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Showing posts from November, 2012

Growers Trust Product review P1

Growers Trust Product review Part 1.  I received a package in the mail today from Growers Trust. In case you missed the first post, you can see it here at  Growers Trust review coming soon.  When I opened the box, I was very surprised! I know on the  Growers Trust  website you can buy the 16 fl oz, 32fl oz, 1 gallon, and 1 gallon concentrate bottles.  For a review I thought I was going to receive a smaller sample bottle or the 16fl oz, but they sent me a full sized 32fl oz bottle. That was very nice of them, and I am sure I will use every last drop. So these are the two products that they sent. One of the great things about getting these in the mail was the packaging. I've ordered a few products online before, and they generally come in over sized boxes, and a generous amount of paper. The box was just big enough, with just enough paper to hold and secure the two products. This is always nice, as I do not want to create a bunch of trash, or use a lot of trees. Both bottle

Annual or Perennial?

Annual or Perennial?  Have you ever wondered what the difference was? When you get into gardening these two words are thrown around a lot. So, what is an Annual and what is a Perennial? Annual-  Annuals only live once a year. They usually germinate, and die off after a year, or when the seasons change, depending on your climate zone. If you prevent an annual from seeding, it may live longer then a year.    Types of Annuals:       corn, beans, grains, marigolds, blue eyes, daisies, begonias, and much much more. Perennial-  Perennials are plants that live for more then two years. Some perennials are only grown as annuals depending on the climate they are grown in, and the gardener.     Types of Perennials:      Wooded plants, orchids, ferns, aster, baby's breath, and much more. So there you go, a little less trouble when it comes to deciding between an Annual and a Perennial. I hope you enjoyed this post.    Thank you for reading,         Garrett.

Indoor Lighting: How much is enough?

Indoor Lighting: How much is enough?    I've been wanting to do more intense growing, and get away from plants that only need indirect lighting. If I want to get a set up that can grow plants that require more light, I'll need to know a few things.   👉Space for gardening     👉Lighting fixtures   👉Precise humidity control Space to develop a garden   First of all, I live in an apartment. I have a stepson and wife as well, so I can not use an entire room. Currently I have a table in front of my sliding glass door. This table holds my plants. The table is a little full, but with some organization I can clear some space.   Second, I have a 15 gallon fish tank that I have been holding onto. I can clear enough space off the table to hold the tank. So I will use the tank to hold my plants, and it will make sense later why I chose to use an aquarium. Lighting fixtures   How much lighting would I need to light up this tank? That all depends on the type of plants I

Cornucopia Recipe

Tear off a 30x18 inch sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Fold it in half to 18x15 inch. Roll diagonally to form a hollow cone, about 18 inches long with a diameter of 5 inches at the widest end (Cornucopia opening). Fasten end with clear tape. Stuff cone with crumpled regular foil until form is rigid. Bend tail of cone up then down at end. Spray the outside of the aluminum cone with non-stick cooking spray. Place on cookie sheet. Beat the egg with the water to make a glaze. Open and unroll the first can of bread stick dough on work surface. Separate bread sticks. Begin by wrapping one bread stick around tip of cone. Brush end of next bread stick with Glaze and press to attach to end of first bread stick. Continue spiral-wrapping cone, slightly overlapping dough until there are 3 bread sticks left. Pinch one end of the 3 breadsticks together, then braid. Brush bread around opening of cornucopia with glaze. Gently press on braid. Brush entire cornucopia with glaze. Bake at 350

TGP's second Author..

  A New Author   The TGP has a new author, Holly. She will be doing a post hopefully next week. She is a little under the weather with the flu. I went to High School, and worked with her at the pet store. I am excited to see her articles on  TGP . Here is Holly's profile. Holly   I am a pet store employee and student at a nearby university. I am majoring in Environmental Studies and Biology, and minoring in Chemistry. I have several associates degrees related to biology. My interest in plant life began when I was approximately five, when my dad enlisted me to help him plant 100 trees on our property where a corn field used to be. I did not understand it then, but I definitely appreciate what he did now. The old field is now a forest of oaks and pines.    I went on to plant extremely successful vegetable gardens, flower gardens, and wildflower gardens (for the fauna). I am extremely interested in attracting hummingbirds and other rarely seen birds to my area. Recently I decided

Great sites for Gardening help.

When In Doubt. There are times when I need a little bit of gardening help. When my friends or family do not have an answer, I can always turn to the internet. I have found several great sites that have top quality information. Reddit   In the past few years, maybe you have heard of this site. If you have not, I suggest that you check it out. There are two areas of reddit that I like to go to. Gardening  - here you can find useful tips and stories by other gardeners. Even ask them questions if you can not find the answer. What Is This Plant  - Did you go hiking, and found an odd plant? Take a picture of the plant, and post it here. In a few hours someone will let you know what it is, or at least where to look. You Grow Girl   This site is very well written. The pictures in each post are very well done. I enjoy looking at You Grow Girl from time to time. I always seem to get inspired when I do. check out  You Grow Girl .  This is a great article for anyone who is going to w

