Pest Repellant Plants

By Keith Markensen

Did you know that you can grow plants in your garden that will repel pests and have other beneficial qualities? If you are an avid gardener, consider the following pest repellant plants to make your job of caring for your plants easier.

Mosquitos can be very annoying when youre trying to enjoy your garden at dusk. However, there are several natural ways to keep them at bay so you can use your garden at night. You can plant certain varieties of plants that naturally repel these pests.

Not only will these plants help repel mosquitoes that are a bother to humans, but they will also protect your other plants from different kinds of pests, keeping them from destroying your flowers and crops. If you plant them throughout your garden, they will help ensure the health of your favorite plants. Your plants will thrive without being attacked by pests, and youll be able to enjoy your beautiful garden.

Garlic has amazing pest repellant qualities. It can help to repel many different kinds of insects and other pests that can destroy your favorite rose bushes. Plus, it will keep mosquitoes and other annoying bugs away. Plant lots of garlic around your yard and garden to enjoy it as a natural pest repellant. However, dont plant it too close to your vegetables, because they can soak up the flavor of the garlic. An alternative to planting garlic is garlic chives. This plant can also work to repel pests in your garden.

The strong smell of onions has pest repellant qualities as well. If you dont like the smell of garlic in your garden, try onion instead. You can vary the types of onions you plant to add a little variety to your garden. Like garlic, onions will keep the bugs away.

In addition to the oil-producing neem plant, mint is naturally pest repellant, and its easy to grow, too. It will spread out on its own, so you only need to plant a few mint plants. However, it can be a little invasive, so plant it where it can have plenty of room to spread, or cut it back to keep it contained. Just like using herb oil, mint has a wonderful smell, and it will naturally keep bugs away from your plants.

Lemon balm is another scented plant that can be a wonderful addition to your garden. It is particularly effective against mosquitoes. You can even rub the leaves on your skin to keep mosquitoes from biting you. A fast grower, lemon balm needs room to spread and frequent trims to keep it in control.

Many other herbs and plants are also effective pest repellants. In fact, most that have a strong smell will work against pests. For a natural pest repellant that also provides a wonderful scent in your garden, try lemon-scented herbs and plants. These are much more pleasing to humans than garlic, onion, or other pungent varieties. - 1432

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Cherry Blossoms in Georgia

By Ian Kleine

The city of Macon is dubbed the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World with good reason. The streets are filled with the numerous blossoms, all from the trees in the sidewalk. The place reminds you of a modern Japanese-American themed city, as the usual-Japanese flowers float amongst modern American buildings and asphalt-lined streets.

The area is bustling and filled with Yoshino cherry trees, and every Spring, they fill the air and the ground with their pale pink petals. It is a very extravagant display of color, which leaves their audience speechless and breathless for the first time.

History relates that the cherry trees came from the late William A. Fickling, Sr. who was a local realtor in the area. He had discovered a Yoshino tree in Macon, and with confirmation after three years, had found out what the species was. Took him a trip to Washington DC just to find out the tree was actually a Yoshino specie!

His generosity and enthusiasm had urged the residents to participate in his vision of filling the whole city with the pretty cherry trees. Years passed and the vision had started to materialize. A lot of its current residents had moved to Macon just to be near the trees. One of them being Carolyn Clayton, the festival founder.

She had urged Fickling to go on with their project, and the dream became true. Through a big community effort, 500 trees were planted along the streets across Macon. The project was encouraged when they had finally proposed the first Cherry Blossom Festival.

Soon it had become one of the Top 20 events of the South, and news had begun to spread. From three days, it had reached 10 days of festivities.

The trees keep growing too, and like their number, the dreams of Mr. Fickling will live on and grow more and more. - 1432

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Chicken Batter

By KC Kudra

There are many people who prefer to cook their chicken without a batter, but there are many more who crave that crispy crunch of battered chicken. You can batter whole pieces, wings, or nuggets or breast strips... they all turn out delicious. People all over the world use batter on their chicken in one form or another. There are almost as many different batter recipes as there are chickens!

