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There are hydroponic growing systems on the market in various price ranges, but using inexpensive canning jars is a budget-friendly option. With a little creativity, your hydroponic mason jar garden can be a quintessential part of your kitchen décor. Making a Hydroponic Garden in Glass Jars In addition to mason jars, you will need some specific supplies to grow hydroponic plants in a jar. These supplies are fairly inexpensive and can be purchased online or from hydroponic supply stores....

Before you rush your houseplants to the great outdoors, they need to be gradually acclimated to their new environment. Acclimating houseplants to outdoor conditions is the best way to lessen the amount of shock and achieve successful adjustment to this new environment. Moving Houseplants Outside Light is one of the biggest factors contributing to plant shock. In fact, the intensity of sunlight outdoors is far greater than that found within the home....

New England Aster Flowers A wildflower member of the Asteraceae family and native to the eastern and central United States, New England aster flowers are generally found in meadows and other moist, well draining soils. The New England aster plant has medium green to gray-green foliage with an odor somewhat reminiscent of turpentine when crushed. Don’t let the unpleasant aroma put you off, however. This plant provides stunning rose to lilac or deep purple blooms in mass plantings within native species gardens, low-lying areas, along roadsides, and around tree lines....

What causes stinky compost piles? Organic waste breaks down with the help of bacteria, microbes and small animals, such as snails and worms. All of this life needs oxygen to survive and decompose the material. Additionally, a careful balance of nitrogen and carbon is necessary for an odorless compost bin. Moisture is another factor and certain food items, such as meat, should be avoided, as they take longer to compost and can leave bad bacteria in the resulting material....

Common Orchid Diseases Orchids come in many sizes, colors, and growth forms. The majority of these wonderful plants in cultivation come from rainforest areas where temperatures are temperate to tropical. There are also species which thrive in arid conditions, but these are not widely grown. Orchid plant diseases are most likely to occur when excess moisture stays on leaves and flowers, and when soil has poor drainage. Cultural changes and even a site transfer can minimize disease as can good sanitation procedures....

When to Harvest Peppers Peppers have been cultivated in Central and South America, Mexico, and the West Indies since ancient times, but it was early explorers like Columbus who brought the pepper to Europe. They became popular and were then brought to North America with the first European colonists. Peppers are tropical plants that are grown as warm season annuals here. Given plenty of sun, peppers are relatively easy to grow....

Blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis) is a bunch grass native to the Great Plains found in pastures, grazing land, and open unmanaged fields. Some information and knowledge on what is blue grama grass will help you decide if it is a good fit for your location. What is Blue Grama Grass? Blue grama cultivars are part of turf grass and ground cover areas with low moisture. It is a warm to temperate zone grass that requires sun and dry earth but tolerates a range of soil types, from rocky to sandy, with moderate to alkaline pH levels....

Growing Figs in Pots When growing figs in pots, the first consideration is to ascertain the appropriate varieties suitable for container grown figs. The following cultivars are suitable for fig tree container planting: Blanche, also known as Italian honey fig, Lattarula and White Marseille, is a slow grower with a dense canopy that bear medium to large lemon scented fruits. Brown Turkey is a popular cultivar for fig tree container planting and is also known as Aubique Noire or Negro Largo....

Protecting Roses from Hot Weather When the temps are in the mid to high 90s to 100s (32-37 C.) and up, it is important to try and keep them not only well hydrated/watered but also to provide them some form of heat relief. When the foliage looks wilted, it is a form of natural protection that will usually come out of it during cooler times of the evening. In places such as Tucson, Arizona, where there is little time for such “relief breaks” from the intense heat, it is important to try to create a means for such “relief breaks....

The graceful skeleton of the tree is accented by light trimming over the first few years of the tree’s life. Learn how to prune a Japanese maple to enhance the attractive form of this beautiful tree. Japanese Maple Care and Pruning Japanese maples are deciduous trees that are used as ornamental shade specimens. Plants that are in light shade and protected from severe winds will need little supplemental care once established....