Growers Trust review coming soon

Good news everyone. Hello everyone, I was contacted today by Growers Trust. They have asked me to do a guest post for them. I will be reviewing two of their products. Both products deal with situations that I have talked about before. The first product of theirs is  Powdery Mildew Killer . I have watched the video, and I am very excited. The second product that I will be reviewing is  Spider Mite Killer.  I still have my coleus that has some spider mites on it. Growers Trust really contacted me at the right time. These things are driving me crazy. The product is organic. That is always a plus. When will I be doing the review? In the next week, probably after Thanksgiving. They sent the products out today, and should be arriving shortly. What now? Well, for now, I would suggest you checkout their site Growers Trust . The site is crisp and clean. They have a few videos on their site that explain their products. They also have a little blog. Check their blog out at  http://ww

White powder mildew

White powder Mildew.  If you have found a few white spots on your plants, join the club. These white spots can appear on most plants. Don't worry too much, this mildew is generally not fatal to plants. It will cut down on photosynthesis of your plant. These mildews are a type of fungi, however there is nothing fun about this guy. There are several species of the mildew. They all function in the same fashion. The different types of mildew don't affect other plants. If you have mildew on your coleus, you wont get the same species on your jade plant. What causes white powder mildew? High humidity, or just a general dampness around the plant. Poor air circulation Make sure that you take care of the mildew as soon as you can. If you do not your plant can be in a bit of danger. It won't receive full photosynthesis that the plant needs, and won't be able to process the nutrients properly. I'll wait till winter.   If you think the winter will solve your prob

Leaf burns

  Leaf Burns, and what causes them.     Have ever noticed sometimes on your plants, you have leafs that are burnt, and don't know why? In this article, I am going to talk about a few reasons why your plant has burnt leafs. There are a few things that you can do to take away leaf burn. Check the plant's water, sun, and temperature needs. Water - Some plants need more water then others. But if you give too much water, or not enough water, your plant could start to have burnt leafs. Check around for care guides to make sure you are giving the right amount of water to your plant. I suggest when you buy a pot, make sure it has a drainage hole, and a saucer to catch the run off. This will help your plant not sit in excess water, also help the humidity in your home. Humidity - Some plants need a higher humidity. I would suggest that you again check the care guide for your plants. If you don't have enough humidity in your house during the winter, mist your plants leaves. M

Reusable foods: a growing list.

 I had posted a list earlier about some foods that you don't have to throw away, you can put them in a pot and regrow them.  Check this post out  for the guides on green onions, and garlic. This time we will be talking about some of our best spuds.    What is first on the table? 🍠Sweet Potatoes! Who doesn't love a sweet potato? If you have never had one, pick one up next shopping trip.  You can prepare them just like a regular potato.  My favorite way to make a sweet potato is to mash them up, and add cinnamon and brown sugar.  My wife taught me this.     To regrow a sweet potato do this.  Take the bottoms of the sweet potato, jam some tooth picks in the sides.  Suspend the potato over a glass of water so it is partly submerged.  Put the cup of water in a sunny spot, and wait a few weeks.  Add water as needed.  Now you will have roots on bottom and shoots on top.  Divide your potato up, and plant.  Harvest your new Sweet potatoes when the leaves turn yellow.  Do

Family Gardening

Family Gardening  Gardening with your family can be a lot of fun. Kids love to learn. This is also a good time to help kids who don't like to get their hands dirty to overcome their phobia. My step son Eian for example doesn't like to get his hands dirty at all, however during the summer, he didn't seem to mind one bit.   It is all about quality time. Kids crave it. Plus it is always nice to see their expression as the plants first start to grow and change. You and your kids can water the plants together. Pick the flowers, and even the veggies if that is what you planted.   This past summer, Eian and I tried planting some wild flower seeds. The potter became water logged due to a very heavy rain and I was working so much I did not catch it in time. Sadly the seeds never grew. We had fun anyway planting together. This doesn't just have to be an outside spring and summer time activity. You can do this all year round. Maybe you would like to try your hand at

2 reusable foods

Two Reusable foods  Have you ever had a few bits of garlic or green onion that you just wanted to get your money out of? Well here is how to do just that. ➥Green onion   You are cooking, and you are using green onion.  Well save those white parts.  You can take a glass of water. and throw them in there.  Make sure that the roots are facing down and the stem is above the water a bit.  After about a week you will have some good growth.  At this point you can go ahead and plant them in some dirt.  Good job! ➥Garlic   Have some puny bits of garlic you just did not get to use? Throw them right in some moist potting soil. You will have a whole new bit of garlic. Two awesome foods that you can reuse. If you have any foods that you know how to reuse, let us know and we'll post them on our front page.  Thank you for reading.         Garrett.

Spider Mite Update.

  Update    Congratulations to me! I have successfully taken care of my spider mites. In a few days I will do another sweep just in case there are eggs that didn't die. If you need to know anything about spider mites, check out my posts for  Part 1  and  Part 2   If you have spider mites, they are pretty easy to take care of. Good luck.

To mint, or not to mint

To mint, or not to mint, that is the question. Mint: one of the greatest plants I love mint. I love the smell, The taste, and how it grows. The mint plant is just so awesome. How could you not love this plant. Making tea? Put some mint in there. Baking? Throw some mint in there. Why I like mint When I was growing up, every year or so, my dad and I would go to Virginia to visit my grandmother. She had a huge yard, In front and back. When I went on my grandmothers back porch, there was this amazing, big mint plant. It was just so massive. It had an amazing aroma. The taste of the leaves was fresher, and more vibrant than any piece of gum. What does mint do for you? Mint is one of those smells that really brighten everything up. It makes your house smell a little more cozy with its inviting smell. Mint purifies your air. Not only does it recycle your breath , it will absorb toxins that are in your home. In the winter time, fresh clean air indoors i