Bringing Houseplants Indoors for Winter
If you let your houseplants vacation on the back deck or front porch this summer, then by early September it’s time to get them ready to move back inside for the winter. Letting your indoor plants spend their summer at “camp” is a great way to give them extra air circulation, increased surround lighting, and […]
Water-Wise Gardening
As a Western state, it is very important to know how to create a water-wise garden and grow plants that require less additional water. At the greenhouse, we hear that customers want to save water, but don’t want their yard to look like a desert. It is possible to reduce your water consumption and still […]
Top Things to Do In Your Garden… Early Spring
Spring is the time to begin thinking seriously about your garden. Learn some tips and solutions for many gardening problems. PREPARE YOUR SOIL Give your garden soil the energy it needs to sustain bountiful crops by preparing it now. Using last year’s soil without adding in new nutrients is like asking a racecar driver to […]
Improving Your Soil Structure
Improving soil is different from simply adding fertilizer. Although fertilizer contains key nutrients, these are used up fairly quickly, and it won’t do anything for the structure, or long-term fertility of the soil. For that, you need to add organic matter, and it’s worth doing once every year. Early spring is a good time to […]
How to Test Your Soil
If you are a gardener in Colorado, chances are you have stuck your shovel into the dirt and thought to yourself… Man, we have a lot of clay in our soil. But, do you actually know the true composition of your dirt? A soil test is the best way to check the growing potential of […]
Introduction to Fertilizers and Chemicals
Fertilizing doesn’t need to happen during the first month if the plant was purchased in a greenhouse. If the plant is a new seedling, wait a couple of weeks after sprouting to fertilize the plant. Beginning in the second month you can use just about any houseplant fertilizer for any plant. Watch for plant specific […]
Soil Additives
Magnesium is a key element in chlorophyll production. It directly increases the uptake of iron and is most beneficial in the first 4-6 weeks of plant growth. Sulfur promotes larger root growth, aids in chlorophyll production and gives new growth a dark green color. Boron helps form healthy plant hormones and promotes maturity. Copper increases sugar content to improve flavor of vegetables […]
Test Your Soil
Subsoil Drainage Test: Dig a hole in the garden about 12 inches deep and the diameter of a spade. Pour water in the hole to the rim. Refill the hole a day later and observe how long it takes for all the water to soak in. If the water soaks in within a few minutes, […]
The Key to Good Gardening Success
Organic matter Is best used as an amendment rather than a source of fertilizer. In addition to coarse sand, inorganic amendments include calcine clay products, pulverized volcanic rock, perlite and diatomaceous earth. Liquid products break the surface tension of water around the soil particle and allow deeper earth penetration. They do not increase the pore […]
Red Worm Bins for Small Spaces
Red worm bins are great for a small-space composting setup that will yield free, nutrient-rich compost for your garden. Worms eat kitchen scraps and create worm castings, which are a valuable soil amendment and plant tonic. Castings are often called fertilizer, and though they are not very high in nitrogen, they are full of plant-supporting […]
Composting Guide for Beginners
Have you been interested in composting but are worried that it is too difficult to learn? With little more than fallen leaves from your yard and kitchen scraps, you can make dark humus-rich compost to add to your house plants and garden. Many gardeners refer to compost as black gold because it adds so much […]