Growing Orchids

Growing Orchids

Growing up in South Florida that is when the wonderful fascination of plants, which began and later became my exciting career as a horticulturist. As a horticulturist, you begin to notice the oddities in the plant world; you notice a plant growing roots without having the soil medium to grow in, just lying on the ground, growing roots, and flowers. Most people believe Orchids are hard to grow and afraid of even trying these beautiful beauties. Orchids are classified from easy to extremely difficult to grow even for professional Orchid growers. In this article, we will deal with some of the most common orchids to grow for future Orchid enthusiast a little confidence to take the wonderful journey of growing Orchids.

Denbrobium Orchid

Orchids are no different from other plant species in the plant kingdom because Orchids need the same  essential care as other plants: light, water, fertilizer, potting medium, and a special pot to grow in called an Orchid pot, which has aeration holes along the pot’s sides. Orchids also require an essential temperature and humidity range for success. A general rule of thumb is outside temperatures should not fall below 40° at night whether the Orchid is in a greenhouse or placed outside in the garden. If, the temperature does fall to around 40° to 50° make sure the greenhouse heat is around this temperature range. When cold weather comes to sub-tropical locations and your Orchids are growing on trees just water the Orchid and try, if you can, wrap the Orchid with a freeze blanket. During the winter months, you can increase the humidity around your potted Orchids in your home by adding a saucer under the Orchid pot filled with pebbles and water. The water should be level or even with the pebbles. This will increase the humidity around your Orchids during the winter months, during which the air is a little drier because of your home’s heating system.

As a horticulturist, I was fascinated by Orchids and wanted to learn more, so by going to Orchid shows and trying different ways to care for the Orchids I came up with this recipe to care for Orchids. Recommended Orchids for beginning Orchid enthusiast are Cattleya, Dendrobium, Oncidium, and Phalaenopsis Orchids.

Cattleya – Bright filtered light, 35 to 50 percent shade. Water - almost dry between waterings. Fertilize twice a month. Temperature 70° - 85° days and 55° - 65° nights. Humidity 40 to 70 percent.

Dendrobium Orchid

Dendrobium – Filtered light, brighter in the winter months, 25 to 50 percent shade. Water - keep moist, drier in the winter months. Fertilize twice a month. Temperature 70° - 90° days and 45° - 65° nights. Humidity 50 to 70 percent.

Oncidium - commonly known as “Dancing Ladies” – Bright filtered light, 35 to 65 percent shade. Allow to dry out between waterings. Fertilize twice a month. Temperature 70° - 85° days and 50° - 65° nights. Humidity 40 to 75 percent.

Phalaenopsis - commonly known as “Moth Orchid” – Moderate light, 70 to 80 percent shade, no direct sun. Water - keep evenly moist; avoid water on the leaves and the crown (center of the Orchid). Fertilize twice a month. Temperature 65° - 90° days and 55° - 70° nights. Humidity 50 to 75 percent.

Candy Stripe Phalaenopsis - Moth Orchid

Orchid Fertilizer – The American Orchid Society (AOS) recommends and endorses Better-Gro®Orchid Plus®Fertilizer and Better Gro®Orchid Bloom Booster® Fertilizer. AOS also recommends alternating Better-Gro®Orchid Plus®Fertilizer and Better Gro®Orchid Bloom Booster®Fertilizer. Being a horticulturist, I do not recommend any product until after trying the product myself and after using both Better-Gro®Orchid Fertilizers convinced me that their Orchid Fertilizers were the better choice than what I had previously used in the past. Better-Gro®Orchid Fertilizers have two different dilution rates depending on how frequently you water your Orchids just follow the directions on the package and you will have blooming and healthier Orchids in no time. For more information on the American Orchid Society click here.

