Page 142

How to Maintain Your Garden Tools: Cleaning, Sharpening, and Oiling

Maintaining your gardening tools is an essential task that extends their lifespan and makes your gardening tasks much easier. This article will teach you all you need to know about properly cleaning, sharpening, and oiling your gardening tools.

Cleaning, sharpening, and oiling gardening tools are essential tasks that all gardeners must undertake. Maintaining your garden tools properly means that they’re going to last longer and work effectively every time.

This article will teach you all you need to know about maintaining your tools, including what materials are needed as well as step-by-step guides to cleaning, sharpening, and oiling them.

Cleaning Your Garden Tools

Cleaning your tools regularly will not only help your tools last longer but will also benefit your plants. Cleaning is crucial to disinfect your tools so that you’re not spreading bacteria and fungal diseases from diseased plants to healthy ones. A single contaminated tool can cause problems for your entire garden.

Read on to find out how often you should clean your tools as well as how to clean them properly.

How Often You Should Clean Your Tools

Ideally, you should clean your tools after every use to keep them in tip-top shape. However, for most people, that’s just not practical. Therefore, try to set aside some time once every few months or so to give all your tools a really good clean.

Of course, this depends on how often you’re using your tools. Those used more frequently like secateurs and gardening trowels should be cleaned once a month if you’re out gardening every other day. Less used tools can be left for a few months before you give them a thorough clean.

The only exception to this is if you’re using any of your tools to prune away diseased foliage. If this is the case, you should disinfect those tools immediately after use to remove any bacteria or fungal spores.

How To Clean Your Gardening Tools

Here’s a selection of materials you’re going to need to give your tools a good clean.

Garden hose
Some old towels or rags
Dishwashing detergent
Sponge
Isopropyl alcohol or similar disinfectant
Steel wool
Sandpaper (80 to 120 grit is best)
Scrubbing brush
Wire brush

Once you’ve gathered all the materials, follow the below steps to clean your tools thoroughly.

Wash away any dirt and grime from your tools with the garden hose.
Grab the household scrubbing brush and some detergent and scrub away any sap and dirt from the blades of your tools.
Use the garden hose to rinse off the detergent and then dry the tools thoroughly.
Use either sandpaper or steel wool to remove any tough stains or rust spots that remain.
Dilute the disinfectant that you're using in a container of water and soak your tools for around 5 minutes, making sure that the blades are fully immersed.
Take the tools out of the disinfectant and rinse once again with the garden hose.
Wipe the tools completely dry using an old towel or rag.

Sharpening And Oiling Your Garden Tools

Once your tools are completely clean, it’s time to sharpen those that need it. For this, you’re going to need:

The method for sharpening your tools will depend on the type of tool you want to sharpen. Therefore, the method for each group of tools will be discussed separately.

To Sharpen Pruning Tools With Cutting Blades

Use a coarse diamond file to file the edge of each blade until you expose the clean metal. Make sure that you only file in one direction.
You should start at the inside of the blade and work the file toward the blade's edge with a curved motion.
Next, use the fine diamond file and go over the beveled edge and the back of the blade.
Finally, coat the blades lightly with oil.

To Sharpen Lawnmower Blades

Before you remove the blade from your lawnmower, make sure that you disconnect the spark plug. Then, follow these steps:

Hold the blade firmly by putting it in a vice on your workbench.
Using the metal file, sharpen the edge of each blade in the same way that you sharpened the blades on your cutting tools. You only need to sharpen until the blade is as sharp as a butter knife. If you make the blades too sharp, they're going to go blunt too quickly.
Coat the blade with a fine layer of oil as the final step before replacing it on the mower.

Note: You can also use a bench grinder for this job but make sure that you don’t overheat heat the blade because this can make it warp.

To Sharpen The Edges On Your Spades, Shovels, and Trowel

Your digging tools will work much more efficiently if their edges are lightly sharpened. Here’s what to do:

To Sharpen The Tines On Your Rake

The tines or prongs on your rake can also benefit from an occasional sharpening to make them more effective. Use the same method that you used for sharpening your digging tools. However, this time you need to work on each individual tine. You might need to use a small round file for this.

Ultimately, you want to achieve a decent point at the end of each tine. Once you’ve finished sharpening, coat the tines lightly with the lubricant oil.

How To Protect Your Tools From Rust

Unfortunately, cleaning and sharpening your tools won’t necessarily protect them from rust. However, there are a few things you can do to prevent rust and further extend the lifespan of your garden tools.

If you follow these tips to clean and sharpen your garden tools regularly, they are sure to last for many years.

How to Care For a Real Christmas Tree

If you have a real Christmas tree, caring for it properly is crucial. Following these steps—including protecting it on the way home, and keeping it well-watered—helps the tree stay green and healthy, so it looks beautiful through the holiday season.

When spending money on a live Christmas tree for your holiday decor, you want to make sure you care for it properly, to keep it looking good for the entire holiday season. Caring for it in the right way will help reduce dryness and needle loss, keeping your tree healthy and green for a more extended period.

The following steps help to keep a live Christmas tree in the best possible health, so it remains beautiful until all the festivities are finished.

Minimize damage when transporting the tree home.

Getting the tree home unharmed is the first step in taking good care of it. Either transport the tree in an enclosed space of your vehicle or have it wrapped in plastic or netting if you are tying it onto your car. When attaching to the top of a car or placing it in the bed of a pickup, always make sure it is tightly secured. Place the cut end of the trunk facing forward, to minimize wind damage from driving.

Keep the tree protected while outside.

After getting the tree home, if you can’t take it inside immediately, place the base of the trunk in a bucket with some water. Then keep the tree in a sheltered spot like on the porch or in a shed or garage.

