Viva Italia ! Terracotta is an un-glazed, typically brownish- reddish clay earthenware from Italy. What you buy new is a bland Terracotta planter with no character at all! Well here is a trick that will help age your pot beautifully. Its an easy method to make them looked old and wise – like it […]
Moth orchid care
Phalaenopsis One of the many questions I get through the Plant Specialists blog is how to look after my phalaenopsis (moth) orchids. Believe it or not they are one of the easier plants to look after – and they can last a long time. They can certainly be expensive but they will outlast any […]
Common Plant Diseases
Introduction Plants are subject to disease and attack by pathogens just like any other organism on the planet. Diseases are biological organisms that affect plants inside their tissues. They are endoparasites. There are many types and come in many shapes and forms. The scientific study of diseases caused by pathogens is called Plant Pathology or […]
What is a Hybrid ?
HYBRIDIZING From a commercial perspective it is a process by which new, plants are developed with particularly desirable qualities therefore making them more marketable. Hybrids are developed for their disease resistance, growth rate, size of plant, flower, fruit or size of fruit, increased flowering, color, taste, or any reason a plant might be considered […]
Synthetic lawn – isn’t that Astro Turf?
The Past Do you remember going to a friends place as a kid and their parents would have blue Astro turf around the raised hot tub or even up the wall ! Oh yes you do! OMG – platform shoes and a floral shirt with big old collar lol !!! – it wasn’t that […]
Its Halloween month – time for some spooky garde
BOO! Touching or knocking on wood for luck is a superstition that exists all around the world. It is so common that many of us do it regularly without thinking about where this practice came from. The origin of the custom may be in Celtic or German folklore. Supernatural beings were thought to live […]
Oh No ! Spider mites !!
A truly nightmare insect Spider mites are small – you need a magnifying lens to see them. They are also voracious and will destroy any plant they attack in very short order. Like just a few weeks! Close up of a spider mite – they are actually the size of a speck […]
Mineral Deficiencies
Something looks off ! To the average person most nutritional deficiencies in plants are not easy to diagnose. They all tend to look the same to the untrained eye. You can tell there is something wrong but not exactly what. However, by focusing on the the pattern and color differences between the veins and […]
HOW DO ROOTS BREATHE ?
The weight of water Water is pretty heavy. When it rains or one waters a plant, the water molecules push the air out of the soil as they occupy the air spaces between the particles of soil. Once the water is either used up or drains away by gravity, the air containing the oxygen […]
