If You Care About Healthy Soil and Clean Water, Here's What You Need to Know to Keep Your Garden and Landscape Free of Contaminants. Soil and water safety is an important topic for every gardener. That’s true whether you’re growing vegetables for your family or maintaining a backyard oasis of flowers. The long-term sustainability of a garden is based on understanding its building blocks: soil and water. For a garden to thrive, it must have healthy soil and clean water. It’s more complicated that you think. It goes way beyond “soil is dirty, and water runs clear.” And many gardeners don’t know what to look for. Soil and water contaminants can be sneaky critters, and this article will share what you need to know to keep your garden safe. Healthy Soil and Clean Water: What to Know About Soil Contaminants Unseen pollutants in soil pose serious risks to plants as well as people. Soil may look rich and fertile, but a closer inspection is needed to be sure … [Read more...] about Healthy Soil and Clean Water: What Every Backyard Gardener Should Know
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Grow a Healthy Alocasia Reginula Black Velvet
Alocasia reginula Black Velvet is a beautiful and easy-to-care-for plant. This houseplant has stunning dark velvety leaves with striking silver veins. What’s not to love about this awesome plant that brings life to any room? Here’s everything you need to know about Alocasias, including how to care for them and the growing conditions they prefer. By the way, if you are also interested in flowering houseplants, read Best Flowering Houseplants. Background: What Is Alocasia Reginula Black Velvet? Alocasia reginula is native to the lush tropical rainforests of Borneo. Alocasia is a stunning houseplant that goes by several names, such as Black Velvet or Little Queen. Its unique characteristics set it apart from other houseplants, making it a sought-after addition for plant lovers. What truly sets the Alocasia reginula Black Velvet apart is its velvety, almost black leaves adorned with striking silver veins. This also makes it a great pick for bringing nature indoors. The … [Read more...] about Grow a Healthy Alocasia Reginula Black Velvet
Teach Kids About Kitchen Safety
Teach kids about kitchen safety and start them on a delicious lifelong journey. Children can be introduced to the kitchen and the concepts of kitchen safety sooner than you think. Yes, the safety precautions can seem overwhelming and stressful. This is especially true if you’re allowing them to help out in the kitchen for the first time. The kitchen has been called the heart of a home. Your kids will spend lots of time in the kitchen, especially when you are cooking. But kitchens can be dangerous places. About 350,000 people are injured by kitchen knives each year according to Beaumont Emergency Hospital, and kitchen burns are also very common. Yet these dangers shouldn’t prevent you from introducing your children to the art of cooking healthy meals — and the safety precautions involved. Here’s what you should know if you’re considering cooking together as a family. Start Small When You Teach Kids About Kitchen Safety Many parents are eager to teach kids about kitchen … [Read more...] about Teach Kids About Kitchen Safety
Tips for Growing Healthy Roses
Follow these tips for growing healthy roses and your garden will be the envy of the neighborhood. Roses are the rock stars of the garden. Rose bushes are stately and impressive, and the flowers look lovely for weeks at a time. Back in 1986 when Ronald Reagan was President of the United States, he signed a proclamation that named the rose as America’s national flower. Fittingly enough, the ceremony that certified “national flower” status for the rose was held at the White House Rose Garden. That’s just one reason why millions of rose bushes are planted every year. Despite the old-fashioned beliefs that roses can be tough to grow, advice from respected rose experts says otherwise. “All plants need the right growing conditions to thrive, and roses are no different,” said Chris Van Cleve, a writer and rose expert who calls himself the Redneck Rosarian. “Just provide the right growing conditions and the right care, and rose bushes can thrive in almost any garden.” Below are 5 … [Read more...] about Tips for Growing Healthy Roses
Top Dressing Your Lawn with Compost
Top dressing your lawn with compost is a common practice that has been used for centuries. In fact, in the 15th century top dressing was applied to golf courses in Scotland. Because top dressing provides lawns with beneficial nutrients, many homeowners use this technique along with regular lawn maintenance routines. Read on to discover helpful tips and the benefits to top dressing your lawn with compost. The Benefits of Top Dressing Your Lawn with Compost Top dressing a lawn with compost may seem at first to be ineffective or even harmful to your lawn. After all, the last thing you likely want to see is compost covering up your once lush, beautiful grass. Although top dressing your lawn has a temporary unattractive appearance, its rich nutrients deliver incredible benefits to lawns. Applying compost as a top dressing to your lawn can improve the soil structure. Top dressing can also build up beneficial soil microbes, aerate compact soil, improve drainage, and even reduce … [Read more...] about Top Dressing Your Lawn with Compost