want to find out more about Pond Building, then visit Michael W.’s site on how to build the best outdoor pond for your needs and dreams.