Gardener's Corner

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Comment by Chief Walks on Saturday

"Hi, I’m a Possum, and I’m not here to cause trouble. In fact, I help you more than you might realize.
Every night, I can eat up to 2,000 ticks, along with other insects that spread dangerous diseases. I also help keep snake populations in check, even the venomous ones. My body is built tough... I can survive dozens of rattlesnakes or coral snake bites, and yes, I even eat venomous snakes like they’re just another snack.
Maybe you don't know, but my blood contains something unique that scientists have used to create treatments for snake bites. Without me, there would be more pests, more snakes, and fewer lifesaving cures for people. So, if you see me, please don't hurt me, let me raise my babies!
We're out here working quietly to make the world safer for all of us."

Comment by Chief Walks on Saturday

Question
Is it bad to have earthworms in my flowerpots?

Answer
In garden soil, earthworms help to break down organic material and aerate the soil. In pots, however, their activity may eventually end up clogging your drainage. So, they probably aren’t eating your plants, but they’re not providing much benefit, either!

Comment by Chief Walks on Saturday

How can I get rid of crabgrass?
The solution to ridding your lawn of crabgrass is to attack it in two stages. First, apply corn gluten meal, an organic preemergent herbicide. Do this in the spring, when the soil is still cold and the crabgrass is weakest. (Crabgrass is an annual weed, so it starts from seed every year. The preemergent herbicide prevents the seed from germinating, and if the seed can’t sprout, it can’t grow.) Second, reseed your lawn in the fall. This will allow the new grass time to grow strong before the next summer’s attack.

Comment by Chief Walks on Saturday

Did you know an inch of rain on 1,000 square feet is approximately 600 gallons of water?

Comment by Chief Walks on November 8, 2023 at 11:18am

Tips On What To Do With Cold or Frozen Houseplants

Recently, I’ve received some questions on house plants that stayed outside in the cold and what to do. The questions go something like this!

Question: Our Ficus tree or Dragon Tree Dracaena got cold when I forgot to bring the plant indoors.
The leaves turned brown, and now the Ficus tree is losing a lot of leaves. Is it dead? Can the houseplant be saved?
Answer: Plants drop leaves for a reason: protection, seasonality, or flat-out dying.

Houseplants such as a Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily plant) may get some burned leaves depending on the length of time the plant was exposed to the extremely low temperature or frost. It may grow back. It may just take some time.

When plants are exposed to ice-cold temperatures and low freezing points, the leaves are often very dark and discolored.

It may also show blackened tips, such as the case with Dracaena Massangeana, or oily leaves like on Aglaonemas.

Unlike tundra trees or plants and ice flowers, which can gather food and bloom fast once summer starts, your houseplants may need to undergo a lengthy period of plant rescue.

In the case of permafrost, no plants can penetrate the frozen soil surface; therefore, only lichen, moss, and a few low-shrub varieties can survive there.

What is happening with these plant leaves? Cell collapse.

Think of what happens when you get sunburned; skin begins to peel because the cells have been destroyed… Frozen plants shed their leaves (frozen leaves).

There you are with a plant that has lost all its leaves, and the branches, canes, or tips aren’t looking very good. What do you do?

First, be realistic. Does the plant affected by frost damage look too far gone?
Second, if you want to try it or re-grow, it may be time to pull out the clippers or fully take the plant away from the frozen ground.
Check The Bark
Look at the bark-like on a Ficus tree. Is it black, shriveled, or separated from the trunk? (it’s most likely beyond help) Don’t look just at the top but down at the base.

Scrap The Bark
Next, start high and scrape the bark. If you find brown at all, keep moving lower until you see green; believe me, you’ll know when you find it.

When you find an area of green, cut off everything above it on that stem or branch. When you get done going over this, you may have a plant that stands a chance of coming back.

Remember, the foliage, branches, and stems were exposed to the cold, as were the roots. No matter how hard you try, the plant may not survive. The root damage may be so severe that you’ll be fighting an uphill battle.

