Saturday, May 21, 2022

Friday, May 20, 2022

Water your plants while away

How to water plants while away.

Take a small or large plastic bottle, depending on the size of your plant and pot.

Drill 2-3 holes at the bottom of the plastic bottle and 3-5 holes on the sides.

Dig up the soil nearby the plant without disturbing roots and deep enough to bury the bottle in it up to the neck.

Fill the bottle with water and put it in the hole you just made, and then level the soil nearby the hole by tapping it. If the plant doesn’t require much water, place the cap; otherwise, leave the bottle uncapped.

PLACE THE PLANT IN THE SINK

Pthe container in several inches of deep water. The soil soaks up water through the drainage holes present at the bottom.

Fill the sink, tub, bucket up to a few inches of water, and place your planter pot in it.

The soil will continue to soak up water and remain moist, fulfilling the plant’s needs and for about a week.

To prevent the sink from scratches and dirt, cover the surface of the sink with an old towel before placing the pot.

Precautions: Plants that require bright light or direct sun should not be placed in a dark bathroom or kitchen. Also, this method is only suitable for water-loving plants that need constant moisture to grow. Other plants may die due to root rot.

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Grow curry leaf plant from cuttings

Growing Curry Leaf Plant from Cuttings

Snip off 8-10 inches long cutting from a healthy curry tree.
Remove the bottom leaves, dip the end of the cutting in a rooting hormone, and plant it in a container filled with a potting mix.
Water well, cover, and place the pot in the shade.
After 10-15 days, you will notice the growth of new shoots.
Once it starts to show good growth, acclimate the plant to a sunny area.

Growing Requirements of Curry Leaves

Sunlight

Curry leaves plant requires 4-6 hours of direct, full sunlight to thrive.
Make sure any building or tall tree is not obstructing the plant. If you plan to grow it indoors, opt for a south-west window.

Water

Water the soil uniformly and deeply when the topsoil feels dry to touch. Avoid watering too much and never let the plant sit in soggy soil for too long.

Soil

Curry leaves plant prefers loose, aerated, well-draining, and slightly acidic soil for optimal growth. Though it can adapt well to any Indian soil, it should be planted in sandy, loamy soil amended with well-rotted manure or compost. For containers, a quality potting mix will do the trick.

Climate

The plant is well adapted to the subtropical climate of India; hence it can be grown easily. However, it doesn’t respond well to the freezing winters, especially if the temperature drops below 4 C. If you are growing it in containers in hilly areas, move the plant inside during the harsh winters.

Pot Size

The plant will do well in any medium-sized pot. Go for terracotta pots as they offer good air circulation in the roots, thanks to their porosity. Make sure that the pot has ample drainage holes to let the excess water out.

Curry Leaf Plant Care Tips

Fertilizer

You can feed the plant with a diluted balanced fertilizer once in 3-4 weeks. Homemade fertilizers like rice water, eggshells, buttermilk, or well-rotted cow manure also work well.

Re-Potting

If you are growing the plant in a container, re-pot it every 2-3 years, as the plant becomes root-bound. Go for 1-2 size bigger pot than the previous one and use fresh potting mix.

Source: India Gardening

Dog crate for plants

Use a dog crate to protect your small plants from any animals or wind.

Coconut bird house/feeder

COCONUT BIRD HOUSE

NEEDED:

1. Coconut

2. Drill + small drill bit + circular drill bit

3. Hemp twine

4. Flat-head screwdriver

5. Coconut scrap or other item

STEP 1:

Drain the coconut by sticking your srewdriver, or other implement, into the larger, softer mouth of the coconut's "face." Gently move screwdriver around to enlarge the hole. You can also use a drill bit if you want. Shake out the fluid.

Using the circular bit in your drill, pick a spot on the coconut and cut a hole. Make sure to have the "face" of the coconut pointed upwards because that will be where your string comes out.

Once your hole is made, use the flat-head screwdriver to remove the meat. I find that using the screwdriver to score the meat before prying the meat out, makes everything work better. Use a thrust and twist technique to work small chucks of coconut loose. Periodically you will need to shake the chunks out.

STEP 2:

Using your drill and small drill bit, make three (or more) holes in the bottom of your coconut.

STEP 3

Using your hemp twine, cut an appropriate length and feed it through the hole you made in the coconut's "face."

At the end of the twine inside the coconut, knot/attach a fragment of coconut, or other item. This will keep the coconut on the twine when you hang it.

Trim the twine at the end of your knot.

ALL DONE! LET YOUR BIRDS FIND THEIR NEW HOME!

You could also attach some straw or coconut leaves to it as a rood:

Also make a bird feeder from coconut:

Trellis vertical garden

Install a trellis for your vegetable plants to grow on. You’ll have a beautiful vertical garden full of fresh produce to enjoy.

Vegetable tunnel

Install an iron structure along your garden path and add some climbing vegetable plants to grow around it. You’ll have a veggie tunnel in no time.

Birdseed Bells

MATERIALS:

1 cup Birdseed
1/2 cup Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
1/4 cup Cornmeal (or Flour)
1 teaspoon Unflavored Gelatin (about half a packet)
1 tablespoon Light Corn Syrup
Additional Tools:
4.3" Clay Flowerpot
24" length of yarn or string
Wax Paper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepare the clay flowerpot by lining it with wax paper, and then poking through the wax paper at the bottom with a pencil, and out the hole in the bottom of the pot.
Fold the 24" length of yarn or string in half and push the folded end through the hole in the bottom of the pot, pulling it through until about a 4" loop is sticking out of the bottom of the pot.

Birdseed mixture.

Mix the birdseed, sunflower seed, and the cornmeal (or flour) in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Measure your 1/4 cup of water in a glass measuring cup. Heat the water just a bit in the microwave (about 30 seconds - you want it hot enough to dissolve the gelatin).
Mix the teaspoon of unflavored gelatin into the hot water and stir to dissolve.
Next, add the tablespoon of light corn syrup to the gelatin mixture.
Pour the gelatin mixture into the birdseed mixture and stir until everything is well mixed.

Spoon the birdseed mixture into the prepared mold, holding the string up straight as you spoon the mixture around it. Pat the mixture down a bit once it is all in the flowerpot mold. You should have a few inches of string still sticking out when you are done filling the mold.
Put the filled mold in the freezer for about an hour to harden up.
Then remove from freezer and pull up on the wax paper to remove the bell from the mold.
Carefully pull any remaining wax paper away from the bird bell and discard.
You may then want to let your birdbell set for about a week to thoroughly harden and dry. This will keep the string hanger from pulling out. If you would like to hang your birdbell before then, you can tie a washer onto the string ends hanging out under the birdbell to make the bottom more sturdy. Trim any remaining yarn pieces under the bell as needed.

NOTES:

This recipe used 1 cup of birdseed and a ½ cup of black oil sunflower seeds for the mixture, however you can also use 1½ cups of just birdseed, or any other mix of seed as long as you have a total of 1½ cups of seed.

Source: TheMakeYourOwnZone