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Vol. 4, Num. 28, July 9, 2009 (Read It Online) We have more tips and photos from readers as well as an interesting article by Ellen Brown about Wick Watering for Container Plants. Do you have any gardening tips or photos to share with the ThriftyFun community? http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_contest.ldml Contest winners are picked by you! Be sure to give a "thumbs up" to tips and photos that you like. Thanks for reading, The ThriftyFun Team
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By ladybug123 from Nova Scotia
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Rate It: Our creeping Jenny is making it's way over our patio :) As our clematis spreads it's way over the small fence, a little garden gnome is fast asleep in the tire planter I made some years ago. Just relaxing among the Dianthas and Lobelias. I also made the seashell windchimes, and the small rose looks at home in the bird bath. This is my favorite place to be, in my garden! By Claudette from Kent, WA
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Rate It: This is my pink garden that I am developing with the addition of four pink barrows. These are planted with pink-ivy geranium and pink pig-face, both will hang over the edges. By ausjulie from Sydney Australia
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Make a Raised Garden in an Old Bath Tub Why not make a raised garden in an old bath tub? The reason I ask is that when my hubby and I were at a flea market, they had a very large old bath tub for sale. I said to him, that will make a very good raised bed garden; just put some holes in the bottom. Then fill the bottom with rocks or something, so it will take less dirt to fill it up with composted manure. You'll have a raised bed garden for life and for somebody else after you have gone on to a better place. I already have the above with cement blocks around it. It will also last longer than I will. Good luck. By kffrmw88 from Dothan, AL Contest Contender!
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Rate It: Wick Watering for Container Plants From the simple to the extravagant, the garden marketplace is full of products that can feed and water your container plants for you. But if you prefer to spend your money on plants, rather than "systems," you may want to consider a simple and inexpensive method using wicks. If you're leaving home on vacation for a week or two, or you simply don't have the time to water dozens of containers every day, wick watering can be an efficient, do-it-yourself solution to keeping your container plants happy. How It Works The theory behind wick watering is a simple one. A wick is run from the top of the pot down through a drainage hole and into a reservoir holding water. As soil in the pot dries out, capillary action from the wick draws water in from the reservoir and re-hydrates the plants. When the soil reaches it's moisture bearing capacity, the wick stops drawing water. Method #1 (For Multiple Containers)
Materials:
Arrange your pots closely around the water reservoir. Make sure your plants are watered normally (from the top) before starting the process. As the soil dries, water will be drawn into the pots through the wick. Method #2 (The African Violet Method)
Materials:
This method works well for small, individual pots. It is commonly used to water small African violets. A shorter cord is placed in the bottom few inches of the container and run out the drainage hole. The pot is then set on top of a reservoir and the cord is allowed to dangle into the water and draw up the water as needed. If needed, fertilizer can also be added to the reservoir. This method works best for smaller plants because water will only travel about 4" up the wick. Testing for Success Don't set off on your summer vacation before testing out the bugs in your wick watering system. Wicks can fail for several reasons:
When to Change the Wick Over time, wicking material will slowly get clogged with soil particles, algae, minerals, or fertilizer salts. Expect to change them every 6-8 months, which is also a good time to freshen up the soil in your containers. Wick Watering Tips:
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Rate It: Save Seeds from Tomato and Pepper Plants I do this each and every year for my tomatoes and peppers. When I am cutting/slicing my tomatoes and bell peppers, hot peppers, banana peppers, I slice them on a paper towel. Any seeds that fall out, I just leave on the paper towel, and throw the paper towel in my flower bed. The paper towel dissolves and the seeds get watered and buried with regular watering and here comes the seedlings and baby plants, then I dig them up and re-locate them. Walla, free veggie plants. By Sharon from Florida Contest Contender!
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Rate It: I live in the desert Southwest and it was costing and arm and a leg to water my plants even though we have no lawn and plant desert adapted versions of plants. Trying to water sparingly just killed plants and made the survivors look droopy. Finally, I bit the bullet and put in a drip system, which in the summer we run at night to reduce evaporation. Our water use was cut by 75% and the plants have never looked better. To keep the drip working in this hard water area, every few weeks I pull all the drip tips and soak in vinegar, or CLR if they are really bad. Some of the desert adapted plants are versions of plants grown elsewhere, such as desert gold peaches, and some types of roses which bloom almost all year here with very little care and not much water. So we are able to have a nice, pretty yard that isn't all cactus, eat fresh fruit, and not spend a fortune. By Chiismychi from Tucson, Az Contest Contender!
