Video: Repotting Fiddle Leaf Fig Cuttings with Garden Answer
Follow along as Laura from @Garden Answer takes care of her new fiddle leaf fig cuttings with the help of Espoma!
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Follow along as Laura from @Garden Answer takes care of her new fiddle leaf fig cuttings with the help of Espoma!
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1. Choose a basket
Good drainage is important, but if your basket doesn’t hold back any water, you’ll need to line it. There are lots of liners available. Sphagnum peat moss and cocoa moss are absorbent natural favorites that also hold in the soil. You can find them at your local garden center.
A high quality organic potting mix, like the one from Espoma, is an excellent choice. It contains mycorrhizae to promote root growth. Because nutrients can leach through the basket, it’s smart to add in about 1/4 cup of rich, organic plant food too, like Espoma Flower-tone®. Visit your local garden center for plants you can quickly transfer to your hanging basket.
You’ll need to evaluate your hanging location. Tall, upright plants aren’t usually the best choice, unless you like looking at the undersides of leaves and stems, or you’re planning on hanging the basket about waist high. Most folks prefer to hang plants a bit higher, so plants that “spill” over the sides of the container are a better choice for that purpose. Here are 5 of our favorite candidates for hanging baskets:
Since many hanging baskets are porous and drain very well, they also dry out quickly, especially in the outside air. Stick your finger in the soil about one inch down to check the moisture level. The soil down there should feel moist, like a wrung-out sponge. If the soil feels moist, your plants in that location don’t need watering today.
That wraps up our easy advice on hanging baskets. Now that you know the basics, there shouldn’t be anything to get hung up on. It’s high time you got started!
Let your imagination flow with possibilities, but keep a few things in mind. Think about sun, wind and shade requirements and where you’re going to place your plants. Consider flower color, texture & height – how they look alone and in combination. Ask yourself, is the plant compatible with other plants together in the same pot? It’s best to combine plants with similar needs, but sun-loving plants that grow above shade-loving will sometimes work out. The list of annuals ideal for containers is very long. In case you’re stuck, we’ve named 5 of our favorites to get you started.
Fuschia – The name is also the color. This plant with lovely little bell-shaped flowers likes partial shade.
Gazania – Or African daisy. Daisy-shaped flowers come in a vivid color range featuring red, orange, yellow, white and pink and close at night. This annual wants full sun.
Begonias – From full sun to dense shade; flowers from spring to first frost in beautiful white, red or pink!
Portulaca – Can you say “hot and dry”? Those are the perfect full-sun conditions for these small, but fast growing annuals with 1″ flowers in white, red, orange, pink and yellow.
Verbena – These plants reach a size of six to ten inches. But don’t over-pamper them with excesses of anything. Full to partial sun. Verbena blooms in clusters of small flowers in shades of blue, mauve, white, pink or purple.
If you think annuals are only for flowerbeds, you’re missing out. Wherever you grow annuals, they will reward you with beautiful colors, bright foliage, and soothing fragrances all season long. But when you plant them in containers, they provide even more benefits.
There’s a lot of latitude when choosing a container for your annuals, but here are a few important things to think about:
Follow these friendly tips – and grow with confidence.
We hope we’ve inspired you to fill your surroundings – and containers – with beautiful annuals. Choosing to grow annuals in containers is the easy part. Deciding on the combination you like best – now that’s the real challenge!
It’s a popular tradition to buy Mom Roses for Mother’s Day. No other flower can communicate such a range of meaning and emotion. This year, why not consider giving her some roses that will last for years rather than a few days.
Floribunda – its Cowabunga! A bushy shrub with lots of big, showy blossoms on every stem (instead of just one). Something to really get excited about!
Hybrid Tea, anyone? These are the long, tall beauties you see at the florist.
Shrub & Landscape – a dynamic duo. Hardy, low-maintenance plant that blooms throughout a long season available in shapes and sizes to fit any landscape.