Make a clean cut on the trunk.

Before attaching the tree stand, use a handsaw to make a clean cut on the bottom of the trunk, removing one or two inches of wood. Always cut straight across, never on an angle. Do not create a v-shape in the bottom, or drill a hole in it, unless your tree stand has a spike that helps stabilize the tree.

Remove bottom branches off of the trunk.

Using a small handsaw or pruners, cut all of the branches off the bottom 12-inches of the Christmas tree so it fits in the stand. Take caution not to remove any of the bark; the bark is where the tree’s vascular system is, so damaging it reduces the tree’s ability to take in water.

Make sure the tree is stable and straight in the tree stand.

There are very few holiday disasters worse than a tipped-over Christmas tree, so it’s crucial to make sure it’s in the stand securely. If possible, ask someone to help you center the tree in the stand before tightening the eyebolts. Make sure the bolts are firmly pressed against the tree’s trunk, and only bite into the bark as little as is necessary to hold it steady.

Keep the tree well-watered.

Always make sure your real tree is watered with fresh, clean water; tapwater will suffice but distilled water is best. A well-watered living tree has better needle retention and aroma. When first put into the stand, expect a fresh-cut Christmas tree to take in a gallon of water within the first 24 hours, and then approximately a quart each day thereafter.

Allow the tree time to acclimate.

After bringing the tree indoors, give it a few hours or even overnight to adjust to the warmer temperatures before adding decorations. This acclimation lets dry needles fall and lets the branches drop down into their natural place, making it easier to decorate. Cold boughs are also more prone to breaking.

Never place the tree close to a source of heat.

Avoid placement near heat vents, radiators, fireplaces, and space heaters when choosing a spot in your house to set up the Christmas tree. Also, try to minimize the amount of time it spends in direct sunlight. All trees, even well-watered ones, are highly flammable indoors.

Keep the room the tree is in slightly cooler.

If possible, drop the temperature of your living room—or whatever room the tree is set up in—a couple of degrees below normal. A slight drop in the ambient temperature helps reduce moisture loss from the needles, minimizing subsequent needle loss and the overall dryness of the tree.

Only fill the stand with clean water.

When watering your Christmas tree, make sure to use plain tap water or distilled water. There are many commercial preservative products available to buy, but research has shown they don’t significantly improve the health and longevity of a cut Christmas tree. Also, avoid adding aspirin, sugar, or other homemade concoctions to preserve the tree.

Avoid watering your tree with softened water.

If you have a water softener system in your home, either use distilled or bottled water to water the tree, or pull water from the line before it runs through the softener. The water softener adds large amounts of sodium, which will only hurt your Christmas tree; sodium accumulates in the tree’s trunk and blocks water uptake, making the tree dry out and die more quickly.

Never let the water in the stand go dry.

If the water in the tree stand has dropped below the bottom of the trunk, you should pull the tree from the base and, using a hand saw, slice another clean cut on the bottom of the trunk. When the water goes dry, the tree’s sap seals the open “wound” to prevent diseases from getting into the vascular system, but this also makes it so the tree can’t take in more water from that location.

Change the water if it begins to smell.

Sometimes if left to sit for too long, the water in the tree stand begins to smell sour or rancid. Drain as much water from the base as possible and replace it with clean water. Do not add bleach to the water in an attempt to get rid of the smell. To keep the water from smelling bad, frequently water the tree until the water line is only slightly above the cut on the trunk instead of filling the stand as full as possible.

Don’t leave a Christmas tree inside your house for too long.

Once the holidays have passed, remove the lights and decorations and properly dispose of the Christmas tree. The risk of fire increases the longer the tree is left inside your home.

7 Great Ideas to Decorate Your Christmas Tree

If you’re looking for some great ideas on how to decorate your Christmas tree, then look no further. Here are seven great ways you can adorn your tree for the holiday season.

A Christmas tree is the centerpiece of many people’s holiday displays. Much of the fun of setting one up comes from the sense of tradition and good cheer that accompanies the winter holiday season. But another exciting aspect of setting up your holiday décor is finding new and unique ways to decorate your Christmas tree. If you’re looking for some inspiration in that arena, this article will help you out by sharing some of the best Christmas tree decoration ideas.

1. Trust the Classic Look

It’s only right to start this list off by respecting the classics. After all, it is hard to go wrong with the tried and true method of Christmas tree decoration. Although you are probably familiar with what a classic Christmas tree looks like, this section will quickly review the key components anyway. Here are the main decorative features of a classic Christmas tree:

With that simple set of items, you can make a Christmas tree display that most people will recognize and love. But if you want to get a bit more experimental with your decoration, read on for some alternative ideas.

2. Try a Simple Scheme

This Christmas tree decoration idea is at the opposite end of the spectrum compared to the last one. While many love the balanced look of a traditional tree, others prefer a more contemporary look. If you are part of the latter group, you’re best off establishing a simple decorative scheme for your tree.

What some people do when they want to go for a modern look is limit their décor items to a very minimal palette. Such simplicity often creates a striking appearance that you might not expect from a Christmas tree.

When using this decoration idea, you should limit the colors you use in the display as well. Often these trees will hold matching sets of ornaments and lights that fall into a single color family. What others do is vary the color of the tree itself by using artificial trees rather than a typical evergreen Christmas tree.

3. Embrace the Outdoors

Natural elements bring an unparalleled charm to any Christmas tree. What makes such items so appropriate is that they enhance the outdoor feel that the tree itself brings. For that reason, many people choose to decorate their trees using outdoor items such as:

Those items add a rustic feel to your Christmas tree. They are also very easy to find. An easy stroll through your yard or the woods may be enough to find the items you need. Once you do, you can arrange them in the branches of your Christmas tree.