Different Types of Batter

Batter can be made with corn meal, wheat flour, rice flour, or graham flour. Ethnic chicken recipes often use different flours. Each region will have their own special blend of spices and herbs as well, giving the fried chicken a flavor that will be recognizable from that corner of the world.

An example would be a batter recipe from India that combines nutmeg, red chili powder, ginger, cloves, and curds with graham flour. This batter is used on boiled chicken meat, which is then fried until crisp. A good taste of Asia can be found by marinating your boneless chicken in soy sauce, five spice powder, onion, and garlic and sesame oil. Batter the chicken in rice flour, salt, water, and baking powder. The result is a distinctive flavor of Asia with a crisp translucent coating.

Beer batter is the one preferred by many Americans. The yeasty taste of the beer adds a tang and makes the batter light. Buttermilk also adds a tangy flavor. Just soak your raw chicken in a bowl of buttermilk before dusting with seasoned flour. This mixture will turn to a moist batter on the chicken before cooking.

There are many ways to get that crunch on your chicken. Crushed cornflakes, breadcrumbs, or crushed crackers are used by many home cooks. Others prefer wet batters that turn crisp in the hot oil. Japanese Panko breadcrumbs make a light, crispy surface. For those cooks who like a light batter, tempura is a good choice.

For those who prefer southern batter fried chicken, there are many different recipes to be found. Some are as simple as flour, salt, pepper mixed with milk or eggs. Others have a long list of herbs and spices to add as well.

How to Cook Fried Chicken

There is an ongoing debate on whether it is best to deep fry battered chicken, cook it in a cast iron skillet or use a pressure cooker. There are cooks who are devoted to their own preferences, each sure that their method is the very best. The deep-frying camp will try to convince you with the quick cooking time and lack of spatter. The cast iron camp will wax eloquent about even heating and the perfect crisp to the skin. The pressure cooker camp are not truly frying their chicken... they must brown it first, then cook it in the pressure cooker for about 15 minutes to get juicy chicken. You must be cautious with a pressure cooker... do not open it until all the pressure has been removed.

With all these options for batters, you are sure to keep busy in the kitchen for years. Enjoy your battered chicken, no matter which method appeals to you! - 1432

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Looking for a healthy tasty southern fried chicken recipe? If so why not stop by our website and scroll through our selection of tasty fried chicken recipes.

The Secret On How To Grow A Healthy House Plants

By Thomas Fryd

Lighting

Indoor house plants prefer an environment where they can get sunlight in a doorway, archway or other location. Direct sunshine for a portion of the day will happily tolerated by plants as long as it is not direct sunlight for long periods of time. Morning or filtered sunshine is ideal and bright light coming through colored or frosted glass panes makes a pretty background for a group of potted palms and can be highly beneficial to their growth. Such glass as this however, can transmit heat and this makes the plant need more frequent watering and attention to humidity needs to be added if needed. Solar films can be applied to windows to reduce heat and glare can be very important to house plants.

Humidity Needs

An indoor environment generally has low humidity and will fluctuate with considerable changes in the outdoor environment, heating and cooling. Plants do not tend to do well with low humidity though there is a wide range of responses within any given group of plants. Some species will not be tolerable of low and varying humidity and will lose their luster and seem dull and can become the victim of a pest attack such as by spider mites or mealy bugs.

The solution to low humidity is to change the environment around the plant and this does not mean you need to increase watering though the plants should not be allowed to dry out either. Many indoor palms have been killed by over watering because its leaves seem to advertise dryness. However, in fact, this dryness is a result of low humidity and cannot be fixed by increasing the amount of water a plant gets. You need to increase the humidity level around the leaves, and this will most likely be a viable solution. This can be done by putting groups of plants together so they can benefit each other. For this reason, a number of plants in each separate pot is way more successful than simply having one. Standing the pot up in a large pan of water or scoria is another useful technique for increasing humidity levels and you can also mist the leaves as well.