Climbers – heighten the effect. Dress up the scene with cascades of flowers – train climbers to adorn an entrance, wall or fence –anything that will offer support.
Miniature – no shortage of lovely with these little beauties. Large roses are beautiful, but there is something even more captivating about seeing roses this small. Hardy little plants that do well in containers.
Tree Roses – or four? You just can’t get enough of them. These grafted wonders connect strong roots to a long stem and the top of a rosebush to create an unusual but elegant look. Extra care is required for these roses.
We often think of planting bulbs as a Fall activity for Spring color, but there are many Summer Bulbs that can be planted now that bring bright color, cheer, and sweet fragrances into our lives. Okay, some are actually corms or tubers, but they always get lumped in with the true bulbs. Our favorite Summer Bulb varieties include:
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Spring for something different in your garden this year: Summer Bulbs! They’re bright, colorful, and the hottest thing to come along – besides summer.
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After a long, cold winter, a splash of vibrant colors is just what your yard needs. Embrace Spring time and consider these popular Flowering Cherries. These trees produce a range of colors from bright white to deep pink and crimson leaves. Adding these rich colors to your landscape are the best way to welcome Spring with open arms—or open leaves that is.
Okame Cherry – One of the earliest flowering cherries. This magnificent cherry breaks the grip of late winter with an outstanding 2-3-week display of rosy pink blossoms.
Kwanzan Cherry – The Kwanzan cherry has double pink flowers and a vase-shaped form that spreads with age, making the tree wider than it is tall at maturity.
Weeping Cherry – The tree droops towards the ground and has abundant dark pink flowers. When the flowers fall, they look like a blanket of snow.
Yoshino Cherry – Fragrant, white-pink flowers with glossy bark and dark-green leaves. In 1912, the Japanese government gave the U.S three thousand Yoshino cherry trees. This gift was the beginning of the now famous National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C.
Flowering Cherries are good for defining property lines, borders and as a focal point in your yard or landscape design. However, you must choose your site carefully. Mature trees can grow to a height of 20 feet. They require full sun and well drained fertile soils. Be sure to add Bio-tone Starter Plus at time of planting to improve growth and transplant survival. You can improve heavy clay or sandy soils by adding Espoma Planting Mix. Feed your established trees with Tree-tone.
The Espoma Company’s Top 5 Cherry Festivals
Join the festivities! Witness the bloom live and in person at any of Espoma’s top 5 cherry festival favorites.
You might think of the growing season as the time between frosts. But vegetable gardening doesn’t have to wait until warm weather to be in the forecast. Cool Season vegetables are heartier varieties that tolerate, and even thrive, in the cold soil of early Spring. For many gardeners, mid-March marks the best time of the gardening season. What’s really important is soil temperature–it must be in the 40’s for cool season vegetable seeds to germinate. Simply go by the general rule that soil is warm enough when you can easily turn it with a shovel. Here are some come cool season vegetable suggestions worth trying:
If you can’t wait to get your hands dirty in the garden, there’s no reason to get left out in the cold. Give cool season crops a try!
There is no one, universal mulch for everything. There are pros and cons to every mulching material. Whatever the material, mulch needs to stay put to be effective, but should also be easy to remove and apply.
Natural mulches are very common and are composed of plant matter. Examples include straw, shredded leaves, bark, pine needles or wood chips. These mulches decompose over time which helps improve the soil but it also means they must be replaced once or twice a year. Colored mulches are made by adding a dye to a natural mulch. They typically come in colors such as brown, black or red. Whether you’re using rich black to make your perennial garden pop or soft red to accent your home, colored mulch gives you more flexibility and creativity in your garden.
Not all plants are the same, but these basic directions provide good rule-of-thumb guidelines for applying mulch.