Sago Palm Care & Pruning Sago Palms Oftentimes, unsightly yellow fronds are a signal of a nutrient deficiency, which can usually be remedied with a boost of fertilizer, such as palm food or even citrus fertilizer. Poor, sickly looking plants can also be rejuvenated with manganese sulfate (amounts vary with plant size, from an ounce (28 gr.) for small sagos on up to 5 lbs (2 kg.) for larger ones) watered into the soil....

Two Crops from Mustard Plants Like many spring crops of leafy green vegetables, mustard has a tendency to bolt once warm weather arrives. The bright yellow flowers are hard to miss, but don’t immediately yank out these plants. There are many uses for mustard seeds: White mustard (Brassica alba/hirta) – Cultivated commercially for the production of yellow mustard, the mild-flavored seeds are a light tan color. These mustard seeds can be found in pickling spice mixes and ground for mustard powder....

What is Armored Scale? Of all the garden pests you’ll meet as you cultivate and love your garden, armored scale insects may be the most interesting and frustrating. If your plant has suddenly developed a lot of unusual bumps, lumps, or things that look almost like they might be new growths in the wrong spots, armored scale is probably responsible. Scale insects are tiny sap-sucking pests, about the same size as an aphid....

Identifying Snakes in Southern Regions Learning to identify snakes in your area can prevent undue fear and unnecessary eradication of environmentally beneficial snakes. Even a pit viper is harmless when observed from a distance and left alone. Southern snake varieties include the venomous copperhead, coral snake, cottonmouth, Western diamondback rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake, prairie rattlesnake, western massasauga, and western pigmy rattlesnake. Nonvenomous snakes in the South include the glossy snake, black rat snake, scarlet snake, racer, bull snake, ring-necked snake, brown snake, common kingsnake, milk snake, western ribbon snake, western hognose snake, and common garter snake....

Succulent Terrarium Instructions Terrariums and dish gardens have been a part of indoor growing for centuries. Succulent plants seem to like arid conditions and a desert or beach themed terrarium will provide the right conditions while adding some unexpected appeal in the home. Creating succulent terrariums doesn’t take a lot of time or money. You can literally make one in an old food jar or search a thrift market for an unusual dish or clear container....

Can I Put Tea Bags in the Garden? So the question is, “Can I put tea bags in the garden?”. The resounding answer is “yes” but with a few caveats. Moist tea leaves added to the compost bin increase the speed with which your pile decomposes. When using tea bags as fertilizer, either in the compost bin or directly around plants, first attempt to identify if the bag itself is compostable– 20 to 30 percent may be composed of polypropylene, which will not decompose....

Choosing Flowering Perennials for Shade Just like any other plants, however, shade-loving perennials do best in conditions that meet their particular requirements. Moisture considerations are especially important, and a successful shade garden should be divided into damp and dry areas. Your shade garden may have only damp areas or only dry areas, but it is possible to have a combination of the two. Determining the moisture level of your shade garden before you buy plants can save you the expense of purchasing varieties that are not suited to your shade garden....

Tree vs. Split Leaf Philodendron Before getting into how to repot a lacy tree philodendron, we must first explain the confusion often associated with growing these and split leaf philodendrons. While they look alike and sometimes go by the same name, these are two totally different plants. Split leaf philodendron plants (Monstera deliciosa), aka Swiss cheese plants, are characterized by the large holes and fissures that appear naturally in the leaves with exposure to the sun....

Why Turning Compost Helps At a basic level, the benefits in turning your compost come down to aeration. Decomposition happens because of microbes and these microbes need to be able to breathe (in a microbial sense) in order to live and function. If there is no oxygen, these microbes die off and decomposition slows down. Many things can create an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment in a compost pile. All of these problems can be reduced or eliminated by turning your compost....

When to Harvest Turnips There are different methods for harvesting and storing turnips. Some are pulled and bunched together with the leaves and stems intact. These are best taken when they are 2 inches (5 cm.) in diameter. Those that are topped, which means the greens are removed, are harvested when 3 inches (8 cm.) in diameter. The actual time for harvesting a turnip root is determined by the variety and your growing conditions....