Orchid Pots and Potting Medium – There are several Orchid pots and Potting medium available on the market today, and as a horticulturist, I will recommend the tried and true. An Orchid pot will usually have 4 to 5 vertical slits going around the pot or an intricate design of holes instead of the traditional vertical slits, in addition to the vertical slits or holes, there will be a center drainage hole. The purpose for the vertical slits and/or holes running down the sides of the Orchid pot are for aeration and drainage required by most Orchids. The most popular Orchid pots are the Terra cotta and the ceramic pots. Orchid potting medium usually comprises of different materials of chunky bark, charcoal, perlite, and lava rock. All these materials assist in the drainage and aeration that is imperative to healthy Orchid growth. 

You now have a simple recipe for Orchid success and most Orchids enjoy the same temperature and humidity that humans do. The Orchids mentioned in the article are not hard to grow and a wide selection should be available at your local garden center. Start now and enjoy a little bit of the tropics in your home.

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Photography and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola Photography 2012. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this article are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated. ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2012. Texas Certified Nursery Professional #1282.

March Gardening Calendar

March Gardening Calendar

Fertilize winter flowering annuals with a blooming type fertilizer. Water in all granular type fertilizers.

Tattered Liriope leaves can be cut either with a weed eater or your lawn mower set on its highest setting.

Lawns should have lime at least yearly. Have you limed your lawn lately? Use 40 pounds per 1000 square feet.

Start spring flowers and tomatoes from seeds indoors. It takes about 6 weeks to get strong seedlings.

Spring is a good time to prune your boxwood shrubs.

Peach and Apple trees need to be sprayed with a fungicide recommended for fruit trees, and spray the trees while the blossoms are on the tree.

Prune back Holly shrubs that have gotten too large. If needed, you can prune back to 18 inches.

Need to divide your Hostas? When the leaves start to show you can divide and plant elsewhere in a shady part of the garden. Use a solution of SuperThrive as a root stimulator for best results after planting.

Fertilize Pecan Trees with a fruit tree fertilizer and water in well after.

Check for scale insects on Camellias and Euonymus. Spray with a horticultural oil, if you detect the insects.

March is the last month recommended to prune Roses to half their original size. Fertilize with Bayer Advanced Rose Fertilizer after pruning and apply once a month. Click Here For More Information on Roses.

There is still time to plant winter veggies. Click Here For More Information. All vegetables can be grown in large containers. I prefer to grow my vegetables in containers. Click Here For Cedar Planters.

Fertilize shrubs with a shrub and tree fertilizer and water in well.

Flowering shrubs such as Winter Honeysuckle, Quince, and Forsythia can be pruned after flowering.

One of the best time to plant fruit and nut trees is in early spring. Nurseries have a good selection of these trees in spring, but hurry the selection usually goes fast.

©Cheryl Ann Meola Texas Certified Nursery Professional #1282

February Gardening Calendar 2023

February Gardening Calendar

Trees and Shrubs can be planted now. This is the best time to plant Nut Trees, Fruit Trees, and Shade Trees. Applying SuperThrive instead of a root stimulator to get your newly planted trees and shrubs established much faster. In the fall and winter months water trees and shrubs twice a week, then in spring and summer water three times a week for the first year.  

Prune Apple and Pear trees the first week in February, wait until mid-March for Peach trees. Remove stakes, trunk wraps, and guy wires from trees planted last fall. Prune back ¼ of the branches on Figs. Save the horizontal branches, these are the branches that produce fruit. Is your Burford Holly overgrown? Now is a good time to severely prune back. Burford Hollies can be prune back to 12 to 18 inches. Butterfly bushes can be pruned back by ½ the original height. You will be rewarded with bigger blooms this summer.

Perennials trim back all the brown, and if necessary, this month is a good time to divide all perennials. Gerber

Gerber Daisy

Daisy image right. ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2012.

Roses Prune back rose bushes to about 18 to 24 inches. The best time to prune is between February 12 – 20^th. For more information on roses and rose care.

Lawns apply a pre-emergent to your lawn to prevent dormant weed seeds from germinating during the growing season. Most pre-emergents last about 3 to 4 months.