The quest for greener grass on your side of the fence could be harming the environment. By EPA estimates, Americans apply 90 million pounds of pesticides to their lawn and gardens every year, creating a potential hazard for adults, children and pets. In addition, synthetic fertilizers can burn your lawn and leach away into nearby waterways. And odds are your lawn products contain both of these ingredients.
Organic lawn care is a great way to a safe and healthy lawn. A healthy lawn is the best defense against weeds, insects and diseases. For a healthy lawn, you need healthy soil, alive with earthworms and loaded with beneficial microbes. Healthy soils let grass roots grow deep, making them more resistant to drought and stress. To have a safe & healthy soil, you need to avoid using pesticides and synthetic fertilizers and follow the tips at right.
1. Go on an organic diet. Choose an organic lawn program like the new one from Espoma. Benefits include:
2. Water When the Rooster Crows
4. Sweeten the Soil (if necessary)
What is Composting?
Composting is the biological process in which microorganisms convert organic material such as manure, leaves, grass, and food wastes into a soil-like material called compost. Composting is the same process that decays leaves and other organic remains in nature except that composting controls the conditions so that materials decompose faster.
Optimal Conditions for Composting
Composting is quickest when conditions that encourage the growth of microorganisms are established and maintained. The most important conditions include:
Oxygen and Aeration
Composting consumes large amounts of oxygen. If oxygen is limited, the composting process slows down. Offensive odors are usually a good indication of a need for greater aeration.
Ample Nutrients
Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are the primary nutrient requirements for microorganisms and plants. Microorganisms use carbon for both energy and growth while nitrogen is essential for protein and reproduction. In general, organisms need about twenty-five times more carbon than nitrogen. Raw materials blended to provide a C/N ratio of 25:1 to 30:1 are ideal for active composting, although C/N ratios from 20:1 to 40:1 will usually give good composting results.
Moisture
Moisture is required to support the metabolic processes of microbes. Water provides the medium for chemical reactions, transports nutrients, and allows microorganisms to move about. The moisture content of composting materials should be maintained with a range of 40% to 65%.
Microorganisms
Successful composting relies on the successful growth and maintenance of microbial populations. Generally, sufficient organisms can be found with most organic materials. However, adverse conditions such as low oxygen, poor nutrients, inadequate moisture, or improper pH can slow, stop or even kill the growth of these vital decomposers. Espoma Compost Starter provides the insurance that their growth will proceed optimally by enriching the pile with thermophilic, mesophilic, and special varieties of microbes that are specifically cultured for rapid and complete composting.
Taking Care of the Compost Pile
To ensure that adequate amounts of oxygen are maintained in the pile, turning is an ideal technique. The main objectives of turning are to shift materials from the outer parts of the pile closed to the center for better decomposition and to incorporate oxygen. The pile should be turned more frequently during the warmer periods of the year. Piles should be turned immediately if ammonia or other offensive odors are detected.
The composting pile should also be kept moist for proper decomposition. Inadequate moisture reduces microbial activity, while excessive water may cause anaerobic conditions. A thin outer layer of dry material is unavoidable. During dry weather it may be necessary to add more water. The moisture content of the interior of the pile should be observed while turning.
Common Problems & Solutions
Problems | Probable Reason(s) | Solution |
---|---|---|
Compost does not heat up | Too dry or wet, C:N ratio too high, pile too small, pH low, not enough aeration | Add water to dry material, add Compost Starter, and/or low C:N materials, build pile larger, add Compost Starter, turn more frequently |
Compost cooling | Low moisture or aeration, composting almost done | Add moisture and turn more frequently, add Compost Starter, if composting almost done – do nothing |
Compost overheating | Pile too large, spontaneous combustion beginning | Add moisture, turn more frequently |
Ammonia odor | High pH, high nitrogen | Add high C:N materials |
Rotten eggs odor | Too wet, not enough aeration | Add dry materials, turn more frequently |
Insects | Breeding in pile, too wet | Turn more frequently, reduce moisture, add Compost Starter |