4. Replace Tinsel with Ribbon

In the description of a classic Christmas tree, tinsel was mentioned as one of the primary features. But if you want to deviate from that traditional look, you should try replacing tinsel with ribbon.

It’s easy to wrap a tree with ribbon the same way you would with tinsel or garland. But ribbon has the advantage of allowing you to choose from a wide range of colors and patterns. Once you start using ribbon, you’ll open the door to an entire world of Christmas tree decoration themes.

5. Consider Your Home Décor

There are no specific items that are recommended for this tip. Instead, the focus of this option is to design a Christmas tree that works well with the décor that already exists in your home.

No matter how long you spend planning your tree decoration, it won’t look its best if it clashes with your home’s living spaces. Pay attention to the colors and textures present in your interior design. Then, choose Christmas décor that will work well with what is already there. The end result will be a decorative theme that will complement your entire home.

6. Decorate the Base of Your Tree

Most people focus on the limbs of a Christmas tree while decorating it. However, the floor surrounding your tree is important as well. Take some time to explore the many ways you can make the area around your tree look amazing. When in doubt, a few gifts will work well to fill the gaps below your tree’s lowest limbs.

7. Set Up Your Tree Outside

It was mentioned earlier that you can bring a few outdoor elements indoors to create a naturalistic style for your Christmas tree. This next idea is the opposite of that. Rather than bringing the outdoors in, try bringing your Christmas tree out into your yard.

Setting up your tree outside makes it a more public display for your entire neighborhood to enjoy. It may also give you some ideas on how to make your Christmas tree decoration better than ever before. With the benefit of space that an outdoor setting provides, you’ll have more room to add more decorative items around your tree, thus creating a larger and more impressive holiday visual.

Outside, your tree decoration may get some support from nature as well. What is more authentic than seeing real fallen snow cling to the limbs of your tree? Birds may also visit your tree, which only adds to the appeal.

One of the best ways to create such an outdoor Christmas display is to use a tree that already grows on your property. Evergreen species like pine, spruce, and fir will all work well. The best part is, you won’t need to worry about finding a new tree every season since one will already be available to you.

Essential Flowers for Christmas

An impressive floral display is a fantastic way to celebrate the Christmas holiday. To create such a display, you’ll need to know about the seven most essential flowers for Christmas (as well as a few other plants to include).

The most popular item in a Christmas display is a Christmas tree. However, this traditional tree is not the only type of plant that can add to the season’s spirit. There are many flowers that are essential for Christmas as well. If using flowers to decorate for Christmas is a foreign concept to you, you’ve come to the right place. This list will introduce you to the best flowers for Christmas.

The 7 Flowers You Should Use to Decorate for Christmas

Below are 7 of the most impressive flowers during the Christmas season. Some of these species are well-known as Christmas essentials, while others may be a bit less familiar. Read on to discover which one you want to use to boost your Christmas decorations.

Poinsettia

The bold splash of red that poinsettias bring is a well-known fixture of the Christmas season. However, it is surprising to learn that it is not this plant’s flower that we have come to know and love. Instead, there is a different part of the plant that is responsible for the iconic red color that poinsettias have.

Poinsettias are in bloom during Christmas, but the true flowers of this plant are relatively small and yellow. The part of the plant that gives it its ornamental value is called a bract. These bracts are large and leaf-like and account for the deep red “flower” shape that these plants are known for.

Amaryllis

If you want a flower that will make a strong statement during the holiday season, look no further than amaryllis. Hailing from Africa, these plants have incredibly large blooms whose deep red color will match the traditional green and red Christmas color theme.

What also makes this plant an ideal option is that it is pretty easy to care for. You will also have some control over when this plant blooms. Try planting an amaryllis about six to eight weeks before Christmas, and you should have some incredible blooms once Christmas day arrives.

Christmas Cactus

A cactus may not be the first type of plant that you associate with Christmas, but that doesn’t mean you can’t work one into your holiday planting display. Christmas cactus is one of three holiday cacti, along with Thanksgiving cactus and Easter cactus, that people often grow as houseplants. Each of those three plants offers bright flowers around the time that their respective holiday occurs.

To give your Christmas cactus the best opportunity to impress your holiday visitors, let it grow in an area that receives indirect light and is relatively humid. This plant will also appreciate the chance to grow in a high-quality soil mix similar to what you would use for a succulent.

Paperwhites

As the name suggests, paperwhite plants bloom with pure white flowers. These flowers sit atop long green stems and can serve as a lovely neutral accent to an otherwise colorful Christmas display.

To use these flowers in your Christmas display, you should start by acquiring some paperwhite bulbs. You can plant those bulbs in soil or in water. Either way, it will take about four weeks for the first blooms to appear.

Cyclamen

Although this plant is hardy in many regions of the United States, it most often grows as an ornamental house plant. Cyclamen has muted green leaves with pale patches of variegation, which complement flowers that are upright, bright, and typically pink.

Cyclamen is another plant that loves to live in a warm, humid place. Often, a well-lit bathroom is a perfect choice for this plant. With the right care, this fall and winter bloomer will be a lovely feature to add holiday cheer.

English Primrose

There are many different types of primrose, and some of those options will bloom in winter just in time for Christmas. English primrose is one of those varieties, and like many primroses, this plant will give you colorful five-petaled flowers.

These flowers form small bunches that are lovely in a Christmas bouquet. Consider including the large leaves of this plant as well if you need to fill in any gaps in your display with some greenery.

Yuletide Camellia

There are few flowers that are more outstanding than those of a Camelia shrub. While this broadleaved evergreen grows outdoors and may not be hardy in all areas of the United States, its beauty alone warrants a spot on our list.

