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Follow these simple steps:  1. Once your orchid has flowered, you will be left with a flower spike from which most of the flowers have dropped. Don't be tempted to cut it right down to the base... 2. Instead, once all the flowers have fallen, cut off the stem to just above a visible joint (node). This should stimulate the production of another flower stem over the next few months. 3. If no shoot appears and the original stem turns straw-coloured, remove it at the base. The plant should eventually produce a new, strong flower spike. 4. If your moth orchid has a transparent pot, look at the roots. Don't water if the roots are green - wait until they look silvery. Allow water to drain out the bottom of the pot - don't allow the plant to stand in water. 5. Orchids like bright but indirect light - too much direct sunlight will scorch the leaves. A spot near and east- or west-facing window is ideal.

Automatic Bottle Vegetable Waterer As gardeners, it's inherently gratifying to watch your vegetables grow and thrive. However, daily watering can be a hindrance, especially during the hot summer months or when life is hectic. That's where a homemade automatic vegetable watering can comes in to help you get consistent, soft water for your garden while you sip lemonade on the porch. Now we're going to show you how to make this dream come true using something as simple as a plastic bottle. 1. Gather your supplies 2. Prepare a plastic bottle 3. Cut the bottom of the bottle 4. Dig a hole in the ground 5. Place the bottle in the hole 6. Fill the bottle

 Tips for Growing Vegetable Plants  Although shade can be a challenge, it doesn't stop you from growing your own fruits and vegetables. In this video, you'll learn some tricks to maximize the light your garden gets for shade-growing fruit and vegetable plants. Tips for Growing Vegetable Plants in the Shade Unless your climate is very hot, you should use sunny parts of the garden to start the seeds, then transplant them if they are large enough to handle the shade. Use indoor grow lights to encourage pre-sown seedlings. Paint walls and fences white, or use mirrors and other reflective surfaces such as shiny metal or foil to reflect available light in shady areas of the garden. Shady areas are often cooler and wetter, so use cold frames or row covers to warm the soil earlier and then extend the growing season. Use beer traps and delay mulching until the weather warms to deter slugs. Space plants are widespread to help increase light penetration. Examples of vegetable

Grow Milkweed Growing Tips Every school child learns about milkweed because this plant is an essential food for monarch butterfly caterpillars. There are actually several species of milkweed (Asclepias spp.), all of which are native to North America. They make beautiful, low-maintenance additions to most gardens and landscapes, where they attract a variety of pollinators with their flowers. Milk juice for defense Milkweed plants have developed two attractive defense mechanisms to deter predators. The main source of defense gives the plant its common name - milky white latex. The sticky sap and all parts of the plant contain large amounts of a compound toxic to all vertebrates. Monarch butterfly larvae have the ability to store this deadly compound in their bodies and are also toxic to vertebrates. This is what gives monarchs their characteristic foul taste, which repels predators. A second defense of these plants is the sticky nature of the sap. Milkweed plants keep their

Your Roses From Blooming With a little prevention or a couple of fixes, you can grow great flowers from spring to fall—and have a lot of fun doing it. When you think of roses, you may think of a garden full of velvety, snow-covered flowers that often look like they belong in a magazine photo. However, that vision quickly turns to frustration when the roses you're trying to grow don't live up to the ideal. Here's the good news: By making a few changes during planting and care, you can have picture-perfect roses. The first step? Adopting a Balanced Mindset – Put aside the fear of getting poked or making a mistake, so you can start giving your roses the care they need. From there, consider these nine common pitfalls when growing roses. 1 Choosing the wrong location There are all kinds of roses – from big ramblers to mini bushes – so it's a good idea to read the label carefully before you buy. A naturally large and spreading rose will not do well if it is consta

Keep your garden healthy One of the most mysterious things that can happen in your garden is when a plant gets sick. How did that happen? Will it spread? Will all my plants die? How can I get rid of it? The most important thing to understand about disease prevention is the disease triangle (drawing, right). A disease only occurs when three things concur: you have a plant that can get the disease (a host), a pathogen that can attack the plant (such as a fungus, bacterium, or virus), and environmental conditions (such as moisture or drought) to promote the disease. If any one of these things is absent, the disease will not occur, so at least one side of the prevention triangle is knocked off. Instead of waiting for a problem to appear in your garden, consider the best defense against the disease a good offense. Here are 10 ways to keep your plants healthy by removing at least one side of the disease triangle. 1. Inspect plants carefully before purchasing The easiest way to co

 11 Tall Growing Succulents for Your Space Most succulents grow slowly, but there are some varieties that can grow to great heights over time when planted outdoors. Also, they become towering plants in yards and parks. In this article, we'll explore 11 tall-growing succulents that will add dramatic height to your space. After reading, we are sure you will be surprised to come across famous names but you don't think they are meaty. Each has its own interesting character that will suit your taste. You can grow tall succulents as a backdrop to shorter plants, or as a focal point to draw attention away from construction, or if you want to live on a farm, these succulents will help you make the most of their beauty. Growing them will fill empty spaces in your garden and bring excitement and life to your living rooms. 1 Century Plant Centennial plants grow up to 30 feet (9.0 meters) and 8 across (2.4 meters). They are famous for their silvery blue pointed leaves that form