How can you get rid of Spider mites in house Plants? I have tried evetything and nothing has worked?
I have tried washing w/ detergents, rubbing alcohol, garlic, and several insecticieds including one for outdoor use for pine trees. I am at my wits end I have several plants that are effected. I have even repotted using new soil. Its very frustrating I cant start plants for the garden indoor because the mites kill them.
Is palm tree and yucca sawdust poisonous to other plants?
A few palm trees and a giant yucca tree were cut down in my grandma's yard last weekend. The tree guys spread a lot of the sawdust around the yard because they didn't want to pay the dumping fees and swore it was good for the soil. I know that mulch is good, but when the city inspector came out today he said that this kind of tree would kill all the other plants. Please let me know if this is true, so I know whether to get my kids out there tomorrow scooping up about five yards of the stuff. If it needs to be done we'll do it, but we just want to know for sure first. Thanks!
Help me please I bought a Venus Fly Trap! pls read on!!!!?
There are really only 4 things Venus Fly Traps require to stay healthy: 1) Sunlight - at least 4 hours of direct sunlight a day 2) Water - rain, distilled or reverse osmosis water only 3) Soil - Nutrient poor soil such as peat moss 4) Dormancy - Venus Fly Traps require a 3-4 month dormancy period Venus fly traps like lots of light. Try to give it at least 4 hours of direct sunlight a day. The more you can give it the better. It is best to grow your fly trap outside where it can get plenty of sun and catch its own food. You don't actually have to feed a Venus Fly Trap anything other than sunlight and water. If you do choose to feed it, don't over do it. Feed it only insects and at most only a couple a month. Venus fly traps need clean water. Usually tap water will not do. It is best to use distilled water, rain water, or reverse osmosis water. Venus fly traps need water with a TDS (total dissolved solids) measurement of 50 ppm (parts per million) or less. In order to get this, you probably need to use distilled water or reverse osmosis water or rain water. Their soil should be kept wet at all times. It is best to use a tray and set the plant in about 1/2 inch of water. If you need to repot, for soil you can use a combination of peat moss and perlite. Most growers use a 50:50 mix of peat moss and perlite. I have been leaning toward using pure peat moss lately. Venus Fly Traps aren't picky, but be sure to use some form of peat moss or sphagnum peat moss with perlite or vermiculite to ensure that the media is nutrient poor. Since summer is over and fall has started, you need to start thinking about providing dormancy for your Venus Fly Trap. Without a dormancy period, your plant's health will start to decline and it will eventually die. You can read more about dormancy here: http://www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-tra... If you have any more questions, you can join the forum on my site and ask them there: http://www.flytrapcare.com/phpBB3/ Hope this helps!
Does watering plants with sugar water help them grow?
When my son (now in his 30s) was in kindergarten, he decided to do his first science experiment called “What drink do plants like best?” He sectioned off a flat of identical impatiens plants and used a measured amount of a different liquid in each section for six weeks: plain water, sugar water, seltzer and milk. At the end, all of the plants showed stunted growth or died except for the section that was moistened with plain water.He was the only kindergartner to enter the school’s science fair, charmed all the judges and got an A. But hey, it was a real scientific experiment, and the results should answer your question.
Do I need to give my plants fertilizer in order for them to thrive? Or is water and sunlight enough?
Depends on your soil “bank". You want to feed your soil first, making deposits, and let the soil feed your plants.Soil, is not just ���dirt", it is/should be a living ecosystem. Ideally, thriving.Deposits have to exceed withdrawals in an ecosystem. I make a lot of deposits, some that take quite a bit of time to “mature". CDs available for withdrawal, maturing, next year.That is a bit of a shift in thinking…soil health first, feeding your soil, with granulat fertilizer use a distant second.Granular type fertilizers are a cheap, not inexpensive, one time shot, even if extended release. A flash in the pan.And, they can even destroy your soil health with over application.Withdrawals. Not only do your plants make withdrawals, but, wind, sun, water, other plants, and microorganisms all are w/d’ing nutrients.That is just one reason you want to prevent erosion, and keep ground covered with mulches, or green manures/crop cover.In the case of microorganisms, many are making waste products, through decomposition, available for your plants to use.But, nonetheless, they have to be fed too…I love feeding my fungi…nature's decomposers. I feed worms. I like to apply microorganism rich compost teas, on smaller scales, manures on a larger scale.It will also depend on soil pH. How acidic or alkaline your soil is. “Perfect" pH means less nutrient is “more”, available to the plants.In other words, perfectly “balanced" soil unlocks nutrients, and makes them more available to your plants.The times I fertilize with manures and compost are direct application to my cover crops, that get cut, and/or double dug under.Locked away, and safe in the “bank".I tend to plant legume type cover crops…no need for nitrogen fertilizers between manures, and legumes.I have gone 100% organic for four years. I can't take a shovelful of soil up, that isn't completely wriggling, and full of beneficial fungi.Four yeats ago, my soil was “dead" from chronic 100% chemical farming practices.If soil is wriggling, and white with fungi, absolutely teeming with life, and full or organics…spongey. I am now capable of easily hand digging and planting.How do you think my plants are going to fare without much manure?
Can we grow plants in coco peat?
Yes and no.Coco peat is a good grow medium but not entirely sufficient to grow plants. It's good for germination but lacks micro and macro nutrients required for plant growth. But a good mixture of coco peat, soil, and fertilizer can do the trick.Let me explain.Although coco peat has really good water retention capabilities and has a PH value of 5.6 to 6.8 which is ideal for plants, it lacks the 3 most important nutrients. NPK. Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are the most important things that are needed for healthy plants.Nitrogen for leaf growthPhosphorus for root, flowers and seed developmentPotassium strong stem growthTherefore, what gardeners usually do is prepare what we call in the gardening world as a “potting mix”.A potting mix is pretty simple once you've mastered the basics of gardening. With coco peat as base, add nutrients to it.Therefore, my potting mix always contains the following.One part coco peatOne part soil / dirtOne fourth part of vermicompost or worm compost or worm castingsOne fourth part of Bone meal or fish mealAnd I usually add one fourth part of Neem cake or castor cakeThere you have it. My secret potting mix recipe.I've written this on my blog[1] but yet to complete it.Footnotes[1] DIY Potting Mix Recipe the Just Grow way!