Yuletide Camellia blooms in the winter with rich red flowers with yellow centers. The look of these blooms is so impressive that just a few will go a long way towards making your Christmas flower display look positively joyful.

Other Plants to Include in Your Christmas Display

Our main goal in this article is to show you some of the best flowers for Christmas. Now that we’ve done that, we’d like to introduce you to a few other plants that can help your holiday décor. While these plants don’t have flowers, they remain traditional, valuable features of many Christmas decoration themes.

Holly

Some might argue that no Christmas display is complete without some holly. The leaves of this plant are broad, evergreen, and have a distinctly pointed margin that makes them quite recognizable. It is the texture of those leaves and the bright red fruits of this plant that motivate so many to place a few branches through their homes during the Christmas season.

Mistletoe

In many parts of the world, mistletoe is nearly synonymous with Christmas décor. As many know, this plant is associated with a familiar holiday tradition as well. The practice goes that when two lovers meet under the mistletoe, they are expected to kiss. So if you want to add a classic plant to your display and perhaps inspire some romance at your holiday party, mistletoe is the right choice for you.

Rosemary

Rosemary can serve a dual purpose during the holiday season. As you can guess, this herb will work well to enhance the flavors of some of your favorite holiday dishes. It will also act as décor. Its leaves mimic the bristly nature of a Christmas tree, and its fragrance will give your home an inviting holiday scent.

Winter Pruning: How to Make Your Trees Grow Better in the Next Year

Pruning trees takes time and preparation, and winter is often the best time to get it done. Here, read about why pruning trees in the winter is a smart idea, which species will handle it best, and tips for getting started.

For many gardeners, one of the last tasks of the year is trimming trees. It might seem counterintuitive to prune in chilly weather, but winter is the best time to trim your trees for better growth in the summer. However, not all trees take well to winter pruning, and making the wrong choice can lead to problems for the tree in the long run.

Here’s a closer look at why it’s best to prune trees in the winter, and what you need to know to get started.

Why Prune in the Winter? Six Benefits

There are plenty of reasons to wait to tackle your tree pruning until winter. Here are the most significant advantages of doing so.

1. It’s Possible to Prune During Dormancy

In regions where the weather gets cold in the winter, trees go dormant. This means they stop their growth cycles and wait for warmer conditions to develop leaves and flower buds. Pruning during this dormancy phase means you aren’t hampering the tree’s efforts to put energy towards new growth, and often leads to vigorous growth by springtime.

2. Helps Protect Flower Production

The timing for pruning is crucial when you’re trying to maximize fruit or flower production. When you prune trees before they break dormancy, you run little risk of trimming off developing leaves and buds. This ensures you won’t compromise its production in the spring.

3. Trees are Easier to Shape When the Foliage is Gone

Trimming trees for a desired shape is much easier when the foliage is gone. Winter pruning is more efficient because you can see precisely what cuts are necessary for creating the right structure, and it’s often easier to tell which branches are dying or diseased and need to be removed.

4. Stops Diseases from Spreading

Not only do trees go dormant in the winter, but the pathogens and disease agents that infect them often do too. This means pruning trees in the winter lowers the risk that you’ll spread bacteria, fungi, or parasites from diseased sections to healthy, and helps you remove these trouble spots altogether.

Winter pruning is beneficial for avoiding the spread of Dutch elm disease, oak wilt, and most forms of fire blight.

5. Less Stress for the Trees

When trees get pruned, their natural reaction is to attempt to close the wound and go into overdrive producing new growth. This can lead to problems if water, sunlight, or nutrients are in scarce supply, as it can cause the tree to have a stress response. Worse, it leaves the tree more vulnerable to pathogens that can infect it from the wounds.

In contrast, pruning in winter while the tree is dormant gives it more time to heal the wound before generating new growth.

6. Improves Tree Safety Over Winter

Dead and dying tree limbs pose a real safety risk in the winter. Freezing conditions can cause branches to snap off, which could fall on structures or unsuspecting people below. Taking time to prune in the winter helps keep you and your property protected.

Which Trees Should You Prune in the Winter?

Not all tree species adapt well to winter pruning. Many species that bloom in the early spring should be pruned after their flowers die in the summer. Otherwise, you will cut off the buds and compromise flower production.

Some of the varieties that respond best to winter pruning include the following:

Evergreen shrubs and trees (late winter or early spring)
Shade trees like oak, maple, sweetgum, and katsura (late winter to early spring)
Apple (late winter or early spring)
Azalea (later winter or throughout the growing season)
Stone fruit like cherry, peach, and plum (later winter or early spring)
Dogwood (late winter or early spring)

Cold Weather Pruning Tips

Every tree is unique, so the way you’ll need to prune will depend on the variety you’re working with and your long-term goals for how you want the tree to develop within the space. Even so, there are some standard practices you can follow to set yourself up for success—no matter the variety.

Take time to research the recommended pruning strategy for each variety. The guidelines for pruning fruit trees you plan to harvest from, for instance, are very different than the guidelines for pruning a backyard shade tree.
Plan each cut based on your overall goals for the structure of the tree. Pay attention to the smaller overgrown branches that will block airflow and sunlight to the rest of the tree.
Cut each branch at the node (the place where branches connect to each other) for better tree structure and wound healing.

Prune in dry, mild weather. There’s no reason to freeze when pruning trees, so choose a day when the weather is warmer than average. More important—choose a dry day, so there’s less risk of fungal spores and other disease pathogens spreading and infecting healthy plant tissue.
Trees benefit most from pruning in their first few years because you can remove any branches that aren’t developing as desired to control their overall shape in the long run.
Make clean cuts that minimize the size of the wound to reduce the risk of contamination from pathogens. For extra protection, you can cover the cut site with pruning sealers.
Refrain from pruning too early in the winter. You don’t want the incision point to dry out if the temperature drops.
Prune away all dead and diseased branches first, and clean your tools before moving to healthier portions of the tree.

