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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The Size of a Lotus Flower

The lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), also referred to as sacred lotus and Indian lotus, is revered in Buddhism and Hinduism as a sign of divinity, fertility, and purity of mind and body. The plant has been widely cultivated in China for more than 3,000 years for food and medicine. The plant also produces edible seedlike nutletsthat can be utilized to make conventional mala prayer beads. The plant most widely recognized attribute is its big, beautiful blossoms.

Description

As an emergent aquatic plant, then the lotus plant produces flowers and leaves straight from its roots. The smooth, waxy leaves have been supported over the water by a very long petiole that’s attached to a stem, which frequently lends the appearance of floating on the water’s surface. The leaves generally reach as much as two feet in length and remain poised 3 to 6 ft above the surface, while thick rhizomes burrow in the mud beneath. The lotus is native to Asia and northern Australia, and is cultivated as an ornamental in shallow ponds, marshes and other wetland habitats throughout U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 5 through 10

Flowers

The lotus blossom is cup-shaped, ranges in colour from white to pink and reaches an average length of 8 to 12 inches. Each blossom comprises about 15 petals and starts in the morning and closes at night. After about three days, then the fragrant blossom goes to yield a fruit that resembles a nut. The fruit, which includes several chambers that hold individual seeds, is embedded in the surface of a 3-inch broad receptacle that looks to be an upside-down ice cream cone. This special structure has worth in floral arrangements because it takes on the appearance of a wasp’s nest when dried.

Growth Habit

The lotus is a fast plant that thrives in tropical and temperate climates in shallow aquatic environments up to 8 feet in thickness, although it is winter hardy as far north as USDA zone 4 as long as roots do not freeze. For cultivation in small garden ponds, it is helpful to plant roots in suspended containers for ease of management. In larger ponds, roots may be secured directly to the bottom in close proximity to the water, where plants can become established and colonize from seed.

Other Lotuses

American lotus (Nelumbo lutea), also referred to as yellow lotus and water chinquapin, is a North American species that produces yellow blossoms equal in size to the Indian lotus. N. nucifera cultivars, such as “Momo Boton,” create smaller leaves and rose-colored blooms.

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Annual Flowers for Root Bound Areas

The areas under trees are usually filled with tree roots. Some of those roots are near the top of the soil, which makes the place root bound. Digging up the area can injure those roots and hurt the tree. Annual flowers are ideal for putting in root bound areas because you can plant them from seed, or in tiny holes to get six-packs of seedlings. Annuals are shallow rooted, so won’t disturb the roots of their trees.

Spring

In warm-winter climates, U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10, spring starts as early as December. If the place is root bound but at a sunny location, cool-season flowers work well. Think about the seasons. The place could be in colour during the summer but in full sunlight during the spring because it is under deciduous trees. Cool-season annual flowers comprise Lobelia (Lobelia inflata) which grows to from 6 to 30 inches high and is covered with small blossoms in pale blue or white. Calendula (Calendula officinalis) contains bright orange and yellow daisy-shaped blossoms from 3 to 4 inches round. The blossoms are edible. The bush grows to 18 inches high. Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) typically grow from 5 to 6 feet high and also need a support for their tendrils to grasp. But there’s a dwarf variety that only grows to 18 inches and does not need a support. Other spring picks comprise stock (Matthiola incana), pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) and snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus).

Summer

Summer gives you a wide variety of blooms from amaranthus (Amaranthus) to zinnias (Zinnia elegans). When the spring blooms are fading, pull out them. Pulling up the plants will make the place a little uneven. Gently rake the area smooth using a grass rake so you don’t disturb the tree roots. Plant the seeds of this summer annuals. Amaranthus have purple, red, pink or yellowish blooms. The blossoms may form small fuzzy balls or even be tufted on upwards spikes. Zinnias have a selection of colours, all except blue; sizes from 1/4 to 4 inches in diameter and grow from 6 inches to 36 inches high. Other summer annual blossoms include cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus), growing up to 48 inches high, and marigolds (Tagetes patula).

Drought Resistant

Trees such as oaks don’t do well with frequent watering during the summer, particularly in Mediterranean climates where oak trees have adapted to slopes that don’t get much rain. Plant drought-resistant annual flowers underneath the oaks. Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena), verbena (Verbena), moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora) and bachelor button (Centaurea cyanus) are all drought resistant.

