Homemade Earth Box Planter

An Earthbox planter is a patented brand of self-watering gardening containers that have many advantages for small-space gardening. A homemade earth box planter is simple to construct with some basic materials available in a hardware shop. Construction of the expanding container takes a day and results in the rewarding advantage of developing your own fresh produce.

Identification

An earth box is constructed with pipes and a filter display so that the planter has the ability of being a self-watering container. This design makes the system low-maintenance for busy people who don’t have enough time for everyday water applications. The pipes hold and distribute water into the soil to keep it evenly moist for optimum growth during the hot summer months. These planters can be any size, but generally are a rectangular shape that’s ideal for growing vegetables. An earth box works well for a small apartment area, patio garden or anywhere that you would like an easy to plant and maintain garden.

Benefits

An earth box planter is a closed-system garden on account of the water reservoir that provides a regular supply of water. You might observe this type of planter requires less water complete and will collect excess water in the reservoir to get less waste. Incorporating a slow-release fertilizer into the soil provides an optimum growing environment with adequate nourishment and moisture during the growing season. An earth box is low-maintenance because the pipes and reservoir can hold enough water to moisten the soil for up to five days, and also have less weed growth than a ground garden.

Construction

An 18-gallon plastic storage bin with 1-inch PVC pipe and construction tools are the basic equipment needed for an earth box. A lid drilled using evenly placed holes creates a water reservoir below the soil when it is fit into position about 3 inches in the bottom of the bin. A hole cut into every single corner of the lid to fit the PVC pipe will hold the pipes in place as a way of filling the reservoir. Placing a “V” notch into the bottom of every PVC pipe span lets the water leak out of the pipes. Affix the lid in place with duct tape if it doesn’t fit snug when pushed into position.

Planting

Plant seeds or seedlings within an earth box filled with a high-quality potting soil combined with a slow-release vegetable fertilizer. Use the application speed on the fertilizer package dependent on the amount of soil in the box. Following the seed packet or seedling sticker for spacing recommendations for your plants prevents overcrowding that may reduce production. Set the empty earth box in the desired place before putting and filling. An earth box filled with soil and water is very heavy and not easy to lift and move.

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How to select an Avocado In the Tree

Avocado trees require seven days to 15 years to develop from seed to fruit-bearing adulthood, but make up for the wait with an annual return of 60 to 200 avocados each tree. They grow best in warm climates with loads of moisture. Mature trees grown outdoors can achieve heights of 15 to 45 feet tall depending upon the range, which makes it difficult to make it to the upper fruits even with a ladder. The fruits do not ripen on the tree and also allowing them to fall may bruise the fruit, so you must use a pole pruner with a basket or bag attachment.

Inspect the fruit on the tree consistently for adulthood at the beginning of the crop season, which varies with different varieties. For instance, the common “Hass” avocado crop season extends from January through October, “Zutano” is harvested in November through February, and also “Fuerte” ripens in November to June. Judge the size of the fruit to determine adulthood. Some avocados change color to indicate ripeness, also, like “Hass,” which is dark green to black when mature, or “Dickinson,” which changes from green to purple. Avoid selecting immature avocados because they will shrivel instead of softening after selected.

Select just as many antidepressants as you will have the ability to eat in a few days so you do not waste any fruits. You can leave the remaining adult avocados on the tree and pick them a few days to a week before you plan to utilize them.

Grip the avocado in your hand and cut the stem just above the fruit, using a pair of bypass pruners. Should you have to harvest a huge volume of avocados, utilize a crop knife or hook, which you simply hook supporting the stem and pull to pick the fruit. This works great if the avocados are reduced to the ground or accessible by ladder.

Position a pole pruner with the fabric or basket catching sack directly under the adult avocado. Pole pruners may include scissor-style blades or a hook-style blade which you position behind the stem.

