Hay ives Plants Horsepower
Want great performance from your perennials Fuel them with high-octane alfalfa hay tea, says John Dromgoole, owner of Garden-Ville nursery in Austin, Texas, and host of the 'Gardening Naturally radio program. Alfalfa has been used for centuries as livestock feed. But John says that everything that makes it a valuable feed-high nitrogen, vitamin A, folic acid, potassium, calcium, and trace minerals also makes it a great foliar plant food. John says alfalfa tea is especially good for roses and...
Vinegar pray leps Cats Away
LIse vinegar to chase away wandering tomcats and neutralize the smell that they leave behind. The cats can smell the vinegar but I can't, says Victoria Price of Silver Spring, Maryland. She puts vinegar around the base of her birdbath, on her patio wall, and on the trunk of a cedar tree that's a popular gathering placc for cats. As long as the cats can smell the vinegar, it works like a scent fence to keep them away.
Weights
1 gallon 4 quarts, 8 pints, or 16 cups
Directions Vam
1. Cmsh jewelweed in the jar and cover with vinegar. 3. Strain out the jewelweed and mix essential oils into the vinegar. 4. Before applying all over, spray a small amount on the inside of your arm and monitor for 15 minutes for any allergic reaction. 5. To use, spray thoroughly on clothing and lightly on any exposed skin except your face Reapply every 14 hour or so. To keep You can grow your own pest repellent and save a bundle on commercial sprays with a small patch of pennyroyal either...
Ingredients and Supplies Nbg
1 handfuls each of fresh plantain leaf, calendula lowers Calendula officinalis , Si.-John's-wort flowers Hypericum perforatum , and black cohosh leaf Gmicijuga racemosa Double boiler Extra-virgin olive oil Strainer Linen towel, fine cotton handkerchief, 4-inch piece of Solomon's seal root Polygonatum bijlorum optional,- see Use Solomon's Seat Sparingly on the facing page 1 tablespoon hexane-free castor oil 1 tablespoon coconut oil Vi ounce or more beeswax, grated Blender lA cup floral water...
Directions Yaq
1. Pick 10 tomato leaves from a healthy tomato plant and chop them into small pieces. 2. Combine the onion with the tomato leaves in the rubbing alcohol. Steep the mixture overnight. 3. Make a cotton swab by wrapping a picce of the cotton batting around the stick. The idea is to make a swab that is large enough to let you apply the mixture easily. 4. In the morning, remove any diseased leaves from your roses. Dip the swab in the tomato-onion solution and wipe the entire-plant, including the...
Storing Herbs
Although herbs hanging in the kitchen add a homey touch, leaving them exposed to moisture in the air for too long will eventually degrade their flavor. Therefore, as soon as the herbs are crackly dry, remove the leaves from the stalks. Be careful not to crumble the leaves or you'll lose some of the aromatic oils. Rlace the leaves in airtight containers. Glass or ceramic containers arc your best choice because metal and plastic can affect the flavor of delicate herbs. Store the containers in a...
Directions Rxe
1. Put earthworm castings in a bucket or other container and add the Epsom salts. Mix well. 2. Put 1 cup ol the mixture in the bottom o each transplant hole as you plant tomatoes and melons. Yield 12'4 cups ol organic fertilizer mix Vou can buy earthworm castings from a garden supply catalog. But it's more fun to build a worm composter to produce a free supply of castings. Earthworms make composting easy even indoors Just use a small box to hold earthworms, soil, and kitchen waste. These polite...
tennel tace toother
For a refreshing herbal splash, herbalist and licensed aesthetician Stephanie Tourles, author of The Herbal Body Book and owner of September's Sun Herbal Soap Company, takes advantage of the skin-softening properties of fennel. Fennel creates a slipperiness that feels wonderful on the face and body, Stephanie says. I use this as a hair rinse as well. It restores the natural pH balance of your skin and scalp. Herbalist Terry Whye of Whye Clayworks and Pottery Studio in Finksburg, Maryland, makes...
Directions Agj
1. Bring the water to a boil, then remove from heat and stir in the chamomile flowers. Cover and allow the mixture to come to room temperature. 2. Strain the liquid and use full strength. Dampen potting soil mixtures with the tea before you plant your seeds. And then water with the tea blend, spraying the soil lightly each day with the chamomile tea instead of water. Yield About I cup of Seedling-Ease tea Note You can also use chamomile tea to water cuttings and to soak seeds prior to planting....
Directions Gpl
1. Place equal amounts of calendula flowers and sweet fern leaves in one glass jar. 2. Place comfrcy leaves in the other glass jar. 3. Pour enough almond oil in each jar to cover the herbs. 4. Slide a chopstick into the oil to release any air bubbles, then cap jars lightly 5. Place jars in a sunny window. 6. Wipe the inside of each jar and lid occasionally to remove any moisture, 7. After 2 weeks, strain out plant parts. 8. Store oils in separate sterilized glass jars. 9. Before applying, pour...
How Much Sulfur to Add
The amount of sulfur you need to add to your soil to keep acid-loving plants like blueberries happy depends on the type of soil in your garden, as well as the pH you start with. Sandy soils typically need less sulfur to lower pH levels, while loam and clay soils take more sullur to change their pH. tf you're not sure what kind of soil you have, see Soil Texture Tips on page 65. Then use the results of a soil pH test to find your soil's current pH and the pounds of sulfur you need to add, per...