Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Indoor Gardening With Foliage Plants

Plants grown primarily for their leaf characteristics and utilized for interior decoration or landscape purposes are called foliage plants. In our society becomes more urban, living plants as part of the interior landscape increases. The use of live foliage plants brings individuals closer to an outdoor type of environment, and the great variety of plants gives us the opportunity to select the species that serve as attractive additions to interior decor. Foliage plants are excellent for indoor culture since they are able to survive under unfavorable environmental conditions for many other plants.


Most gardeners are eager to grow plants all year round. Seeds started in the living room, grow ferns in the bathroom, put the begonias in the garden outdoors year after year, and have pots of herbs in the kitchen. Today there are many interesting plants that can be grown indoors there is simply no reason for a gardener not surrounded by plants throughout the year.


Everyone can grow foliage plants indoors with little effort if the plant used in the right place. large-leaved species, such as rubber plants (Ficus elastica), Monstera deliciosa, dumb cane (Dieffenbachia amoena), and Philodendron are especially suited to commercial building interiors. They provide the necessary size to be focal points in interior landscaping. These large leaves, plants, and smaller samples, such as ferns, vines, ivy and may serve a similar purpose in the home or apartment.


Practical Steps for the purchase of plants


Indoor plants are raised in glass greenhouses in which the air is warm and humid. When brought into the average home, they need to withstand the most adverse conditions outside the plant average. Defying the minimum conditions such as light, inadequate ventilation, warmer temperatures, drafts, dry air contribute to stressful conditions for plants. Bearing in mind the following points will help in the selection of houseplants to complement your interior d ้ cor and live for many years to come.


1. Strong and vigorous. Give the plant a quick shake. A plant that is unstable in its pot may not be well established. Shaking the plant also tells you if the plant has whiteflies that will be scattered in all directions if the plant is infested.


2. Evergreen - As will be seen every day of the year, the plants should be evergreen.


March. Attractive - Some foliage plants flowers from time to time, but the main reason for buying the foliage of the plant and how plants grow. The leaves can be selected for their color or shape, or both, and growth habit should be attractive and require minimal maintenance.


4. Slow growth - Select plants that are slow growing, without a lot of pruning or training. They will perform better over a long period of time.


5. Roots, Crowded - Check the bottom of the plant for roots coming out of the drainage holes. Roots emerging from holes in the pot does not necessarily mean that the plant is potted, "but is often a first symptom. plants root bound will need a transplant when you get home from the plant.


6. Unhealthy roots - If you can, have the employee take the plant from the pot to see if the roots crowded. The roots of all shapes, sizes and colors. They always should feel firm and not soft. Squishy roots are a sign of root rot.


7. Stem and root rot - Sniff the potting mix. Signs of rot smell like the sweet smell of a rotten potato. Do not buy this plant, because it probably has a bad case of rot on the stem or root rot.


8. Leaf spots, yellowed leaves, or abundant leaf loss - Leaf spots can be a sign of disease or caused by the friction of the plants in a garden center. A yellow leaf or two at the base of the plant is nothing to worry about. If you see many yellow leaves or have been, however, the plant is probably so stressed not a good option. Damaged leaves never recover. Ask yourself if you're willing to wait for the plant production of new leaves or would you rather purchase a healthier looking model.


9. Leggy plants or brown leaf tips - These conditions are signs of a plant that has not received adequate attention during a period of time. thin plants show a lack of proper lighting.


10. Signs of insects or diseases - Look under the leaves and leaf axils (the place where the leaf joins the stem) where most often pests hang out. Do not buy this plant, because not only will you have a problem with it, but can also infect other plants at home.

Source: http://planthealthcare.blogspot.com/2010/08/indoor-gardening-with-foliage-plants.html

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The ten vegetable gardening tips

vegetable gardening is usually used to reduce consumption to grow vegetables and plants adapted to human.


There are many different types of gardens. The potager, a garden, where vegetables, herbs and flowers grown together, the style is more popular than traditional lines or blocks of gardening.


Kitchen gardening is used for families a fixed point of most Americans. This regaining popularity still consume more people feel like only fresh, local foods and seasonal.


