Guest guest Posted April 14, 2006 Report Share Posted April 14, 2006 Gardening Tips African Violets Violets will bloom longer, prettier and more abundantly if you stick a few rusty nails in the soil alongside them. Aphids Wash entire plant off with mild detergent and water. Black Flies Combine 1/4 tablespoon plain ammonia and 1 quart water. Water the soil. Chives Save the bottom of a green onion (the bulb plus about 3/4-inch). Put it into a pot of soil and water it. Snip off the green parts as you need them. Fertilizer When you clean your aquarium, use the old water to water your plants. It's excellent fertilizer. Save fireplace ashes and sprinkle them liberally over your garden in the late Fall. This controls the pH level. Ash is rich with phosphorous, potash and other elements. Soak leftover eggshells in water in a covered container for 24 to 36 hours. Throw out the eggshells and water the plants. Save the water in which you have cooked or steamed vegetables. Feed it to the houseplant or a tree or shrub outdoors. Hanging Plants Hang them with nylon fishing line if you don't care for chains, ropes or macramé. Herbs To dry herbs, set an old, clean window screen on four bricks. Lay herbs on the screen to dry. Pests To keep numerous pests at bay, add garlic cloves to water in a blender, then strain the liquid through several layers of cheesecloth. Spray on your garden. To repel pests on plants, grind up several pods of hot peppers in a meat grinder or blender. Add an equal amount of water and 2 teaspoons of plain dishwashing detergent to help the solution cling to the leaves. Spray the affected plants every few days. Planting Plant flower or vegetable seeds in cardboard egg cartons. Poke a hole in the bottom of each egg cup for draining, then fill with dirt. Plant seeds as instructed on the seed packet. To transplant, cut the carton into 12 pieces and plant the individual egg cups directly in the ground. The cardboard will decompose naturally. Plants Use leftover Styrofoam peanuts as great drainage in the bottom of a pot. Cut the bottom out of gallon-size plastic milk jugs to make covers for small garden plants. Just remove the caps to let in fresh air. They are transparent enough to admit sunlight. For bright, beautiful leaves on household plants, wipe each leaf with a small amount of mayonnaise on a soft paper towel. It will make the leaves easier to keep clean, and they'll remain shiny for months. To help keep moisture in the ground, place very clean straw around the base of the plants to make a thick blanket under each plant. This also helps to keep weeds down. Pole Beans Plant pole beans next to sunflowers. The beans will climb the lower part of the sunflowers and you won't need to use any poles. Roses When planting a rose bush, bury a banana peel or a rotted banana in the soil next to the roots of the bush. Roses need potassium for proper growth. The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.~ Albert Einstein ~ Check Out My Groups: Everything Natural http://health./ Everything Magick EverythingMagick/ -- Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.4.1/310 - Release 4/12/2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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