Pull down on a hook-style pole pruner with a single swift motion to cut the stem and grab the avocado in the basket or bag. In case you have a scissor-style pole pruner, pull the attached rope to shut the scissors and cut the stem.

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The way to Prune a Flaming Bush Shrub

A flaming, or burning, bush is often utilized in landscaping in places where you might want some fall colour. Staying green during the spring and summer months, this simple-looking shrub turns a vibrant crimson in the fall, making certain that everybody stops and takes notice. Because the main season for this plant is in the fall to early winter, pruning must done in the early spring until it places on new growth.

Snip back stems which have grown beyond the shape of the shrub so they are in line with the rest. Slim with pruning snips in a 45-degree angle just above a leaf node. New growth usually forms and grows out from the cut, thus make snips across the sides of the bush carefully, to ensure branches do not grow downward.

Remove dead limbs back to the base of the plant or to where they grow out from the other limb. Snip them off 1/2 inch in the base or other limb, so that you don’t cut or scar the surface.

Cut back the flaming bush to one third of its length to decrease size and also encourage new growth all over. Never cut more than one-third of the length, unless a portion of the limb is dead, or maybe you stop growth of the limb completely.

Thin out your flaming bush to bring in light and air flow. This will encourage more leaves and stalks to develop within the bush. Cut old thick branches to the ground, leaving younger more vibrant ones to take over. Select branches which are evenly spaced so that the bush doesn’t wind up being overly thin in 1 place and thicker in another. You might also thin out a place of the bush that appears overly fragile by selectively removing a branch back to where it intersects with the other, while leaving the rest of the bush untouched.

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Truth About Flowers for Kids

Flowering plants are important areas of the natural world and hold key positions in the ecosystem and group of life. Teaching children about the wonders that flowers hide inside their petals can be an exciting introduction into the world around them.

Reproduction

Pollination is one of the most interesting processes that flowers proceed through. Although most flowers have both male and female components for others do not. Some blooms depend on insects to deposit the feces in the crucial places, but some rely on bats, bats or the end. Many flowers have evolved to possess exquisite colours, shapes and scents to help attract pollinators to them to help in their reproduction. Plants which are pollinated by the wind may have little, inconspicuous flowers, while those who rely on butterflies tend to be brightly colored.

Flower Characteristics

Many flowers have habits which help in their pollination. Some flowers, like the 4 O’Clock flower, open at night or in the day since they are pollinated by nocturnal insects and creatures. Some blooms produce sweet nectar to either attract pollinators or their food, like the carnivorous Venus flytrap. A flower’s shape, height and color determine what sort of animal pollinates it or feeds it. As an example, long, tubular-shaped flowers attract hummingbirds.

Food for Thought

Flowers compose a huge area of the food chain, both directly or indirectly. They’re the direct food or source of food for many insects, birds, mammals and other creatures. Therefore, they’re also important in feeding bigger predators since carnivores have to eat the creatures that eat the plants. People eat a few flowers regularly, but mostly consume different components of plants. Some edible flowers include hibiscus, roses, nasturtiums and broccoli.

Protection

Some flowering plants have evolved to possess built-in security features for either themselves or the creatures that feed them. Raspberries and roses, by way of example, have thorny stems which can help protect them from being destroyed or eaten. Other flowers may be toxic to certain animals but not many others. Poison oak, as an example, contains a certain chemical that creates a allergic reaction in most people.

Cultural Significance

Flowers have been used by different cultures for different events or circumstances for many centuries. Chrysanthemums, as an example, are considered funeral flowers and some cultures believe them unlucky if they are within a home. Daisies symbolize innocence and loyal love, while distinct colored roses symbolize several kinds of love. Many flowers hold distinct cultural meanings, which is precisely why certain flowers are provided as gifts for a variety of events.

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Watermelon Vine Care

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is just a sprawling yearly vine indigenous to tropical Africa, in which it has been cultivated for centuries. The watermelon vine has rough, broad leaves, white or yellow, tubular flowers and big, thick-rinded fruits that home juicy, sweet flesh that might be red, pink or yellow. If properly cared for, watermelon vines can yield an abundance of tasty fruits throughout the summer.