Pruning trees in the winter is a proven way to improve their health and set them up for vibrant growth by springtime. So long as you research your tree variety ahead of time to ensure it can handle winter pruning, you’ll be setting each tree up for success for the rest of the year.

Four Ways to Water Indoor Plants While on Vacation

Going on vacation is exciting, but how do you keep your indoor plants watered while you’re away? Here are four techniques to keep your plants watered while you’re enjoying your holiday.

Planning a vacation is exciting and there’s much to do before you head off for a relaxing holiday. But have you thought about your indoor plants? Unfortunately, many plants can’t go more than a few days without being watered, which can be problematic if you’re planning for a longer vacation.

Obviously, if you have a trusted friend or neighbor who can come and water your plants, then you’re set. But what if this isn’t an option?

Lucky for you, there are several techniques that you can utilize to keep your plants watered while you’re away. Below are four popular options that people use to keep their plants watered. The best option for you will depend on the type of plants you own as well as the duration of your vacation.

1. Place Your Plants In The Bathtub Or Laundry Sink

This method works well if you only plan to be away for a week or so. Here’s what to do:

With this method, the soil will absorb the water through the drainage holes at the bottom of the container. Your plants will then draw up the moisture with their roots when they need it. Of course, you need to ensure that there’s adequate light in your bathroom for your plants to survive and that the pots have drainage holes for the water to be soaked up.

Do not do this for succulents or cacti as they cannot tolerate sitting in water or wet soil for very long.

2. Set Up A Simple Wick System

This option is ideal if you only have a few plants. You can adapt this system for a larger collection of plants by using a larger container, but it does require you to put all your plants in one area.

Here’s how to water your plants with a simple wick system:

For a single plant, find a container around the same size as your plant pot.
Fill the container with water.
Find a suitable wick. This could be a piece of rope, twine, thick yarn, or any fabric that absorbs water. If you only have a very thin cord, you can braid this to make it thicker.
Water your plant thoroughly and let the excess drain away.
Place the water container next to the plant.
Put one end of the wick into the container of water, making sure it goes all the way to the bottom. Bury the other end in the soil of the plant. It should be buried around 2 inches (5 cm) deep into the soil in the pot.

The wick will now constantly replenish the water in the soil. Just make sure that your container is large enough to hold enough water for the duration of your vacation.

If you have many plants, you can use the same system but need a larger water container. You’ll also need a separate wick for each plant that needs watering.

3. Create A Simple Drip System For Each Plant

For this option, you’re going to need several empty soda bottles, one for each plant. Here’s how to create a simple drip system:

Drill a few small holes into the cap of the soda bottle.
Fill the bottle with water and screw the cap back on.
Thoroughly water your plants and let the excess water drain away.
Upend the bottle and bury it into the top inch or so of soil. Make sure that the bottle is secure and will not fall out.

The water will slowly drip out of the holes in the cap and water your plant as it needs it. You can also purchase ceramic or terracotta spikes that you attach to the top of the bottle in place of the cap. These spikes have holes in them that let the water drip out slowly into the potting mix.

Another option is to purchase some glass watering globes from your local garden center. These look a lot more attractive and can be used even when you’re not away.

Remember, though, that these may run out of water if you’re going to be away for an extended time, so it’s best to test them first before you leave. This will let you know exactly how long the water will last for each plant.

4. Make A Capillary Mat

You can purchase capillary mats at your local garden center, or you can make your own with this method. These work with the capillary action that draws water from a reservoir into the mat. Once your plants are placed on the mat, the roots will draw up the moisture through the drainage holes in the pot.

Here’s how to make your own capillary mat:

Find a large tray or plastic tub that will accommodate all your plants.
Cut a piece of Styrofoam around one inch thick to fit the top of the container. Leave around one inch free on both ends of the tray. The Styrofoam should be a little larger than the long edges of the tub so that it’s sitting above the water.
Find a piece of absorbent fabric that will fit over the Styrofoam and hang down into the water on both ends of the tub or tray. An old towel will work well for this.

Fill the tray with water and make sure that the fabric is wet.
Place the fabric over the Styrofoam and make sure both ends are well submerged in the water.
Thoroughly water your plants and let the excess drain away.
Place your plants on top of the fabric. The fabric or towel will act as a wick to water the roots through the container’s drainage holes.

Do not use this method for succulents or cacti as their roots cannot tolerate sitting in water. However, most succulents and cacti should be able to survive a few weeks without being watered. Just give them a drink before you go, and they should be fine.

The Four Best Birth Flowers for Capricorns

Capricorns are ambitious, responsible, and hard-working. They have no fear in putting in the work and dedication needed to achieve their goals. In this post, you can find a few Capricorn birth flowers that match these traits.

Capricorns stand out for their ambition and determination when pursuing their goals. If you’re lucky enough to have a birthday between December 22nd and January 20th, then you probably use these awesome attributes to your advantage every day. If only there was a flower that could perfectly celebrate the responsible and hardworking nature of a Capricorn.

The good news is, there are a few Capricorn birth flowers that can do just that. Each of these flowers is beautiful in its own right, but they also have a special connection to the Capricorn sign. This article will introduce you to a few of these fantastic Capricorn birth flowers and share a few reasons why they are so fitting for a Capricorn’s personality.

