What is Soil Conservation? It is of great importance to farmers and home gardeners alike to conserve the soil. Soil conservation involves a focus on maintaining soil fertility and preventing soil loss from erosion and salt or chemical pollution. Soil conservation practices vary depending on the crop management objectives and the different environmental factors involved. But taking action toward conservation is necessary to preserve our soil today and for future generations....

Now the best shower plants, of course, will be those that not only like that added humidity, but don’t mind literally getting wet leaves. Plus they perk up all that serious tile and stainless steel. I mean who wouldn’t want to shower surrounded by houseplants? It’s like an outdoor shower in the tropics! Read on to find out what plant to put in the shower. Why You Should Grow Plants in the Shower We already talked about the higher humidity levels in bathrooms....

What is Ethnobotany? Ethnobotany is related to ethnobiology, the study of human cultures and their interaction with biology – the science of life and living organisms. Ethnobotany is concerned with the ethnobiology of plants alone, which helps us understand native ecosystems. Our relationship with plants runs deep. Not only do we rely on plant life for food but also medicines, shelter, dyes, fiber, oils, and so on. There are around 10,000 species of edible plants in the world, but less than 10 supply the majority of the world’s calories....

Jewels in the Garden As you work your way through the Gardening Know How Learning Channel course, Creating a Butterfly Garden, we encourage you to use this page as a resource. Everything has been carefully curated to support your journey towards creating your own butterfly garden. LEARN MORE ABOUT BUTTERFLY MIGRATION While migration is just a part of life for many different types of butterflies, it’s the monarchs that rack up the most frequent flyer miles....

Whether you have a generously proportioned backyard or are restricted to balcony or patio growing, there are many fantastic vegetable garden ideas to explore. For small spaces, container gardening or vertical gardening can maximize productivity. If you have more room, there are many creative raised garden bed ideas to consider. Grow vegetables that you and your family enjoy eating, ensuring your harvests are fully appreciated. Additionally, consider experimenting with heirloom varieties or unique crops that aren’t easily found in stores....

title: “2022 Gardening Know How Sponsorship Recipients” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-01” author: “Christina Haggerty” title: “2022 Gardening Know How Sponsorship Recipients” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-15” author: “Allen Garcia” title: “2022 Gardening Know How Sponsorship Recipients” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-04” author: “Charles Namm”

Some gardeners find it takes a lot of work to prepare soil for planting, while others are blessed with beautiful, lush soil full of organic material and beneficial soil microbes. Either way, there is always more you can do to improve and enrich your soil to promote better growth. As plants grow each season they use up the existing soil nutrients and organic matter. Therefore, it is beneficial to amend the soil in anticipation of spring planting, and there are numerous ways of doing this....

From tiny groundcover plants to sprawling plants with big leaves, you can find a type of hosta plant for any space. Which hostas are the biggest? Check out these impressive giants of the hosta world if you’re looking to fill large areas of the garden. Choosing the Largest Hosta Plants to Grow Grow the biggest hosta plants in areas where they can take up space. The biggest varieties can be focal points in a bed or serve as backdrops for lower-growing plants....

Many Hectares My house in France was a ruin when I bought it some 20 years ago, but it was a ruin with land. It came with three parcels totaling some six acres. That may sound like a dream, but you have to consider that – aside from the flattened area on which the old building was perched – the land angled down sharply. This was great in terms of the view....

Eating Damaged Fruits and Vegetables Many home gardeners are elated when their first crops are ready for harvest, some so much so that a few bug-eaten veggies are not a problem. Some immediately toss out damaged crops while others carefully cut around produce that’s been nibbled on by pests and eat the rest. Whether or not a person should eat damaged produce is a mixture of personal opinion and science. In the end it really depends on what the damage is....

Below we’ll teach you the pros and cons of liquid vegetable fertilizer, how to tell if you need it, how you apply it, and how to make your own at home. Pros and Cons of Liquid Fertilizer Both liquid and granular fertilizers have similar nutrient amounts, but there are differences between the two. Nutrient Concentration Nutrients, especially phosphorus, are more mobile in a water solution and can get to plant roots more easily....

While identifying tree diseases and pests can be tricky, the first step is to identify signs and symptoms. It’s important to keep in mind that most plant issues are not caused by diseases or insects, but by cultural issues like drainage, improper irrigation, or improper mulching. Are Some Trees More Susceptible to Diseases & Pests? Some trees are more vulnerable to attack from diseases and pests. Trees that have been improperly planted - e....

Distressed Plants Emit Sounds Researchers from Tel Aviv University recorded sounds made by plants under stress. They recently published their findings in the journal Cell. They discovered distinct noises made by tomato and tobacco plants stressed by dehydration and when their stems were cut. They used ultrasonic microphones placed near plants to record the sounds. Previous studies used detectors directly attached to plants and noted vibrations. For the current study, researchers wanted to see if sounds could be heard at a small distance from the plants....

Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese practice of designing and arranging our living spaces in a way that encourages the flow of positive energy, and creates harmony and balance. Whether or not you believe in lucky plants or that Feng Shui can be exploited to make you wealthier and healthier, you simply cannot ignore the effect that interior design choices have on our happiness and wellbeing. We have all experienced being in rooms that feel uplifting and calming, and those that bring you down – or even make you feel stressed....

Growing vegetables in a square-foot garden is most often achieved using a raised bed, but can also be done in a ground-level plot. The key is to create an easy-to-access growing space that will save time, money, and resources. Benefits Of Square-Foot Gardening Square-foot gardening ensures a high yield, with less effort than traditional gardening methods. The practice was developed in the 1980s by Mel Bartholomew, a retired engineer with an interest in efficiency....

Quick Facts Botanical name: Philodendron hederaceum, formerly P. cordatum or P. scandensHeight: up to 20 feet (6 m) outdoors, up to 6 feet (1.8 m) indoorsSpread: up to 6 feet (1.8 m)Sun exposure: part to full shadeSoil requirements: well-draining soil-based potting mixHardiness zones: 10b-12When to plant: spring or fall Heart-leaf Philodendron Care A heart-leaf philodendron plant is a great addition to any home. It is adaptable, easy to grow, and looks great spilling out of a hanging basket, climbing up a moss pole, or cascading over the edge of a bookshelf....

This isn’t necessarily a problem, as grass is an extremely resilient plant. Unlike heat-stressed plants, lawns can usually tolerate several weeks without watering – greening up again once the mercury has dropped. However, ever-hotter summers and lengthy spells of dry weather can leave struggling lawns unable to recover. Summer lawn care is especially important for newly planted grass, which will need regular watering to establish itself. If you neglect it, it will likely die in a heatwave....

My Tree Tradition Evergreen trees are truly a beautiful sight to behold during the winter. Their thick branches fill with snow and shelter even the tiniest of native animals from the cold. Rather than decorate with a live cut tree, I enjoy decorating those which are growing outdoors in my yard. While lights are optional, traditional ornaments are replaced by those which can be eaten by birds and squirrels as they forage through the snow....

Firefly larvae are beneficial predators that feed on snails and slugs, and are important in the food cycle both as predators and as prey. They are a factor in the control of pests in crops and gardens. Their brightly lit chemical reaction involving the enzyme luciferase has helped scientific researchers learn about cell interactions, leading to major medical advances, detection of bacterial infections and development of health related drugs that fight disease....

A cocktail garden looks a lot like an edible herb garden with a few small fruiting plants thrown in. Since the difference depends on the intention of the gardener, nobody will be any the wiser if you plan your garden around cocktail garden plants rather than additions to the spaghetti sauce plants. Are you ready to grow your own cocktail garden? Read on for the best plants to mix and match…...