Vegetables cool season veggies like lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, asparagus, elephant garlic,

Lettuce

garlic, snow peas, and strawberries can still be planted. To get a head start on your spring garden start thinking about starting your spring vegetable garden from seeds now. Organically grown Lettuce image left. ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2012. Organically grown Tomatoes image right. ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2012.

Tomatoes

Ornamental Grasses can be pruned back to 12 inches. Liriope that is looking a little be draggled can be trimmed back, too. 

Houseplants water with a houseplant fertilizer 1/2 strength and turn your plants a ½ turn every week. Bamboo Palm image right. ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2012. 

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Bamboo Palm

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Photography and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2012. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this article are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2012. Texas Certified Nursery Professional #1282.

©Cheryl Ann Meola 2012.

Texas Certified Nursery Professional #1282

Growing Herbs in Containers

Growing Herbs in Containers

As a horticulturist, we have favorite endeavors such as growing plants especially herbs in colorful containers of all colors and shapes. Herbs make an excellent choice to decorate a sunny patio, deck, or balcony, and the flowers that are produced on herbs will provide twice the amount of fun to your growing area. The seeds and flowers will provide additional ingredients to recipes. Processing the seeds produced by herbs make additional ingredients to add to recipes. For example, when Cilantro goes to seed the seeds are called Coriander when crushed; and when Dill goes to seed the processed seeds are called Dill Weed. Most flowers produced by herbs are edible and are used in salads, garnishes, and cooking or can be used in dried floral arrangements. For example, add Mexican Marigold Mint flowers to salads and Lavender flowers can be dried and used in floral arrangements. Plants that are classified as Herbs are very diverse and have multiple uses around the home. Here are a few tips to get you started with growing Herbs in containers.

Deciding a Location: Choose an area that gets 5 - 6 hours of full sun; and if, you have an area that receives more than 6 hours of sunlight that’s all right, too.

Deciding a Container(s): Choose a container that is 6 inches or larger, some of the perennials can be grown in larger containers are Lemon Grass and Sweet Bay.

Deciding a Soil: There are several potting soils on the market and choosing one is a matter of your gardening preferences. Some of the choices are inorganic verses organic, with moisture control or without moisture control, with timed-release fertilizer or without fertilizer. Some potting soils are especially formulated for herbs and vegetables, which would make an excellent choice to use.

Deciding a Fertilizer: There are several fertilizers on the market and choosing one is a matter of your gardening preferences. Some of the choices are water soluble, granular, time-release, slow-release, organic, or inorganic. Choose a fertilizer that is formulated for herbs or vegetable plants. Most gardeners agree in using a combination of time-release fertilizer and a weekly or bi-weekly feeding of a water-soluble fertilizer of your choice.

Choosing an Insecticide: When growing herbs in containers, you may want to consider an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) approach method to control insects on your herbs and using an IPM approach involves a two-step method approach, inspection of the herbs, and what type of control method you are going to use. The first part would be scouting, observing, and inspecting your prized Herbs for insects or chew marks on the leaves. Constantly scouting and observing daily for any insect or worm that would start eating your prize Herbs, and when one was seen, you can simply dispose of the insect. However, sometimes these critters multiply overnight and when this happens it is advisable to spray with a Safer Soap or a Horticultural oil. Using Safer Soaps or Horticultural Oils on all the Herbs mentioned is an organic and an IPM approach to growing Herbs.

Watering: Of all the ingredients that have been mentioned for Herb Container gardening success, water, is the most important to a successful Herb Container garden. The soil for your Herbs will need to be consistently moist at all times, but not soggy wet and the water source should be city water or treated water. This is one of the reasons of last’s years Salmonella outbreaks on produce; the Herbs that were recalled received Salmonella during either the growing process or the production process. Due to all the current recalls of produce, more gardeners are starting to grow their own Herbs this year versus last year due to the recent outbreaks in store-bought produce. Just another reason to start growing your own Herbs, you supply the water, you supply the insecticide, and you know exactly what ingredients went into your Herbs. For states that are currently under water restrictions, you can water your food crops, personal food garden, or personal Herb garden without penalty. Wash all Herbs before eating or cooking, whether Home Grown or Store Bought.