Planning and Planting

Before planting, soak the area so it’s moist to a depth of 6 inches. Test it out by plunging a screwdriver into the soil. Let the area dry off a little so you’re not planting in mud, but rather damp soil. How long that takes depends on the weather. In foggy coastal areas it could take as much as a week. In dry inland locations, the soil could be prepared the next day. Scatter the seeds and then cover no over 1/2 inch of soil. The exception could be big seeds, like sweet peas; poke a hole in the soil 1 inch deep, slip the seed in the hole and then cover. Water with fertilizer that’s water soluble to soak the bed.

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Vanilla Bean Plant

The vanilla bean plant (Vanilla planifolia) belongs to the Orchidaceae or orchid familymembers. This plant originates from tropical forests located in Mexico and Central America at U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11, where it stays warm nearly year round. Today most vanilla beans are produced in Madagascar; Reunion, formerly called Bourbon; and Indonesia. The vanilla orchid climbs up tree trunks, grasping the wood together with fleshy roots, in which it produces greenish-yellow flowers 2 inches broad. With pollination, the vanilla bean develops on the plant.

Vanilla Flowers

Vanilla plant flowers resemble typical orchid blossoms, but they last just one day if not pollinated. The flowers are hand-pollinated since these orchids are generally grown out of the native surroundings without access to their pollinators located in the wild. Pollination is only successful if done in the early hours on precisely the same day that the flower opened. Otherwise pollinated, the orchid blossom dries up and falls off the plant.

Vanilla Beans

Vanilla beans are the 6- to 9-inch-long seed pods of the orchid. The beans develop just on mature plants that have got 10 feet or more in height. It takes approximately five months for the beans to ripen. Once the beans are harvested and cured, the vital oils found in the seeds and in the oil liquid surrounding the seeds are used. This oil is used to flavor ice creams, puddings, sauces, deserts and other types of cooking. Vanilla is also used in cigars, perfumes and liqueurs.

History

The Aztecs in Mexico used the vanilla bean to flavor a beverage called xocolatl. This beverage was a mixture of chocolate, honey and vanillathat has been drunk by Montezuma. Cortez got the beverage from Montezuma when the Spanish invaded Mexico. Vanilla beans were shipped back to Europe starting in the 16th century, even in which their use spread across the world.

Growing Requirements

Vanilla bean plants grow best when the air temperatures are between 80 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning they require a heated greenhouse in many climates. They require bright shade and high humidity, which equals daily misting, but not wet soil. Growth of the orchid plant stops when subjected to temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This plant needs some sort of support to climb, and flowering generally starts within 1 to 3 years after planting.

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How Do Pea Plants Normally Pollinate?

Pea plants (Pisum sativum) are part of the Leguminosae family. Peas are an easy to grow vegetable which are planted commercially and in home gardens all over the world. Peas have adapted over time to ensure the continuation of every species, and a part of this edition is the ability to reproduce in two ways: self-pollination or cross-pollination.

About Peas

Peas are cool season plants hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 3 through 11. They reproduce in a life cycle known as an alternation of generations, which means that they have haploid and diploid phases at different times in their life cycle. Haploid describes when plant tissues have one set of chromosomes, and diploid describes when plant cells possess two sets of chromosomes. Peas are angiosperms, or flowering plants, and have separate male and female pieces. The male portion of the pea plant is called the stamen, which is made up of the filament and the anthers. The feces which fertilize the female parts are in the anthers. The feminine portion of the pea plant is called the pistil, which contains the style, the stigma and the ovary. In order for the pea plant to reproduce, the pistil has to be fertilized by the pollen grains.

Self-Pollination

Self-pollination takes place when the flowers are shut and pollen from the plant falls on the female ovary of the same plant, and this occurs before the flowers open. This adaptation also reduces the chance of genetic variability. Peas, in addition to beans, peanuts, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and lettuce are mainly self-pollinating.

Cross-Pollination

Cross-pollination takes place when a pollinator, including a bee, enters the plant to drink nectar and picks up pollen grains while it’s there. When the pollinator goes into the next blossom, these grains are transferred to the pistil and the flower is fertilized. Some plants are also cross-pollinated by end, which picks up the grains and disperses them in the open flowers. While pea plants might be pollinated in this manner, it is rare because self-pollination often occurs before the blooms open. However, North Carolina State University recommends putting peas 10 or more feet apart to stop cross-pollination between different varieties.