4 Birth Flowers for Capricorn and What they Mean

Pansies for Ambition

The most prominent trait of Capricorns is their strong ambition. If you know a Capricorn, you can likely attest that they are often striving for new goals that others might find too lofty. Little can curb a Capricorn’s desire to achieve such goals, and they are often the first to set out into new territories to pursue their dreams.

In many ways, the same can be said of pansies. These small but brilliant annuals bloom early in the season while many other flowering plants are still forming their buds. That early arrival and long-lasting vibrance are what make this flower such an excellent match for a Capricorn.

Pansies are also a good fit for the ambitious gardener. Unlike perennials that will return every year with little effort, annuals like pansies require a bit more attention. Each year, you’ll need to take time to arrange and plant your pansies in your garden beds. But if you have the drive and are willing to put in the work, you can enjoy these pretty flowers for nearly the entire season.

Night-Blooming Jasmine for Humility

Although Capricorns aim high when it comes to goal setting, that does not mean they make a big show of their skills and successes. Instead, Capricorns are far more likely to display modesty in their day-to-day life. While they can come across as somewhat cold, the true reason why Capricorn is likely to act introverted is that they have a lot of humility.

Night-blooming jasmine is the most suitable plant to represent the humility of Capricorns. There is no better proof of this than the flower’s habit of blooming at night. Rather than displaying its beauty during the day for all to see, much like a modest Capricorn, they tend to keep their most striking qualities a secret to the outside world.

The same can be said of the night-blooming jasmine’s fragrance. Much like the pleasing petals of this plant’s flowers, the pleasant scent they give off is a hidden treat as well. Only those who seek out this plant at night will get to enjoy that astounding fragrance. In the same way, only those who get past a Capricorns humility will find out how truly impressive they are.

African Violets for Reliability

Being friends with a Capricorn has a lot of benefits, one of which is reliability. This sign is known to be extremely loyal to those they care about. When it comes to reliability in serving the needs of others, few can compete with Capricorn. That steadfast devotion and sense of duty deserve a flower that can deliver on similar promises.

African violets are suitable for this role as they are one of the most reliable flowers you can find. In flower arrangements, this flower’s blooms can last for several weeks, while others will fade far more quickly. When grown in a garden, the longevity of African violets is even more impressive. With the right care, these plants can give you dependable blooms for half a century or more.

If you want to grow African violets of your own, you’ll need to display a bit of the reliability and conscientious care that Capricorns have so much of. At first African violets can be somewhat difficult to maintain. But if you can give them the right quality of soil and the right degree of sun exposure, these plants will reward you with deep violet blooms for years on end.

Carnation for Persistence

Setting a goal is not enough for a Capricorn. Once they have an idea in their mind, they are ready to put in all the hard work necessary to make it a reality. They show an extremely high degree of diligence and discipline that just about anyone would find impressive. That work ethic arises from the sense of persistence that is inherent to the Capricorn personality.

Carnations are a flower that can also show that same degree of persistence. These flowers will live on in a vase longer than nearly any other cut flower. That perseverance is akin to what Capricorns show when they have their eyes locked on a prize. Like a carnation, a Capricorn will be slow to fade even while others have long since given up.

When growing carnations of your own, you’ll experience a similar level of dedication from this plant. Although they bloom in late spring, carnations will hold their flowers for most of the summer as well. So long as you remain dedicated to your gardening maintenance as well, you’ll have the joy of colorful carnations in your garden for most of the growing season.

How to Prevent Your Indoor Plants From Becoming Leggy in the Winter

The stressors of winter can make our beloved houseplants leggy and weak. Legginess occurs when plants are desperate to reach the sunlight and nutrients they need to survive. This article will discuss the symptoms and causes of legginess as well as how to prevent it.

Keeping indoor plants lush and healthy during the winter is difficult for many people. The harsher conditions of winter, such as dry air and less light, can stress out plants and affect their growth habits.

One way that plants adapt during this time is by becoming leggy. In an effort to survive, plants will stretch out and grow toward the little light or nutrients they can detect. Unfortunately, this results in weak, brittle, and leggy growth.

In the sections below, you will learn everything about leggy growth, including the symptoms, causes, and how to prevent it. After reading this article, you will know how to treat leggy growth in your plants and prevent it in the future.

How Do You Tell If Your Indoor Plants Are Becoming Leggy?

Most people don’t identify leggy growth until it has become quite noticeable. But if you want to catch it before it becomes severe, you should look out for the following symptoms.

Weak growth that is elongated toward sunlight
New growth that is weak and floppy
Weak stems that have no firmness or structure.
Stems and growth topple over sides of the pot
New growth is yellow or white instead of green

Vigilance is the best way to prevent your plants from becoming too leggy. By noticing the symptoms right away, you can immediately treat your plant with what it needs to prevent the legginess from becoming worse.

What Causes Plants To Become Leggy?

Many factors can cause plants to become too leggy. Unfortunately, all these factors can easily come into play during wintertime. Below are the four most common reasons why houseplants become leggy in the winter.

Too little light: Plants need sunlight in order to successfully perform photosynthesis and survive. When plants are not receiving enough light, they will grow tall and in odd directions to access the little light they can detect.
Too much or too little water: Providing your plants with either too much or too little water will cause uneven growth. This can result in some stems becoming weak and leggy.
Too much fertilizer: Fertilizer can exacerbate legginess as it encourages plants to grow even when they shouldn’t be. If your plants are already leggy due to lack of sun or water, adding fertilizer will only worsen the problem.
Overcrowding: Some plants can grow quite bushy and become overcrowded in their pots. This means that some stems will receive more light and nutrients than others. The stems that are missing out will try and grow up and outward to gain access to more sunlight. This can easily make the stems weaker and leggier.