Location

Watermelons are warm weather-loving plants that prefer temperatures to stay between 50 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit and develop in many climates as an annual. They absolutely must be increased in complete, all-day sunlight to prosper. The seeds will not germinate, or will germinate poorly, in soil that’s too chilly. Soil temperatures must be 60 F before planting, after all prospect of spring frost has passed.

Soil

Watermelons prefer a rich, sandy loam with a pH between 5.3 and 8. They are more tolerant of dry soils than soggy soils, and can quickly succumb to rot and fungal disorder if implanted in a flooded portion of their lawn. That said, watermelons do best in soils that are kept moist to a depth of 6 inches. If possible, water the ground directly, avoiding the leaves and fruits. Wet leaves are vulnerable to diseases.

Sowing Seed

Once the ground has warmed adequately in the spring, sow the seeds directly in the garden in a depth of approximately 1 inch. Plant seeds in rows approximately six to eight feet apart, as they’ll need plenty of room to spread out. Planting watermelons too close together results in poor air circulation, which may bring about infection. To get a jump start on the growing season, consider growing transplants. Based on Clemson Cooperative Extension, transplants could be harvested up to 2 weeks earlier than seeds.

Issues

If the soil pH is too low, or there is inadequate calcium in the dirt, the blossoms of this watermelon might rot, preventing fruit from growing. Over-fertilizing may have its perils too, as an excess of nitrogen can cause an abundance of leaves and not enough fruits. Pests aren’t usually a significant problem, although cucumber beetles and aphids may be a nuisance. Powdery mildew is common in plants that are crowded or watered from overhead.

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Fruit Trees in Greenhouses

Greenhouses were once called orangeries in Europe and were originally constructed to grow orange trees inside. You can now grow all sorts of fruit trees in the greenhouse, controlling the environment to ensure that trees make a healthy harvest. Whether you grow fruit in the greenhouse year around or simply move fruit trees inside to protect them from winter cold, the greenhouse is a cozy place for fruit trees in any given time of year.

Greenhouse Conditions

When growing fruit trees in the greenhouse, you’ll want to provide a warm atmosphere for them to thrive. Most fruit trees value temperatures over 50 degrees Fahrenheit, including bananas and citrus trees, while tropical fruit trees require temperatures above 60 F. Citrus trees prefer a moist environment, using light, frequent waterings and regular misting.

Winter Growing

In cold climates, it is wise to move purple or citrus fruit trees from the cold and into the greenhouse prior to the first fall frost. Even at a Mediterranean climate, fruit trees can benefit from a move inside on chilly nights in September and October. This may also avoid dormancy, which means that your own fruit trees will create fruits year around.

Drawbacks

One of the significant drawbacks to think about is the expense of operating a greenhouse. Heat and heat the environment can quickly increase your utility accounts, and there are other problems, like heaters drying out trees. It’s also important to think about which fruit trees actually benefit from greenhouse growing and that don’t. For instance, apple trees require cold temperatures to induce budding and make fruit, which makes successful greenhouse growing not feasible.

Benefits

Since fruit trees do best in warm weather and mild winters, growing them in a greenhouse ensures they will get adequate temperatures. And you’ll also have cautious control over all facets of the greenhouse environment, without the troubles outdoor growers have, including rainfall, dry spells and frosts. The greenhouse also shelters fruit trees in damaging windsthat is especially beneficial for citrus trees that cannot tolerate wind.

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The way to Determine the Composition of the Soil in your lawn

Soils are composed of particles of different sizes, specifically clay, silt and mud. Deciding the proportion of each kind of particle, or the soil’s texture, for your yard’s soil will help you understand the dirt’s various features, know whether or not amendments are warranted and fix your yard-care pattern accordingly. A simple test permits you to estimate about the percentages of sand, silt and clay in your land without a sending samples to a lab.