Put on your gardening gloves and reap the rewards and benefits of an Herb Container garden. You will have tastier Herbs than store bought that you harvest on your own. As an Herb Container gardener you know the ingredients, and there is nothing more rewarding than tasting the “Herbs” of your labors.

Listed below are just a few favorite Herbs that can be grown in Containers and have done extremely well. Note: spacing requirements are for growing Herbs in the ground instead of containers.

Arugula - Eruca sativa. Type: Annual. Height: 12 – 18 inches. Spacing: 6 – 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Excellent companion plant for salad mixes. Arugula prefers cool temperatures and can be grown from seeds or plants in early spring or fall. Can harvest 21 days after planting. To extend the growing season keep flower buds pinched back.

Basil - Ocimum basilicum. Type: Annual. Height: 18 – 30 inches. Spacing: 12 – 18 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Blooms pink flowers in summer. Additional Uses: Leaves can be used fresh or dried in tomato dishes, pasta dishes, vegetables, and soups. A companion plant that repels aphids, mites, and tomato hornworms. There are several different cultivars of Basil some favorites are Lemon and Cinnamon Basil. Basil image right. © Cheryl Ann Meola 2012.

Catmint - Nepeta mussinii. Type: Perennial. Height: 12 – 18 inches. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Profuse lavender blooms on spiky stems. Good for containers and the perennial garden. Soft, crinkled, gray-green leaves on a compact, mounding plant. Additional Uses: Butterfly nectar plant and your cats will love it. Catmint image left. © Cheryl Ann Meola 2012.

Catnip - Nepeta cataria. Type: Perennial. Height: 2 – 4 feet. Spacing: 12 – 18 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Vigorous, high-yielding plants. Cat-attracting perennial with gray-green leaves and white flowers. Additional uses: Butterfly nectar plant and your cats will love it.

Chives - Allium schoenoprasum. Type: Perennial. Height: 18 – 24 inches. Spacing: 4 – 8 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Chives have a mild onion flavor that is very pleasing and is easy to grow. Uses: Can be added to soups, salads, egg dishes, potatoes, fish dishes, or any dish that requires a mild onion flavor fresh or frozen. Additional Uses: Mosquito Repellent Plant or border/edger plant. Chives image left. © Cheryl Ann Meola.

Cilantro, Coriander - Coriandrum sativum. Type: Annual. Height: 12 – 18 inches. Spacing: 6 – 8 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Leaves are used in salsa, guacamole, sauces, and seafood. When Cilantro produces seeds the seed of Cilantro are called Coriander. Catnip image right © Cheryl Ann Meola 2012.

Citronella Grass - Cymbopogon nardus. ( (Cymbopogon flexuosus) (East Indian)). Type: Perennial, annual outside zone 9. Height: 5-6 feet. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Nectar plant for butterflies, Mosquito repellent plant, leaves are used in cooking, in potpourris, sachets, and the oil from the plant is used in citronella candles.

Cutting Celery, Leaf Celery, Celery Leaf – Apium graveolens var. secalinum. Type: biennial. Height: 10 – 12 inches. Spacing: 10 – 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Excellent plant to grow in containers. Cutting Celery is an excellent substitute for traditional celery, but without all the growing hassle. Very easy to grow and taste just like traditional celery, and cutting celery can be used in every recipe that calls for traditional celery.

Dill – Anethum graveolens. Type: Annual. Height: 18 – 36 inches. Space: 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Yellow blossoms in summer, seed heads can be harvested. The seeds can be crushed and used in cooking. The leaves can be used fresh in potato, tuna, and chicken salads; fresh chicken and fish dishes. Additional Uses: Attracts butterflies and a larval food plant for butterflies. (Plant enough for you and the butterflies!). Dill image right. © Cheryl Ann Meola 2012.