How To Prevent Your Plants From Becoming Leggy

Luckily, there are several things you can do to prevent your indoor plants from becoming leggy. The important thing is to ensure that your plants get ample sun, water, and pruning. Below are some suggestions to ensure your plants receive everything they need for even, healthy growth during the winter.

Provide your plants with plenty of light: Placing your plants near a bright window is the best way to prevent legginess. However, make sure to check your plant’s light requirements to ensure it is getting the right amount.
Rotate your plants every time you water them: When you rotate your plants, you’re allowing all sides of the plant to face the light on a regular schedule. This will ensure the plant grows evenly.
Install artificial grow lights: Sometimes, there’s just not enough available sunlight in winter for your plants to achieve optimal growth. In this situation, you might need to install a grow light or two to supplement the light that the plant needs.
Repot your plants before winter: Repotting your plants with a new, fresh potting mix will provide them with the nutrients they need over the colder months. Make sure you do this in late summer or early fall to give your plants enough time to recover from the shock before the colder weather hits.
Prune your plant regularly during the growing season: Keeping your plant well-pruned ensures even growth and avoids those long leggy bits from taking over. This also helps prevent the overcrowding that often contributes to the legginess of a plant.

Pinch back the growing tips of plant stems: Pinching back new growth enables the plant to become bushier and eliminates that long leggy growth. When you pinch out the growth tip, it forces the plant to create two new growth tips at either side of the stem below the cut that you’ve made. This is a great way to make your plant bushier and avoid long, leggy growth.
Increase the humidity: During the winter, the air inside homes is much drier due to the constant use of artificial heating. Unfortunately, this means that houseplants are not getting the humidity that they need and often results in weak growth. To solve this problem, either use a humidifier or mist your plants regularly.

Following the tips in this article will ensure that your plants remain nice and healthy over winter and don’t develop any leggy growth. Make sure your plant is getting the sun, water, and nutrients it needs so that it continues to grow evenly.

How to Force a Bulb To Bloom Inside Your Home

If you want to enjoy flowers indoors this winter, it’s possible to force bulbs to bloom. Follow these steps to get suitable bulbs and learn how to take care of them until they are ready to blossom in your home.

If you’re sick of winter and want a sense of spring indoors, forcing bulbs to bloom inside is an easy way to enjoy fresh flowers. Though it sounds challenging, tricking bulbs into blooming is easier than most people think and involves minimal materials and maintenance.

Here’s how to get started.

Why Force a Bulb to Flower?

Forcing a bulb to bloom is a proven strategy to enjoy flowers indoors, no matter the weather. By placing the bulbs in water or another growth medium, you can trick them into thinking that winter is over and it’s time to start sprouting.

This lets you enjoy flowers on your own timeline, no matter what the outside weather is doing. If you want to fill your home with floral scents or have fresh flowers available for a wintry event, forcing bulbs to bloom is an ideal solution.

What Types of Bulbs Can You Force to Flower?

Many different types of bulbs work well for forcing blooms. Common choices include crocuses, amaryllis, hyacinths, daffodils, paperwhites, irises, snowdrops, and tulips. Just keep in mind that some flowers, such as paperwhites, have a strong scent that may be overpowering indoors.

When purchasing bulbs for forcing into bloom, it’s best to seek out local plant nurseries that can verify that the bulbs are fresh. Most will also have a wide variety of pre-chilled bulbs to choose from, which will save you time before flowering.

Planting the Bulbs

The first step is prepping your bulbs for blooming. It’s possible to use gravel, water, or potting soil for this process.

Gravel

Place gravel along the bottom of a container and arrange the bulbs within it. Fill it with water until the bottom of the bulbs are just barely covered.

Potting Mix

Select a pot with a drainage hole and with room for at least 3-4” of space below the bulbs for root growth. Ceramic or terra cotta tend to work best because they don’t hold onto moisture that could rot the bulb.

Pour a soilless potting mix into the pot, and slowly add water until the mix is moist but not soggy. You want the pot to be about three-quarters full. Place the bulbs in the mix and add more potting mix until they are covered by about a half an inch. Water thoroughly, and monitor regularly to ensure the mix stays moist.

Water

It’s possible to use special bulb-forcing vases to provide a 360-degree view of the blooming bulb. You’ll place the bulb within the top of the glass and add enough water that it just touches the bottom of it.

Note that this method works best for pre-chilled bulbs.

About Chilling Bulbs

Before most bulbs will sprout, they need to undergo several weeks of a cooling period that mimics winter.

Note: Some tropical varieties, like amaryllis or paperwhite, don’t require chilling. You can also purchase pre-chilled bulbs to skip this step entirely.

It’s possible to chill bulbs in an empty vegetable drawer of your fridge or an unheated garage or basement. Outdoor cold frames also work well.

Keep the bulbs cool for the first few weeks (ideally between 40-60°F or 4-15°C) before putting them in a slighter cooler location. This mimics the transition from fall to winter. Moisture levels are very important during this time, so check your pots every few weeks and add water when the soil is dry. You want it lightly moist, but not soaked.

Chill times vary based on the bulb variety, but most range from 8 to 16 weeks.

For example,

Maintaining Bulbs

At the end of the variety’s chill time, you should start to notice signs of fleshy white root growth. Don’t make decisions based on any shoots growing from the top of the bulb, as root formation better indicates how well the bulb is developing. If roots aren’t appearing, keep the bulbs chilling longer.

Once roots are established, and the bulbs have sprouted the first few inches, you can move them to a warmer, sunnier place to encourage more growth. A bright indoor windowsill works well. More light exposure will encourage the bulb to develop sturdy, compact stems and leaves instead of thin, spindly ones that are prone to flopping over.

