Author Archives: Toby
In the early 1960s, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was conducting work on materials to improve water conservation when they created the modern day absorbent polymer technology. These water absorbing polymers are also know as hydrogel. Imagine these long chains of molecules that are capable of absorbing huge amounts of water with the ability to release it to a plants roots sometime in the future.
Image source: Resources for the Future
This is the absorbent polymer technology that is used in agriculture, forestry, water conservation and landscaping applications. This technology has real world possibilities as a way to deal with severe drought.
At home this technology is commonly used for plants in containers and flowers in vases. Have you experienced the frustration of checking on a plant only to find it dry as a bone? This can be a daily occurrence in the long hot summer for our outdoor plants. Air conditioning indoors is also extremely drying to everything in your home, including your plants. Adding water beads or water cubes to the soil, or using our Hydro Soil, can greatly extend the amount of time between waterings. Think of this as a water storage system at the disposal of your plants and flowers.
This technology is completely biodegradable and is not considered to be a health hazard. In other words, they are safe to touch, to squeeze through your fingers, and to use in your garden, your houseplants and in your flower vases. By using these beads or cubes, you will not need to water as frequently. This means that you will not need to fertilize as often because your plant food is not washed out of the soil as quickly.
If you want to give your new plantings a head start this fall, add some to the soil before filling in the hole. Add some to your tilled soil and to all your outdoor planting containers. Don’t forget your houseplants and to add some special holiday magic, add some red & green beads to a Christmas vase of Holly or some orange, yellow and red beads to your Thanks giving center piece flowers.
If you would like some decorating ideas or if we can answer any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
As our long, hot, summer draws to a close (finally), our thoughts turn toward garden preparations. Time to trim overgrowth, clean and weed flower beds and one of our favorite projects, planning for spring by planting bulbs this fall. Planting bulbs is one of the best ways to insure an amazing display in the spring. It is virtually foolproof.
Here are some tips to insure that your bulbs will thrive and your efforts will be rewarded.
Bulbs should be planted once the temperatures drop into the high 40s to low 50s at night. Around this time you should see the first frosts. Be sure the bulbs are in the ground at least 6 weeks before the first real freeze. If the temperatures are still on the warm side, you can store your bulbs for around a month in a cool, dry place. Do not make the mistake of thinking they will last until next season, they won’t.
When you are ready to plant make sure that you read the planting depth recommendations which will vary from flower to flower. Try to be as accurate as possible. Bigger bulbs are usually planted at about 6 inches deep and smaller bulbs around 4 inches. Look at the bulb and you should see one pointy side and one side with a flatter appearance. Remember: pointy side up.
One of the best parts about plantings bulbs is the opportunity to design. Consider putting your ideas to paper, thinking about colors, including your favorites and with the “big picture” in mind. The best way to plant bulbs is in groups. The more bulbs you group together in the planting, the better the results. Keeping the height of the fully grown flower in mind, plant smaller flowers to the front and taller flowers in the back. An especially eye-catching way to plant is by arranging a group of taller flowers with smaller flowers planted directly in front. This “double decked” effect is very striking.
In the spring, when you have realized the fruits of your labor, don’t forget that fresh cut flowers from your garden need beautiful vases filled with crystal water beads. With many different colors available, you are sure to find just the right one, or combination, to perfectly compliment your bouquet.
To explore the world of crystal water beads, contact us for more information.