Other Adaptations

Along with self-pollination, pea plants have created other adaptations to ensure their success. Pea plants have formed beneficial relationships with fungus and bacteria as well, providing sugars made inside the plant to the following soil organisms. In return, pea plants receive hydrogen in a readily accessible form in the bacteria and an increase in the uptake of nutrients in the soil in the fungus.

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The way to Slim Citrus Trees After Frost

Do not jump too fast to prune what appears to freeze or frost damage in your citrus tree. Instead, remove any damaged fruit and then wait to scope out the rest of the harm in many weeks. Although heavy pruning is not ideal, it’s essential when moderate to severe damage occurs in the canopy of this tree. Unfortunately, in the event the damage extends below the bud union — the area in which the tree has been grafted onto the rootstock — small can be done in order to save the tree.

Wait to trim broken limbs in late spring or early summer so you can certainly determine which branches are actually damaged and which ones aren’t. In the event you prune before, you’re able to accidentally remove healthful branches. Also, some branches can appear healthy but later perish off from winter injury. Therefore, if you prune too early, you might need to conduct another pruning at a later period as damaged limbs become more evident.

Disinfect your pruning tools before use and between trees to protect against the spread of infection. A rag moistened with a very simple bleach and water solution made with one-tenth bleach and rubbed onto the blades works nicely. Depending on thickness of the limbs, then use a sharp saw, loppers or shears.

Cut each damaged limb back 2 to 3 inches into living wood. Ideally, prune just above the topmost sprout, right at a healthy branch. Make cuts right and flush with the parent branch. Do not leave stubs if at all possible.

Paint pruned stems that confront the sun and have very little sun safety with a white latex paint diluted with 50 percent water. This is particularly necessary for larger branches which were pruned.

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How to Boost Triploid Watermelons Next to Diploid Watermelons

When you want to enjoy homegrown seedless watermelons, you are likely to need to find a use for a few seeded fruit also, since seedless triploid watermelons don’t create fruit unless seed-producing diploid melons grow nearby. Triploid watermelons, which have three sets of chromosomes, are crosses between ordinary watermelons, called diploids — meaning that they have two sets of 11 chromosomes –and tetraploid watermelons, which were chemically manipulated to have four sets of chromosomes. Triploids can’t produce seed, since their chromosomes can’t line up in pairs. Triploid seeds are catchy to germinate, so purchase them as transplants in the event that you can find them. Once growing, their needs are no different from diploid varieties.

Clear weeds and stones from a website in full sun in the warmest microclimate of the garden — one which receives reflected heat in a south-facing fence or wall, or is in a greater elevation; raised beds are ideal. Allow enough space for a single diploid to each two to three triploid watermelon plants with plants spaced two to three feet apart in rows, together with at least two feet between rows.

Work 5-10-10 fertilizer into the ground with a shovel as soon as it’s dry enough to work. Use the fertilizer at a rate of 3 pounds per 100 square feet.

Spread black plastic sheeting, at least 1.5 millimeters thick, above the watermelon bed or down the row where the watermelons are to be planted. Secure the borders of the mulch with wire garden staples, or soften the edges of the plastic in garden soil. This solarizes the soil, making it 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than surrounding soil for spring planting. Watermelons need both warm air and soil temperatures to grow nicely.

Cut “X”s with a utility knife in the appropriate spacing in Step 1. Peel back the black plastic mulch from the middle of each “X,” and tuck the points beneath the mulch to make a 5-inch-square hole at each cut.

Dig small holes with a trowel from the gaps from the plastic to fit the root balls of the watermelon seedlings. Alternative two to three triploids for every diploid plant on your rows.

Mark that the diploid plants with plant markers.

Give all the plants a good soaking.

Monitor the plants as they grow, watching for flowers to bloom. Female melon flowers occur singly on long stems, have a little bulge at the base of the blossom and are available for only one day. These are the fruit-bearing blossoms. Male blossoms, the pollinators, bloom in clusters on short stems.

