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Edition 2.49 Plant Depot Garden News December 2, 2004

 

San Juan Capistrano
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DECEMBER


Poinsettia Care

In order to have the best looking Poinsettias throughout the holiday season, water your plants consistently, especially if you heat your home. Next, ensure your plants have good drainage. Never let your poinsettias sit in water.








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Quotation of the Week:

"To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug."
— Helen Keller

House Plants for Cleaner Air!

mums

Need to freshen up your home or office?

Let a plant do the dirty work. For instance, a spider plant gets rid of formaldehyde fumes from your new carpeting, thanks to microorganisms living in potting soil that use airborne toxins as a source of food. Plant roots absorb the waste produced by those microorganisms and release cleaner air in your home.

"Some plants work better because their root systems prefer pollutants and use them as food faster than others," says Bill Wolverton, Ph.D., who runs an environmental research firm in Picayune, MS.

Estimating the number of plants to best do the job isn't easy and he advises that you overestimate the number rather than underestimate it. However, it's easy to figure out the types of plants to use.

snake plantHere are 11 of the best — and easiest to maintain — household plants to hold down pollution levels in your home or office for better breathing and energy.

  1. bamboo or areca palm
  2. Boston fern (or any fern)
  3. chrysanthemum
  4. dracaena
  5. English ivy (or any ivy)
  6. gerbera daisy
  7. golden pothos
  8. peace lily
  9. philodendron
  10. snake plant
  11. spider plant

A Rainbow of Poinsettias

poinsettias

The redder the better, especially if they are poinsettias.

The Aztecs cultivated poinsettias near present day Cuernavaca. Today there are pink, white, orange, and even multi-colored poinsettias, all hybridized to complement any holiday décor.

The designer colors are beautiful, but many still prefer the traditional holiday red.

To keep the bright red bracts of your potted poinsettias at their peak, place them in bright light, maintain approximately 50 percent humidity, and don't over-water them.

poinsettias poinsettias
Pink Point
Jingle Bells Point


Recipe of the Week: Pear Cranberry Sauce Chutney

    What You'll Need:

    • 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
    • 1 cup raisins
    • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
    • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
    • 1/3 cup cider vinegar
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 3 teaspoons mustard seed
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
    • 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger, allspice and cloves
    • 1 large pear, peeled and coarsely chopped
    • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

    Step by Step:

    In a saucepan, combine the cranberries, raisins, onion, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic and seasonings.

    Bring to a boil.

    Reduce heat; cook uncovered for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    Add the pear and cook 10 minutes longer or until tender.

    Serve warm or cold.
    Store in the refrigerator.

    Yield: 3 cups

Beautify Flower Beds and Containers in November

cyclamen
Cyclamen in Bloom

You still have time to plant spring flowers! For colorful spring flowerbeds, the time to plant is fall.

Annuals and perennials that can be put in from color paks include alyssum, calendula, cineraria, columbine, coral bells, cyclamen, delphinium, English daisy, dianthus, foxglove, flowering cabbage (ornamental kale), Iceland poppy, hollyhock, nemesia, pansy, phlox, primroses, schizanthus, snapdragon, stock, and viola.

Make sure to plant them in well-prepared soil and feed often with a product high in nitrogen as well as phosphorus and potassium such as Dr. Earth Bud and Bloom. When the rain is not adequate, water them well. Even if you are planting now, you will have a beautiful display by February that will peak in April and last until June.

If you've already planted flowerbeds with wildflowers and other cool-season annuals and perennials, they should be starting to fill in and spread out now.

Make sure to protect them from snails, bait for cutworms with bug bait, and water well when the rains are not adequate.

If you want to have winter-blooming plants such as Iceland poppies, pansies, primroses, and cyclamen blooming as soon as possible, you should feed them for growth and bloom.

For winter-blooming annuals, the trick is to fertilize often, because nitrogen is less active in cooler soil. Granulated fertilizer such as Dr. Earth All Purpose can be used once every month or six weeks (make sure to water it in well); however, liquid fertilizer such as Organic Advantage is much more effective for cool-season flowers. Feed every two weeks.

Do not feed flowering kale for bloom; this stimulates bolting. Frequent application of a light nitrogen fertilizer such as fish emulsion produces the best the results.

primroses
Blooming Primroses

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