Epazote - Chenopodium ambrosioides . Type: Annual. Height: 3 – 4 feet. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Leaves are used in bean, soups, eggs or cheese dishes.

FrenchTarragon – Artemisia dracunculus ‘Sativa’. Type: Perennial. Height: 24 inches. Spacing: 8 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Leaves are used in eggs, poultry, salads, cheese, and fish.

Garlic Chives - Allium tuberosum. Type: Perennial. Height: 18 – 24 inches. Spacing: 6 – 8 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Garlic Chives have flat, thin leaves with a mild blend of garlic and onion. Uses: Can be added to soups, salads, egg dishes, potatoes, fish dishes, or any dish that requires a mild onion flavor fresh or frozen. Additional Uses: Mosquito Repellent Plant or border/edger plant. Garlic Chives image left. © Cheryl Ann Meola.

Greek Oregano - Origanum vulgare subsp. Hirtum. Type: Perennial. Height: 24 inches. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Leaves are used in Italian dishes, pizza, shellfish, egg dishes, beef, pork, and poultry dishes.

Italian Oregano – Origanum vulgare. Type: Perennial. Height: 24 inches. Spacing: 8 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Leaves are used in Italian dishes, pizza, shellfish, egg dishes, beef, pork, and poultry dishes.

Lavender - Lavandula angustifolia. Type: Perennial. Height: 18-24”. Spacing: 12-18” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Nectar plant for butterflies, flowers can be dried, in potpourris, and sachets.

Lemon Grass - Cymbopogon citratus (West Indian). Type: Perennial. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 12” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Nectar plant for butterflies, Mosquito repellent plant, leaves are used in cooking, in potpourris, and sachets. Lemon Grass image right. © Cheryl Ann Meola 2012.

Lemon Thyme – Thymus x citriodorus. Type: Perennial. Height: 12 inches. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Light purple flowers in summer. Wonderful Lemon scent when leaves are crushed or walked upon. Additional Uses: All leaves have a distinct lemon flavor that can be used in cooking. Attracts Butterflies and Hummingbirds to the garden.

Lemon Verbena – Aloysia triphylla. Type: Perennial, treat as an annual outside zone 8. Height: To 4 feet. Spacing: 18-24” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The oil is used in perfumes; the leaves are used in flavoring teas and jellies.

Mexican Marigold Mint - Tagetes lucida. Type: Perennial. Height: 24-30”. Spacing: 12-18” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Butterfly nectar and larval food plant, Mosquito repellent plant, fresh flowers are used in salads; leaves are used as a substitute for French tarragon. Mexican Marigold Mint image left. © Cheryl Ann Meola 2012.

Parsley - Petroselinum crispum. Type: Annual. Height: 12 – 18 inches. Spacing: 8 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Leaves are used in meat dishes, soups, and salads. Parsley image right. © Cheryl Ann Meola 2012.

Pennyroyal – Mentha pulegium. Type: Perennial. Height: 6 – 12 inches. Spacing: 12 – 24 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Purple flowers in late summer through fall. Additional Uses: A groundcover, nectar plant for butterflies, the leaves are used in the flavoring for fish dishes, and grows well in a hanging basket.

Peppermint - Mentha piperita. Type: Perennial. Height: 24-36”. Spacing: 12-18” apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Leaves are used fresh in hot and iced teas, butterfly nectar and larval food plant.

Pineapple Sage – Salvia elegans. Type: Perennial. Height: 3 - 4 feet. Spacing: 3 – 4 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Blooms red flowers in spring, summer, and fall. The leaves when crushed smell and taste like fresh pineapple. Additional Uses: The fresh leaves can be used in drinks and salads. The leaves can be used in hot or cold drinks, and the flowers and leaves are used chopped in salads. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden.

Prostrate Rosemary - Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus’. Type: Perennial shrub or groundcover. Height: 12-18”. Spacing: 2 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The leaves are used in lamb and fish dishes, butterfly nectar plant, Mosquito repellent plant, and drought tolerant plant. Prostrate Rosemary image left. © Cheryl Ann Meola 2012.