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Rate It: Thrifty watering is the way to go, especially during Colorado's dry summers. Here are my tips:
Hope this helps. By Wyncia from Boulder, CO Contest Contender!
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Powdery White Substance Causes Grapes to Shrivel My trellis is covered in unripe green grapes. It looked as if we were going to have a bumper crop. One morning I saw that most of the grapes were covered in a powdery white substance. Over the next few weeks the grapes shriveled up. I have no idea what happened here. The previous year we had beautiful, sweet purple grapes. Hardiness Zone: 4a By susanne from Mississauga, Canada Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf80942697.tip.html
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Rate It: How do I propagate a Privet hedge? By leslie0815 from South GA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf82677137.tip.html
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Rate It: Keeping Bees Away from a Hummingbird Feeder I have hummingbird feeders and the honey bees and bumble bees are taking it over. The hummingbirds cannot feed. Please tell me how to get rid of the bees. By leveta from TN Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf11973966.tip.html
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Rate It: I am a new gardener. I have grown marigolds from seed, planted them in the garden, and they are flowering beautifully. Will they grow back next year or will I have to buy some more seeds and start again? Hardiness Zone: 9a By bridgetmark from Lincolnshire, UK Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf21653277.tip.html
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Rate It: Something Is Eating My Pepper Plants What is eating the leaves of my pepper plants? It seems to happen overnight and the leaves seem to be taken as if with a scalpel. The cuts are clean and not chewed or shredded. The stems are left alone. This has gone on for several years and I can't find the culprit. It is not slugs, deer or rabbit. Is there any night time winged bug that could do this type of damage. It does not go after my tomatoes, beans and so far squash. It has left my eggplant alone this year and they are a healthy size right now. Hardiness Zone: 6a By aamul47 from Eagleville, PA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf75131820.tip.html
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Rate It: I have a Mandela vining plant that I will keep in all winter long after putting it out on the deck this summer. I have a lot of foliage but no flowers, but I had flowers last summer on the deck. Hardiness Zone: 6a By Peggy62 from OH Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf27843159.tip.html
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Rate It: I have an Orchid that I believe I over watered. It lost all it's leaves, I tried to transplant it and the stems started to soften and rot. I put it outside in the shade and left it. Now it has a new shoot growing off one of the soft rotted stems. The leaves look like they have small white roots on it. How can I transplant this? Or do I just leave it on the rotted stem? Which stinks by the way. Hardiness Zone: 9a By tam6083 from Mandeville, LA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf70959121.tip.html
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Rate It: I want to prune a Plum tree in winter. How much can I trim without killing it? Hardiness Zone: 11 By seabee from Thousand Oaks, CA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf83660097.tip.html
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Rate It: My bird bath seems to lose a lot of water. It quickly evaporates. What can I do ? By maere6836 from NJ Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf33066461.tip.html
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Rate It: My corn did not develop completely. We had a bout of hot weather and then it turned cold for a week or two. What happened? Hardiness Zone: 9b By greenakers5 from CA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf75218175.tip.html
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Rate It: Potted Lemon Tree Leaves Small I have a 2 year old Lemon tree that I bought last year in a 5 gallon pot. It had lemons on it last year and this year it is flowering, but the leaves are very much smaller than last year. I have feed it Miracle Grow and made sure it was watered plus it is summer and I put it outside to soak up the rays. Why are the leaves so small this year? By dahl house5050 from Lynnwood, WA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf45882409.tip.html
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Rate It: Does anyone know of any plants which will grow in water other than water lilies. I made a small rock garden with a tiny pump for running water. I am wondering if there are any plants I can stick in among the rocks which don't need to be planted in soil. Hardiness Zone: 6a By needtoknow from Ontario, Canada Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf20446355.tip.html
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Rate It: Spider Plant Leaf Tips Turn Brown How can I keep the tips of my Spider plant leaves from turning brown? Every one I've ever tried to grow has done this on every leaf. Hardiness Zone: 7b By Cricketnc from Parkton, NC Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf79951345.tip.html
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Rate It: White Stuff on Arrowhead Plant Leaves I have this huge Arrowhead plant. It's growing beautifully and very full. However I've been noticing this white stuff around the edges of a lot of the leaves. It stays right around the edges of the leaves. I've tried washing it off but it comes back. Can anyone tell me what it is and how I can get rid of it? Hardiness Zone: 7b By Cricketnc from Parkton, NC Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf41486416.tip.html