Collect soil samples from your lawn. Dig down a few inches so that you stay away from surface vegetation and organic matter debris. Gather soil from several collection sites scattered throughout the lawn. In case you’ve got a large yard or suspect the soil texture varies within the lawn, think about collecting several samples, keeping them separate and examining them each separately.

Expand the collected soil on a newspaper, and let the soil dry.

Crush the dry soil to break up clods. Pulverize it with a pestle or similar grinding implement. Remove all big rocks and non-soil organic material.

Pour the pulverized soil into a transparent quart jar or evenly sized jar so it’s one-quarter full. Fill the jar with water therefore it is three-quarters full.

Add about 1 tsp of non-foaming dish-washing powder or table salt to the jar, and place the jar’s lid securely on the jar. Shake the jar hard for 10 minutes, and then place it in which you won’t have to bother it for many days.

Check the jar one minute after you completed shaking it and set it down. Mark the top of the settled sand layer over the side of the jar.

Mark on the jar that the top of the next layer that settles, silt particles, then two hours later you stopped shaking the jar and set it down.

Mark the top of the final layer, the clay layer, when it settles completely and the water is clear. The final layer might take several times to settle fully.

Assess the thickness of each separate particle layer and the total thickness of the soil sample.

Calculate the percentage of each particle type from the sample. Start by dividing the thickness of each layer from the entire thickness of the sample. Multiply that amount by 100.

Look at a soil texture triangle to obtain the texture of the soil using the percentages you calculated. Locate the percentage of each kind of particle along the faces of the soil texture triangle, and follow the related lines to the center of this triangle to find out where they intersect and into which texture class that point of intersection falls.

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Which Plastics Are Safe to Use as Containers to Grow Food?

Plastic is widely utilized in lawns, from the plumbing in sprinkler systems to the obstacles used to edge a walkway. However, when growing food, extra care ensures that no potentially harmful chemicals make their way from the plastic into the food. Plastics that satisfy the essential standards for growing meals are designed with specific attributes and tolerances.

Sturdy

Soil, water and roots shift and move above the plastic of a container constantly. Over time, this may lead to erosion, releasing tiny particles of the plastic to the soil. Even in trace quantities, this may cause contamination in plants and fruit. Because of this, thicker, hardy plastics are more acceptable for growing food.

Light Tolerant

One quality plastics used in food production need is just a tolerance of light. Growing fruits and vegetables involves exposing plants, and the containers that they develop in, to lots of light. Some chemicals used in plastics are affected by light and, while they could tolerate light from a reading lamp or a fluorescent tube, they break down after long exposure to the wide spectrum light from sunlight or from the light of grow lights.

Heat Tolerant

Needless to say, the light from sun or develop lamp will even heat up the plastic containers. This implies plastic containers used in food production must stand up to hours in temperatures as hot as 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Plastics that don’t hold up to the heat can begin to break down and leak toxic chemicals to the soil. Once in the soil, the chemicals may poison the plant by infiltrating its root system or simply accumulate within the plant’s leaves and fruit. These gathered toxins are often passed onto those ingesting the food created in unfit containers.

Recycle Number

Check the underside of any plastic container you intend to use for growing food. The amount on the underside in the recycle triangle symbol identifies the type of plastic used in manufacturing the container. Plastics that are safer for food production include polyethylene compounds, or recycling numbers 1, 2 and 4 along with polypropylene, or recycling amount 5. Dangerous plastics that are not great for growing containers include polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, which carries the recycling number 3 times, polystyrene which carries the recycling number 6 and polycarbonate, which carries the recycling number 7.