You do not need much land or equipment, because most plants grow happily in containers, varieties of vegetables, flowers and herbs in window sills are smaller for growing on balconies, terraces and restaurants


That your garden will require some simple steps to follow success. I recommend these ten steps to success> Garden


Location-Select is a place near home, but must be protected from strong winds. It 's also a lot of sun all day, and free of stones and weeds.
Soil-Start with good soil to grow these plants to be their best. Add compost or aged manure to the ground each year. Soil tests every 2-3 years.
plan for your garden should vary from year to year, for a good rotation. Remember, not too tall plants in a plant site whereBlock shorter plants.
Cut in small start-start, there are a lot of work involved in gardening success.
Seed choices are just trying to grow vegetables that you enjoy eating. This will motivate him to continue.
Research-growth of your vegetables to your region and climate.
Water the plants you are trying so early in the day as water as possible. deep water and near the base of plants. Make sure no water to the leaves, because the sun can burnthem. Not for nothing but water!
Lap you should check your plants every day early to catch the signs of parasites.
Nip And-Make sure that if you have a problem with pests you do some research to make sure that you correctly identify the problem before you see Any steps to stop it.
Pruning-keep your garden in tip top shape, removing weeds, leaves and vines grow on health promotion.


Until the garden are in harmony with your maintenance,It will help ensure this, do your best to have a successful garden.


Source: http://vegetablegardening-tips.blogspot.com/2010/08/ten-vegetable-gardening-tips.html

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Monday, August 16, 2010

Summertime Miscellany: Right Brain/Left Brain














There is a very provocative book I read years ago that I keep thinking of: The Alphabet Versus the Goddess (Viking, 1998), by physicist Leonard Shlain. Basically, it claims that our left brains became more prominent after humankind began to communicate through text, versus the pre-print era when we thought and communicated more visually (via the right brain). In this age of the Internet, we move more towards a balance of the two. Shlain aligns text with linear male thinking and women with more holistic, visual states of mind, a premise that seems too simplistic for me. Yet I am fascinated by the rapid changes in our culture as far as modes of communicating go. We have become very graphics-rich. Everyone is a photographer. Graphic novels are beoming de rigueur. We consume visual content via tv, ipods, film, YouTube, email photo attachments, you name it....



Sitting down to blog this week, I felt less verbally inspired than usual, so I reached for my camera and went out to the yard. Yesterday I snapped the photo of our one lone cucumber growing in the garden, hardly worth the dozens of gallons of water we've poured into it, not to mention compost, mulch, etc. But maybe there will more cukes coming. Sometimes I think the cuke and squash flowers just don't get pollinated correctly since it is always a challenge to succeed with these veggies in hot humid, Houston. Why do we even try? Darned if I know, but that's a different post..... I thought about doing some research on cucumbers and composing a whole post about that, but it felt too forced. So this morning I took a few more photos of things growing in the yard and wanted to be done with it, just post a few photos and move on with my week since I am busy getting ready to hang my art show.


But this notion of visual versus text kept gnawing at me. My brain is leaning more towards the visual these days since I am making so much art. But then again, I also read a lot. I'm not sure I can conceive of a world without text. Artist's Way author Julia Cameron recommends giving up reading for a week or so if you are a blocked artist. I'm not sure I could ever do that! There is much to be said for being fluid between both modes of communication. I love to pour over native American war and pony paint symbols, cave paintings and other pre-text images. Apparently most people picked up paint or sticks to draw before there was text. They took "art" for granted.


Drafting an artist's statement for my forthcoming show, I wrote that I love collage because it serves as an alternate reality where anything is possible. Because it is often multi-layered and complex, collage has the potential to portray the states of paradox, fancifulness and imagination common to the human brain. Only through collage do I feel I am saying things words can't express. We have become very sophisticated in our visual communication, and I do believe that involves some integration of the mind's ability to move back and forth between the brain's hemispheres. We have so many digital tools that allow us to express ourselves. Talking to or everyone (or no one) here in the blogosphere, I am grateful for this mode of communication that blends words and pictures. Peace out!


photos by KAO" Lone Cuke, Chickens a Pecking, Plastic Flamingos "Pete & Petunia", Yard Flowers with Metal Chicken Figurine






Source: http://speedoflight-lonestarlibrarian.blogspot.com/2010/08/summertime-miscellany-right-brainleft.html

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Saturday, August 14, 2010

Rivalry on the Birdfeeder and Dyeing...

I was sitting in my workroom the other day knitting and I looked out of the window and noticed a Lourie had landed on the birdfeeder... They are such beautiful, large birds...











Then the Crested Barbet arrived...






Lots of hissing ensued between the two...






And the Lourie left... So entertaining to watch...









And, I dyed up this Alpaca roving today, inspired by all the fruit tree blossoms around me:)

xo

Source: http://naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/2010/08/rivalry-on-birdfeeder-and-dyeing.html

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