Rosemary - Rosmarinus officinalis. Type: Perennial shrub. Height: 4 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The leaves are used in lamb and fish dishes, drought tolerant plant, Mosquito repellent plant, and butterfly nectar plant. Rosemary image right. © Cheryl Ann Meola 2012.

Sage - Salvia officinalis. Type: Perennial. Height: 3 feet. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Leaves are used in stuffing and meat dishes.

Salad Burnet - Sanguisorba minor. Type: Perennial. Height: 12 inches. Spacing: 8 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Leaves have a mild cucumber taste and are used in salads, vinegars, and cold drinks.

Spearmint – Mentha spicata. Type: Perennial. Height: 24-36”. Spacing: 36-48 inches. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: Leaves are used fresh in hot and iced teas, Butterfly Nectar and Larval Food Plant.

Stevia - Stevia rebaudiana. Type: Hardy Perennial in USDA zones 9 and 10. Height: 18 – 24 inches. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Stevia is a natural sweetener that is used as a sugar substitute that is calorie free. Leaves can be used fresh or dried in beverages, sauces, and salads. Do not plant outdoors until temperatures are above 45 degrees. Avoid afternoon summer sun in extreme southern areas during July and August. During these months it’s recommended to put the container in afternoon shade. Check for leafhoppers and whiteflies which may be a problem.

Summer Thyme – Thymus vulgaris. Type: Perennial. Height: 6 – 12 inches. Spacing: 6 – 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Blooms lilac to purple flowers in summer. Additional Uses: All leaves are used in cooking. Attracts butterflies to the garden. All thyme plants can be used as an alternative ground cover.

Sweet Bay Laurel – Laurus nobilis. Type: Perennial. Height: 12 – 15 feet. Growth rate slow and plants growing in containers will be somewhat shorter. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Blooms pale yellow flowers in spring. Leaves are used in Italian and fish dishes. Companion plants are Prostrate rosemary, Lavender, and Oregano.

Sweet Marjoram - Origanum majorana. Type: Perennial. Height: 12 to 18 inches. Spacing: 9 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Leaves are used in eggs, meats, rice, pastas, soups, vegetables.

Photography and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2012. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this article are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2012. Texas Certified Nursery Professional #1282.

How To Compost

How to Compost

As the leaves fall off your deciduous trees and shrubs with every slight breeze of the wind and gently fall to the ground that is our sign as gardeners that the fall season is here. Your deciduous leaves are an excellent choice to start composting the leaves. All the nutrients that you gave your plants during the year are harnessed in the leaves. By composting the leaves and other organic material you can make an excellent and inexpensive soil amendment, and avoid wasting natural resources. Composting is a natural form of recycling that continually occurs in nature. Studies have shown that by home composting you can divert an average of 700 pounds per household per year from the waste stream.

Beginners may ask: Where do I start? How do I begin to compost? The answer is very simple. The apple, carrot, potatoes you just peeled for lunch or dinner that is organic material that you can compost. The coffee grounds used to make your coffee in the morning make an excellent choice to compost or take the grounds and sprinkle on top of the soil of all your acid loving plants, such as Azaleas, Camellias, Rhododendrons and many others. Not a coffee connoisseur, but enjoy tea instead? The tea bag or tea leaves can be composted, too.  When composting: do not include any oily fats, bones, meat or fish products as these items will attract unwanted wildlife to your compost area. 