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Plum Tree Didn't Bloom This Year

Plum trees (Prunus domestica) create small white blossoms around 1 inch in diameter that bloom until the 4-inch-long leaves. The trees reach approximately 30 feet tall and cannot tolerate extreme hot or cold temperatures. The plum stipulates the landscape with both a beautiful display of flowers and edible fruit in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 though 9. If the tree fails to blossom, the cause may be bacteria, fungi, improper pruning or cultural factors.

Severe Pruning

Prunus species, including plum, require little pruning when the tree’s frame is established. Tough and frequent pruning is not desirable and can affect the tree’s growth and flower production. Heavy pruning removes the too much of the one-year-old shoots necessary for the tree to blossom. You can also damage the trees by removing large branches and causing wounds that do not heal properly. These wounds create a simple access for disease.

Fungus

Black knot and brown rot are brought on by fungi and may prevent plums from blooming. The black knot fungus (Dibotryon morbosum) overwinters in the branches and twigs. The fungus is active in the spring and also influences new development, which in turn disrupts normal growth. Brown rot (Monilinia fructicola) causes blossom and twig blight. Flowers that do seem turn brown and die.

Bacterial Canker

Bacterial canker (Pseudomonas syringae) often stops plum trees from blooming. Indicators of bacterial canker show up in the spring and also include rough cankers, limb dieback and leaf spot, and can lead to young shoots and blossoms to dry up and perish. The bacterium is typical when spring temperatures are reduced and moisture levels are high. Splashing rain often spreads the disease, and it typically affects trees between 2 and 8 decades of age.

Lack of Sunlight

Plum trees require full sunlight to produce flowers and set fruit. Trees that do not get enough sunlight might delay flowering or not flower at all. For the best growth, place trees in which they get at least six hours of sunlight daily and avoid planting trees in which other trees or construction them. When you plant trees at a good, sunny place and provide them proper care, you can expect them to fruit and flower normally.

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Creative approaches to Hang Pictures Without Frames

Hanging a photo in a frame may be the most conventional way to display pictures, but it is far from the only way. Step out of the traditional mold by hanging images in unconventional ways which make your space uniquely your own and will have guests commenting on your imagination.

Clipboards

One of the simplest ways to hang a photo happens to be among the most fascinating. Simply clip your image onto a clipboard and hang it on the wall with the built-in nail opening. The trick to making this look deliberate rather than just a clipboard on a wall is to produce a grouping. Hang at least three photographs in a row, or even create a grid of clipboards on the wall. Wood clipboards work nicely for a vintage vibe, while clear plastic clipboards seem good in a contemporary space. Colored clipboards look fantastic in a child’s room.

Clothespins

Clothespins are a flexible choice which allows you to make a screen wall without the hassle of a conventional portrait wall. String wire or sturdy string across the region in which you wish to hang pictures. This can be done with long nails to get an industrial feeling, or screw hooks to get a completed look. If desired, use a third nail or hook, then swag the cord or string over it — or fasten the cord or string so it is taut between two hooks or nails. When this is completed, clip images onto the wire or string with clothespins. Evenly spaced pictures look more formal while randomly spaced pictures seem casual and astonishing.

Magnets

Turn your wall into a giant refrigerator by using magnets to hold your photos. Using a thin piece of sheet steel, lay the metal to the wall with screws. Drill a hole to every corner of the metal and insert a screw through the hole. If the metal weighs more than five pounds, use a stud finder to locate studs in the wall, and insert screws through the metal and in the studs with a drill. When the metal is set up, secure photographs onto the metal using magnets.

Frame Alternatives

Rather than using a framework, photographs may be mounted either on or utilized in framework options. Many business turn a picture into a piece of artwork by printing the photograph onto a canvas, mimicking the expression of a hand-painted masterpiece. For a simpler non-frame alternative, slip the image between two pieces of acrylic plastic sheets and drill a hole through the pieces to get a nail to fit through. Tape the image to the back bit of plastic and hang the pieces on the wall by means of a nail. This creates the illusion of a floating bit of artwork while preventing the image from getting curling or damaged in humidity.

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