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The Effects of Urine on Tomato Plants. Many people might cringe at the idea of using urine to fertilize plants, but urine has been used as a cheap, effective fertilizer around the world for thousands of years. Unlike human feces, urine from healthy people is sterile and pathogen-free. A 2007 study from the Department of Environmental Sciences in Finland showed that tomato plants fertilized with human urine produced nearly four times as much fruit.
Read MoreProblems With Transplanting Yucca Plants. Yucca is a hardy, easy-to-grow succulent that thrives in hot, dry climates. They can grow up to 30 feet high and 15 feet across. The strong, spiky leaves make the yucca an attractive landscaping plant that requires little maintenance. Yucca are also kept indoors in pots. Transplanting yucca can be done by dividing a plant or by moving an entire plant.
Read MoreHow to Grow Lupine Indoors From Seeds. Lupines are a tall garden plant with spikes of spectacular clumps of flowers and strong lush foliage. Lupines bloom in early summer and there is a large variety of colors of lupine flowers. There are both annual and perennial varieties. They need lots of sunlight and slightly acidic well-drained soil. Mature lupines are hardy garden plants, but their seeds take a long time to germinate and the seedlings can be weak. In most climates, it's best to sow lupines indoors and plant them out when the plants are established and the weather is warm.
Read MoreHow to Identify Different Oak Trees in Texas. Texas is home to dozens of varieties of native oak trees, many of which are known by several different names. Almost all Texas oaks are deciduous trees that provide ample shade in the summertime and breathtaking fall foliage. The acorns from oak trees are an important food supply for wildlife. It is useful to be able to identify some of the more common oak trees of Texas to make sure they are appropriate trees to plant in your yard.
Read MoreSoil Moisture Content Testing Methods. Knowing the moisture content of your soil is crucial to planning a watering schedule that benefits your plants and doesn't waste water. For most plants and lawns, the ideal moisture content is around 25 percent. Soils rich in organic material hold water longer than sandy soils, while other factors like heat can cause soil to dry out faster. Testing soil moisture can be done by look and feel, or you can use soil-testing tools for more accuracy.
Read MoreHow to Dry Lamb's Ear Cuttings. Lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina) get their name from their soft, fuzzy leaves. These hardy, drought-resistant plants make excellent borders and edges in gardens because they are tough and they self-propagate easily. In late spring, lamb's ears send up spikes of delicate purple or pink flowers surrounded by purplish, light green foliage that add an interesting touch to dried arrangements. Lamb's ears' leaves have a sweet, apple-like flavor and can be steeped fresh or dried for tea.
Read MoreWhat Shade Trees Grow Fast in Central Oregon?. Central Oregon is located in a high mountain desert, with cold, snowy winters and sunny, dry summers. With as many as 300 days of sun each year, fast-growing shade trees in your garden can provide a welcome respite. Evergreen and deciduous shade trees that are native to the region have the greatest chances of success.
Read MoreHow to Water Plants in Cold Weather. As fall looms and temperatures drop, your work in the garden will start to taper off. It's easy to forget about your plants' watering needs when the sun isn't baking them every day, but watering your plants when it's cold is one of the best ways to protect them from frost and icy wind. When plants get damaged or die in the winter, it's usually not the cold itself that kills them, but damage to their cells that occurs when they dry out.
Read MoreHow to Use Fish Waste Fertilizer. Fish parts, such as guts, bones and heads, are rich in nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and trace minerals that support root and foliar growth as well as healthy, abundant blooms. Liquid fish emulsion, which is sold in stores as an organic fertilizer, is made from fish parts not used by processing plants. Regardless of its form, using fish waste in the garden is as easy as burying leftovers from a catch or from a fish dinner in the soil or compost heap.
Read MoreHow to Use an Electric Tiller. An electric tiller, also called a power cultivator, is often the best choice for people with small garden spaces. Electric tillers are not as powerful as larger gas tillers, but they are quieter, lighter and they start with a push button rather than a pull cord. They are best used to till in spent plants and soil amendments on ground that has been opened up before. With a 9- to 12-inch cutting swathe, they are not efficient for large gardens.
Read MoreThe Effects of Sugar Water on Roses. Plants need sugar to live, but they produce it themselves through photosynthesis, the process plants use to turn light energy into carbohydrates. As is evident from the taste of rose hips and rose petals, roses already have quite a lot of sugar in them. Adding a little sugar to the water for cut flower arrangements may help them look pretty for longer, but watering rose bushes with sugar water can do more harm than good.
Read MoreGrowing Hops in Washington. Hops are used in beer production to give beer flavor. Since the 1990s, a niche market for organic hops has opened up for microbrewery and home brewers, making Washington a major center of organic hops production. The hotter, drier areas of the Pacific Northwest along the coast and east of the Cascades are well-suited to growing hops, which are susceptible to mold and disease in more humid areas. Hops can be grown in fields or along fences and balconies in backyard gardens.
Read MoreThe Effects of Salt Water on Tomato Plants. Too much salt water causes most plants to die. In plants, salt interferes with osmosis at the roots, preventing them from taking up water and making them wither. Since many fertilizers are salt-based, the salinity of 25 percent of the world's irrigation water is now higher than most plants can live with. Tomato plants, however, are somewhat hardy to saline, and may actually benefit from brackish water.
Read MoreTypes of Flowers in Turkey. With a hugely varied geographical landscape, Turkey is home to more than 9,000 flower species, 3,000 of which are native. Many flowers cultivated in gardens around the world originated from Turkish cultivars, and one of Turkey's major export industries is flower bulbs. Since many of these bulbs are quite rare, the Turkish government is working with international conservationists to protect the country's botanical treasures.