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Rate It: Can anyone identify this wild flower? It seems to be a ground cover. I would like to use it for landscaping. Being it is a native plant, it will probably do very well. I plan on planting it in a pot before the cold weather sets in and keep it in the house. I usually pick some and place it in a small vase in the house. It lasts a very long time, and will keep blooming. I would also appreciate if anyone has a web site that they can recommend that will identify plants and such. I have searched but haven't really found any that were helpful. Thank you. Hardiness Zone: 6a By mkymlp from NE PA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf73478373.tip.html
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Rate It: Can anyone identify these flowers? They start out with a hairy pod and then bloom. I do not know if they are wild or if I planted them. They are purpelish blue. By freedombelle2001 from Bellevue, NE Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf78714508.tip.html
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Rate It: Can I grow a plant from a potato eye? Hardiness Zone: 7a By jimbob2140 from Kitts Hill, OH Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf13034824.tip.html
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Rate It: Do Hibiscus Leaves Close at Night? Do Hibiscus leaves close at night and reopen during the day? Hardiness Zone: 8a By customer from Millington, TN Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf58382888.tip.html
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Rate It: Using Cayenne to Control Garden Pests My friend told me that sprinkling hot cayenne pepper on plants will keep away animals and insects that will eat them. Is this true? And if so, do you sprinkle the whole plant? Hardiness Zone: 6a By menopause from Suffield, CT Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf27978168.tip.html
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Rate It: I planted a Gold Nugget Loquat tree two years ago. It is growing at an extremely slow rate, much less than the dwarf naval orange tree next to it. The trunk remains very thin. I have to use strings and sticks to support and keep it upright. What is going on? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Hardiness Zone: 9a By xyang2004 from San Mateo, CA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf71144118.tip.html
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Rate It: Leaving Spider Plant Babies on Mother Plant How long can babies stay with the mother Spider plant? By ladiredd from Las Vegas, NV Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf94415270.tip.html
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Rate It: I moved into a new house during the winter. Summer has revealed that the yard is just full of weeds. They are taking over. I want to sterilize the soil, but organically and cheaply. Any suggestions? Hardiness Zone: 2b By nelson2v from Saskatchewan, Canada Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf19409364.tip.html
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Rate It: Leaves Turning Yellow on Purple Robe Locust I noticed some of you writing about a Purple Robe Locust (robinia ambigua) tree. A landscape company planted one in my yard about five years ago. For the past several years, the purple blooms show up in June and stay for about a week, then fall off and the leaves start turning yellow and dropping off, although most of the leaves stay green. But the yellow ones are smaller and litter my lawn all summer long. I have had three different "tree specialists" and each has suggested spraying, which has not seemed to phase the tree. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks Hardiness Zone: 6a By shw3 from Utah Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf18704883.tip.html
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Rate It: Can I leave my Calla lily outside in the winter? Becky Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf22162118.tip.html
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Rate It: Ivy Houseplant Has Brown Spots My Ivy houseplant has brown spots on some of the leaves. What is causing this? Hardiness Zone: 9a By VICBILL from The Villages, FL Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf88806779.tip.html
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Rate It: Growing Recommendations for Zone 10b What are the best flowers and grass to grow here, in Zone 10b? Hardiness Zone: 10b By lnschooley from Lakeland, FLl Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf65688445.tip.html
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Rate It: How do I get rid of blackbirds from the backyard? By jgoatee1 from Chicago, IL Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf79609732.tip.html
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Rate It: How do I plant Ginger to eat? Hardiness Zone: 11 By tonnie from HI Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf58828721.tip.html
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Rate It: How do you prepare peach pits to plant right from the peach? Hardiness Zone: 8a By kattim23 from Estill, SC Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf597668.tip.html
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Rate It: How do I grow alfalfa sprouts without buying the growing kit? I bought organic seeds, but I am not sure how to grow them at home. By gran1cook from OK Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf98236437.tip.html
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