NO FERTILIZER
After you’ve performed all this surgery, don’t start pouring water and fertilizer on the plant. Maintain regular plant care with the exception of water and fertilizers. You’ll most likely need to reduce the quantity and frequency of watering.

I know many people can become attached to their plants and want to try and do everything possible to recover their treasure.

After most indoor house plants suffer exposure to extremely cold temperatures, you’ll find it very difficult to regrow the plant to its old stature, even under optimal growing conditions.

The quantity of effort you’ll put into saving plants that suffered extreme cold damage may be better suited to replacing and caring for a new one, just my thoughts. But learn from this lesson. Keep houseplants indoors all year long.

Comment by Chief Walks on November 8, 2023 at 11:07am

To ensure your leftover garden seeds thrive next year, safeguard them with a simple yet effective method.
Place the seeds in an airtight container, like a mason jar or a sealed plastic bag. Enhance their longevity by tossing in a couple of silica packets, commonly found in shoeboxes.
These desiccants absorb moisture, preventing your seeds from succumbing to unfavorable conditions. Stored in a cool, dry place, your seeds will patiently await their moment to flourish in the next gardening season.

Comment by Chief Walks on November 8, 2023 at 11:07am

Never underestimate the power of a banana. These yellow wonders aren't just a tasty snack; they're also your ticket to a happier mind.

Bananas boast tryptophan, an amino acid that transforms into serotonin, the famed "happy hormone." Embrace the joy by indulging in this natural mood booster.

A single banana can work wonders, alleviating irritability, taming anger, and lending a helping hand in the battle against depression.

So, next time you need a pick-me-up, reach for this cheerful fruit and let the serotonin surge begin!

Comment by Chief Walks on November 8, 2023 at 11:03am

You can accelerate your tomato ripening by placing them in a box alongside a ripe banana. When you do this, you're tapping into the science of ethylene gas.

Bananas are natural ethylene producers, and ethylene acts as a plant hormone, triggering the ripening process.

The gas interacts with the enzymes in your tomatoes, promoting the conversion of starches into sugars. And before you know it, you’ll have a box full of ripe tomatoes… and one REALLY ripe banana!

Comment by Chief Walks on November 8, 2023 at 11:02am

How to Keep Livestock Water from Freezing Without Electricity
By Susan Hartz

Knowing how to keep livestock water from freezing without electricity can make use of tires, saving you worry and work come winter.

The past few winters have been brutally cold on our homestead in northeastern Pennsylvania. The frigid temperatures have caused my goats’ water buckets to freeze solid in just a few hours. I don’t have electricity in the pasture to supply heated buckets for the animals, so I needed a low-tech, inexpensive way to keep the water from freezing so fast.

How to Keep Livestock Water from Freezing with Used Tires
My husband stacked two 14-inch tires together, drilled holes through the sidewalls, and connected them with bolts. He used large washers to prevent the bolts from pulling through.
We had some leftover spray foam insulation from a previous project, so we used it to fill the tires to the edge of the top bead.
After the foam was cured, we trimmed it flush to allow our 4-1⁄2-gallon water bucket to sit securely inside the protective tires. The rim of the water bucket, being a little wider than the tire opening, allowed the bucket to stay suspended within the tires.
A small amount of space remained between the ground and the bucket, so I filled it with a piece of leftover Styrofoam packing material for additional insulation.

The insulated tires have worked wonderfully. The black tires and bucket absorb the sun’s warmth during the day. Even on frigid days, only a thin layer of ice forms on top of the water, which isn’t enough to prevent the goats (or birds!) from drinking. This season, I plan to place a buoyant object into the bucket, such as some kind of thick ball that the goats won’t be able to bite, to cause enough agitation on the water’s surface to prevent ice from forming altogether.

Comment by Chief Walks on November 19, 2022 at 11:57am

Six foods that have been shown to improve your mood include oatmeal, cereal, salmon, milk, dark chocolate, and bananas.

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