Read MoreWhat Nutrients Does Soil Need for Tomatoes to Grow?. Tomatoes can be picky vegetables for the home gardener. Sometimes lush, green plants blossom but do not set fruit, and some plants do not even blossom before the cold weather starts. Tomatoes are heavy feeders that need a rich, well-drained soil. The plants usually benefit from extra fertilizer applications during each growth stage. Synthetic chemicals feed tomato plants, but feeding the soil with the right nutrients is healthier for the tomatoes and you.
Read MoreThe Best Outdoor Herbs to Grow in Reno, Nevada. Reno, Nevada, is in a high mountain desert. The climate is dry, with cool nighttime temperatures. Summers are sunny and hot, and winters often see several feet of snow. Reno is in USDA Plant Hardiness zones 5 to 7, which gives you a large variety of annual and perennial herbs to choose from. But local watering restrictions mean drought-resistant plants will work the best in your garden.
Read MoreHow to Keep Birds From Pecking at Your Garden Plants. Birds can be beneficial in a garden because they eat unwanted insects, but they can also be destructive. Birds eat newly planted seeds before they have a chance to grow, and they peck at leaves and fruits or pull up small seedlings. Fortunately, birds are relatively easy to frighten, so it's possible to deter birds humanely until your plants are well-established enough to live with them.
Read MorePlants That Grow in Saline Water. Saline water kills most plants because the salt or sodium in the water prevents moisture from adequately entering the plants' roots. Gardeners who live near bodies of salt water often find that sea-spray kills most plants. Additionally, poor water management practices worldwide have increased the salinity of aquifers and other freshwater sources, making it necessary to find plants that can grow in saline water.
Read MoreIngredients in Trimec Plus Herbicide. Trimec Plus is an herbicide produced by Gordon's that is used to control weeds on home lawns and turf grass on golf courses and playing fields. It can be applied over the entire surface of the lawn because the chemicals contained in the herbicide kill common weeds like dandelion and knotweed without harming the grass. According to the manufacturer's warnings on the product label, it should be used with care because it can be absorbed through the skin and by inhalation, and it can kill desirable plants if the product drifts from the target or is absorbed by their roots.
Read MoreHow to Add Lime With Fertilizer. Yearly applications of lime with fertilizer are essential for keeping your soil healthy and rich. Lime is a calcium or calcium and magnesium rock dust. Fertilizer is made of varying percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK). Lime and fertilizer work together to improve your soil and make nutrients available to plants. You can add lime and fertilizer at the same time, but spacing the applications is much more effective.
Read MoreHow to Prune a Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant That's Too Tall. The fiddle leaf fig is a type of houseplant from the ficus family. The name comes from the thick violin-shaped leaves that grow off the plant's woody stems. Like other species of ficus, these plants like a lot of light, minimal water and they don't do well with sudden changes in environment. Fiddle leaf fig plants are sold as trees or bushes. Although they are slow-growing, they can grow up to 6 feet wide and 12 feet tall, so pruning them once a year is necessary to keep the desired size and shape.
Read MoreHow to Winterize Foxglove, Common. Common foxglove is a hearty biennial plant with 3-to-4-foot stalks lined with trumpet-shaped flowers. The name “foxglove” comes from the older name “folksglove,” meaning “fairy glove” because the thimble-sized flowers look like small mittens. Although the leaves of the foxglove are used to make the heart medication digitalis, all parts of the plant are extremely poisonous. Foxglove self-propagates easily, and winterizing your foxglove plants is a simple task that will ensure good blooms the next year.
Read MoreFlowering Trees of Florida. Florida's warm climate is home to hundreds of flowering trees, both native species and nativized imports. Native flowering trees are often overlooked because of the much showier imported species, but conservationists at the University of Florida Extension Service recommend landscaping with native varieties because they are lower maintenance in terms of fertilizer and irrigation, they are more disease- and pest-resistant, and they help conserve the natural beauty of Florida.
Read MoreAbout Willow Bark Tea. Willow bark tea is a brew made from the bark of the willow tree. It has an anti-inflammatory effect similar to aspirin, so it is used to relieve minor pain and reduce low-grade fevers. Willow bark's pain relieving effects are not as strong as aspirin's, but the tea is gentler on the stomach than aspirin tablets.
Read MoreHow to Water Plants in Winter. Plants don't need as much care in winter as they do in summer, but it's important not to neglect watering your plants over the winter. Some ice or wind damage is unavoidable, but a lot of cold weather damage to plants' cells is caused by dehydration. In many regions, normal winter precipitation is enough for plants because their cold weather watering needs are considerably less. However, making sure your plants have adequate hydration is the best way to protect them harsh weather.
Read MoreChemical Properties of Fertilizers. All plants need fertilizer to help them grow. While plants' individual needs for the elements of fertilizers may differ, the general requirements are the same. Most synthetic and organic fertilizers are made up of nitrogen ("N"), phosphorus ("P") and potassium ("K") in varying percentages. Each of these elements plays a crucial role in every stage of plant growth, from germination to flowering.
Read MoreHow to Tell How Many Seeds Are in a Pumpkin. Pumpkin seeds are a nutritious and tasty source of essential fatty acids, vitamins A and B, and calcium. If you want to roast your own pumpkin seeds at home, choosing pumpkins with the most seeds is important. Estimating the number of seeds in a pumpkin is also a fun and educational activity for elementary school children, and it's a little faster than counting out each seed one by one.
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