Most bulbs should start blooming within two to five weeks after moving from a cold spot to a warm one. As the bulb starts to produce a bud, you may want to increase the watering from weekly to daily.

Once you have flowers, it’s wise to move the pots out of direct sunlight and into a cooler room to prolong the life of the bloom. Even so, expect forced bulb flowers to last for less time than the same bulb would bloom outdoors.

You can keep the flowers as they are for a beautiful display or consider cutting them and making floral arrangements. So long as you keep them in water, the flowers will stay vibrant for several days.

After the Bloom Fades

Once the blooms wither, it’s time to toss the bulbs. Alternatively, you can save the bulbs to plant outdoors once the threat of frost is gone. Just know that it might take two years before this bulb will grow again. Some varieties take better to replanting than others—you’re most likely to have luck with daffodils and crocuses, while tulips will rarely bloom again in these conditions.

Forcing bulbs to bloom indoors takes some planning, but you will be well rewarded for your efforts with gorgeous flowers at times when nature wouldn’t provide them. Prep some bulbs for indoor blooming today, and you’ll be enjoying indoor flowers in just a few weeks.

Learn How to Fertilize Your Orchid

Orchids need nutrients just like other houseplants, but they can be very sensitive to food and water. Here’s how to safely fertilize your orchids.

To get your orchid to re-blossom, one of the most important things you can do is fertilize it correctly. Like other houseplants, orchids need nutrients for growth, but they can be pretty sensitive to fertilizer applications. Instead of giving them too much plant food, these tender plants will do much better by being slightly underfed.

Why do orchids need fertilization?

In nature, orchids grow attached to trees or logs, not down on the ground with their roots in the soil. Native to tropical jungles and rainforests, the roots pull humidity from the air and absorb nutrients from the bark on the tree or dust that lands in proximity.

Because of their native origins, to cultivate orchids for indoor growth, many types are grown in a medium like bark chips or sphagnum moss. Unlike soil, these growing substrates do not have as much organic matter that breaks down and releases nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium over time. Therefore, you must supplement orchid plants with fertilizer to get essential nutrients for metabolic cellular processes, growth, and flowering.

How often to fertilize orchids

When it comes to fertilizing your orchids, you can break their growth cycle into three periods: active vegetative growth, flowering, and resting or dormancy. The plants have different fertilizer needs during each of those three periods.

Active growth period

During the active growth phase, which occurs just before blossoming, the plant needs the greatest amount of fertilizer. Fertilizing during this period encourages the plant to put up new stems and develop flower buds that will allow the orchid to bloom again. This period is when the plant grows the most and stores energy to put up new stems and to develop flower buds.

When the plant is actively growing, it can be fertilized weekly or every other week. Many orchid growers follow the “weakly, weekly” approach — giving plants a small dose of fertilizer when they water weekly versus a larger amount once or twice a month.

Flowering period

Active growth slows when the flower buds open, meaning orchids expend less energy during blossoming and need less fertilizer. Therefore, it is recommended you avoid fertilizing plants when they are blooming. In some cases, fertilization can cause premature bloom loss.

Resting period

After the blooms have dropped off your orchid, the plant needs to build up its energy reserves in preparation for the active growth phase that follows. At this same time, autumn or winter temperatures begin to drop, and the day shortens in length. In turn, orchids will considerably slow down their growth to rest and store nutrients.

Fertilize your orchid every two to four weeks during the resting period at a reduced dosage rate.

Choosing a fertilizer

You can purchase a fertilizer specially formulated for orchids, or you can use all-purpose plant food. There are both granular and liquid fertilizers available; liquid fertilizers come in ready-to-use formulas and in concentrated forms that need to be diluted in water.

If you choose an all-purpose plant food, ensure that it contains equal amounts of N-P-K, such as a 20-20-20 product. Nitrogen is needed for leaf growth; phosphorus promotes healthy root growth and bud development; potassium increases plant defenses against environmental stress and helps maintain overall health. It is also essential to choose a product that contains micronutrients too. These trace elements help perform many vital functions in the plant.

Just be careful to avoid any product that contains urea to prevent burning the roots.

Step by step instructions for fertilizing your orchid

These instructions are for fertilizing weekly when the orchid is actively growing, putting on vegetative growth. If you fertilize every two weeks, you can mix the fertilizer solution twice as strong; follow the application dosage recommendations on the product label for monthly fertilization.

Mix the fertilizer at one-quarter the strength listed on the container, making sure there is at least 50% water in the solution. Use rainwater if possible or filtered or distilled water. If you have municipally treated water, allow the chlorine to dissipate for 24 hours before using it to mix fertilizer.
Remove the plastic orchid container from its decorative pot (if it has a pretty container), and place it in the sink, a saucer, or a shallow dish.

Give the excess water time to drain out of the growing substrate. If using a saucer to collect the water, dump the excess solution from the tray, so it isn’t reabsorbed back into the growing medium through the drainage holes.

Tips for fertilizing

When fertilizing at stronger doses — half strength or above — water the growing medium slightly before applying fertilizer. When orchid roots are dry, the higher fertilizer rates can burn them.
Over time, chemical salts from the fertilizer will form a white crust on the top of the growing substrate. Periodically flush excess fertilizer salts from the growing medium using distilled, filtered, or rainwater.
Never fertilize your orchid if it has a pest infestation, is struggling with a disease problem, or the roots are damaged.
Avoid using slow-release fertilizers for your orchid. The nutrients in these products are meant to be released over time to give plants periodic doses of food. But when grown in a soilless medium, there is nothing for the nutrients to bind to, and they just get flushed out of the container before the roots can use them.
If the leaves of your orchid become dark in color and begin to look floppy, scale back on fertilizing. These are typical symptoms of overfertilization.