Fill an open male blossom from a diploid plant from its stem, and carefully eliminate its petals in the morning to a day when a female flower on a triploid plant is freshly open.

Roll the middle of the male diploid blossom from the stigma at the middle of the female triploid blossom.

Water deeply once a week when leaves wilt from the midday sun. Decrease watering once fruit reaches its full dimensions and starts to ripen. Less water intensifies the taste of the fruit. Fruit is generally older 90 days after planting.

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Care of Potato Vine Bulbs

Ornamental sweet potato vines (Ipomoea batatas) are frost-tender vines with vibrant leaf which climbs or trails. The plants grow from a fleshy underground wax called a tuber. Sweet potato vines are hardy at U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11, and at these zones you can leave them at the ground all year. When overwintering sweet potato vines inside, it is possible to dig up the tubers and replant in the spring.

Sweet Potato Vine Tubers

Tubers are much like bulbs. Both are a fleshy area of the stem which grows and rises underground. Roots grow from the tuber to the soil along with the stem rises out the very top, above the soil line. The fleshy tuber stores nutrients, water and genetic material for your plant. Every growing season, the plant produces new tubers. A easy means to distribute sweet potato vine plants will be to split the tubers and replant them from the soil. Each section will grow a new plant.

Overwintering Tubers

In areas outside their plant hardiness zone, sweet potato vines can be grown as annuals. In winter, cut the foliage at the soil line and then dig the tubers from the ground. A garden fork or shovel work well for digging beneath the tubers but it’s critical to be certain not to damage the tubers when they will not store well. Brush of the dirt and they are ready to store. In areas within the climate variety, the tubers may be left at the bottom year round.

Storing Tubers

Store sweet potato vine tubers at a dry, insulating medium. Sand, peat moss or vermiculite work well. Gently clean the tubers to remove the majority of the soil. Avoid rubbing, washing or scraping your skin. Damaged skin allows decay to develop and may ruin the tubers. A bucket or barrel makes a good spot to put away sweet potato vine tubers for your winter. Make certain there’s enough of this packing medium so every one is insured rather than touching. Store the tubers in a cool, dry area for the winter.

Planting

Spring is the time to plant sweet potato vines. After removing the tubers from storage, then dip them into sections and plant them directly in the soil. Each department should have an “eye” on it. The eye is an indentation where a new shoot will grow. When planting sweet potato vines from tubers, make sure the eye is facing upwards. After covering each part with 1 inch of soil, keep the area moist and await new shoots over the next couple of weeks.

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The Size of this Pixie Mandarin Citrus Tree

In warm climates, adding a pixie mandarin tree (Citrus reticulata Blanco) to the landscape means fragrant flowers in summer and hot fruit. This diminutive citrus tree is compact enough for a little space. In areas that have cold winters, the tree can be grown in a pot in a greenhouse year or put outdoors only during warm weather.

Mature Size

As its name implies, the pixie mandarin tree is small, which makes it perfect for use as a potted plant or to get a backyard area with restricted space. Many citrus trees develop 20 or 30 feet tall, but breeding and grafting practices have contributed to little varieties. The pixie mandarin rises to only 5 to 6 feet tall and has a spread of 4 to 6 feet.

Hardiness Zones

Pixie mandarin and other citrus tree varieties thrive in the mild, frost-free winters and hot summers of this Mediterranean climate. Pixie mandarin grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 and 10. In zone 8 and colder zones, the streamlined citrus tree can be grown in a pot outdoors in summer and shot into the home or a greenhouse for winter.

Culture

This citrus tree needs a great deal of sunlight. When intending to plant a pixie mandarin, start looking for a spot that receives a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight per day. Soil drainage is also significant. If the planting area has poor drainage and wet soil, consider creating a raised bed on such website for the tree. If you want to plant the tree in a container, then start using a pot that is only 2 inches larger than the tree nursery pot. As the tree grows, raise its pot size. A high-quality potting soil is a much better option than garden soil for the container.

Fruit

Even though the tree is a dwarf variety, it produces full-size fruits. Still, mandarin oranges are little compared to other kinds of oranges and grapefruits. Their orange, thin skins peel easily. The fruit is orange, too, and has a delicate flavor. Pixie mandarin produces fruit out of winter into early spring. In mild areas, however, the tree can produce fruit into late spring and early summer.

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