There are three components to composting: aeration of the compost, moisture, and carbon to nitrogen ratio. Aeration of the compost can be achieved by turning your compost. There are mainly two different types of composters. The compost tumblers, which you can turn by hand after adding new organic material or stationary composters when new compost is added one can use a pitch fork or compost turning fork to aerate the compost. The moisture of the compost should be between 40 to 60 percent. Natural occurring microbes and water begin the composting process. Microbes are microscopic live forms, bacteria and fungi, that break down or ingest organic material and the waste that is formed is called compost. Too much moisture slows down the composting by not allowing enough aeration or air to the microbes and compost. To little moisture the microbes and composting process slows down or becomes dormant. The microbes and compost need water to set in motion the composting process. The carbon to nitrogen ratio are the ingredients you will need to make your recipe for composting. When composting think of the process as following a recipe to make a dinner or dessert. The carbon to nitrogen ratio is 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. The ratio simplified is 3 to 4 pounds nitrogen to 100 pounds carbon. You can think of the carbon to nitrogen ratio as this: carbon is the food and nitrogen is the digestive enzymes. Carbon to nitrogen ratio can be viewed as organic green material and brown material. Below is a list of organic material that can be used in the compost bin. Each organic material is divided into carbon or nitrogen category.

Organic material that contains CARBON:

Leaves, shrub prunings (thick woody stems will take longer to break down), straw and hay (no seeds in the hay), pine needles (very acid use moderately unless the natural soil is very alkaline), wood ash, dryer lint, corn cobs and stalks (cut before composting), dried grass, egg shells (neutral).

Organic material that contains NITROGEN:

Table scraps (no meats or bones), fruit and vegetable scraps, grass clippings, lawn and garden weeds (no weed seeds), flowers and cuttings, fresh manures: horse, chicken, rabbit, cow, coffee grounds (paper filters can be included), tea leaves (loose and bags), left over fruits and vegetables from the garden, egg shells (neutral).

This is the recipe for composting success thou the recipe does not have to be exact. Just throw everything into to the composter and stir.

Hibiscus And More has an excellent choice for a stationary composter that is hand crafted with northern white cedar. Click To Order.

©Cheryl Ann Meola

Texas Certified Nursery Professional 1282

January Gardening Calendar

January Gardening Calendar

Bare Root Roses will be arriving soon at local garden centers. Prepare planting beds by digging an area 4 feet wide by 12 inches deep for each rose. Soak bare root roses in a mixture of SuperThrive and water for 24 to 48 hours before planting. For more information on Rose Care.

Poinsettias water only when the soil is dry to the touch. Start fertilizing in March. Poinsettias need bright light and cool temperatures even indoors.

Deciduous Trees and Shrubs the structure of the trees can be easily seen this time of year. Prune all branches that rub or cross each other. Trees and shrubs can be planted now. Plan to plant on a warm day when the ground is not frozen. When the weather warms for a week or longer, and then the temperatures drop into the twenties, cover Camellias and Gardenias nightly until the temperatures are above freezing. The last week in January prune Pear and Apple trees, and Grape vines.

Vegetable Garden till the soil, if the ground is dry. This preventative measure helps to eliminate weeds, insects, and nematodes. Don’t have room for a vegetable garden, but would like to grow your own vegetables? All vegetables can be grown in large planters such as these, Hibiscus and More offers. In fact, that is how I grow my vegetables each season. For more information on Spring Vegetable Gardening. 

Prune Pampas Grass and all other ornamental grasses down to about 12 inches. Prune Lantana and Cannas to about 2 to 3 inches. Shape Crepe Myrtles and Altheas and remove old seed heads.

Annuals water winter annuals like pansies, violas, ornamental cabbage and kale, after a hard freeze. This helps to rehydrate the annuals faster. Water outside container plants before a hard freeze, too.

Houseplants check for insects. Insects like mealy bugs, scale, spider mites are more likely to infest your plants during the winter months. Spray with a horticultural oil or insecticidal soap, and make sure you spray underneath the leaves. Turn your houseplants a quarter to half turn once a week. This prevents leaning of your houseplants. I turn mine once a week when I water my houseplants. 

Need more gardening advice? Follow our BlogSpot for current sales, daily specials, and sound gardening advice. Simply click on Join This Site Link under Followers. Sign Up Is Free. View Current Blog Post Click Here.

©Cheryl Ann Meola

Texas Certified Nursery Professional #1282