Temperatures

Many plants are tropical in nature and therefore do not like low temps, though some indoor species grow quite well in temperate areas. Tropical plants experiencing active growth may experience or damage from temps around 14 C. However, if they are dormant, or growing slow, they can stand lower temps. The period of time the plant is exposed to low temps also has a considerable influence. Low temps are not an issue in tropical climates, however in highland districts and temperate zones, the winter temps inside can drop to a level low enough to damage.

Homes with internal heating can avoid the issues of cold damaging indoor plants, but the resulting dry environment can also cause a lot of water loss. Indoor plants grow more slowly in the winter, not only because of lower temps but also because of a reduced light intensity and shorter daytime hours.

Watering Requirements

Though watering house plants is simple common sense, for many reasons it can create more problems and frustrations than any other dimension of plant care. Healthy plants need to be watered regularly and depending upon the prevailing temps and humidity, these two factors will determine with what frequency. In the summertime, plants can be watered daily if needed, however in the winter time their needs change. The same requirements for an indoor plant applies to plants that grow quickly, they need to be water more frequently then their slower growing counterparts or perhaps not at all, plants need more water in the summer and less in the winter. Plants in bright lighting conditions need to be watered more often because they dry out faster then a plant in a dimmer position.

Other things that need to be thought about, such as the size of the pot, what type of soil mix is being used and how full the pot is of roots and the prevailing temperature and humidity conditions. The potting mix must be allowed to drain properly, but also be able to retain enough water for the plant to be able to grow. Heavier soils can become soggy when watered and are not of any use to plants, as they only lead to root rot and growth retardation or possibly death.

Plants that are kept in drier conditions will lose the shine on their leaves and generally appear unhealthy and possibly droop. Plants that are overly wet suffer damage to the tips of leaves which will turn brown and die. If the plant suffers root damage such as from rotting of root tips, the waterlogged plant will droop and wilt because the bad roots will not be able to extract any water from the soil. Wilting in plants is not a predominant as in other types of plants.

The best watering regime will keep the potting mix in sufficient moisture and keep adequate oxygen and water which will be available for the roots to be able to grow. Regular topping off of the plant will be satisfactory but sometimes the potting mix will need to be soaked until there is water flowing out of the drainage holes. This is to ensure a complete watering of the roots and it also removes salts which may have built up from the breakdown of any fertilizers used. This process should be done outdoors on in the sink or bathtub.

In many groups of indoor plants, some of them are going to require more watering than others. It is tempting to water all the plants at one time, however this should not be done and the individual needs of each plant need to be taken into consideration. If all the plants are watered at the same time, more vigorously growing plants can dry out and the less vigorous ones will be overloaded with water.

Resting & Recuperation

Indoor house plants, just like any plant inside, will appreciate an occasional refreshing up sometimes. This may consist of hosing down the plant to wash the dust from the leaves and to refresh the plant in general. This act is very important because it removes pest build up and discourages mites, which prefer a dry environment. It is also good practice to put plants outdoors on a rainy day, but not to leave them outside in direct sunlight. Sudden over exposure can result in plants being burned up, because they are not used to it.

To help your indoor palms get a rest, move them into a shady position in the garden or bush house can be very beneficial. They are well watered, repotted and fertilized if needed and generally allowed to just recuperate and achieve new growth. Once done the plants can be moved back inside and with careful planning, you can do a series of plants in this type of cycle. Those indoors will reach their peak and maintain that state. Your plants should be moved outside for a rest period every 2-3 weeks after an initial two month period indoors.

Fertilizer Needs

Indoor palm trees benefit greatly from having fertilizer applied, but this should only be applied during the warmer months of the year when the plant it actively growing. Fertilizers that are applied during the winter time when growing is slower, to plants that may be starving or sick, will provide no added benefit and may result in the plant being burned up. Fertilizers are best when applied in smaller doses and at regular times, and the soil should be watered completely and regularly after it is applied. Quick-release fertilizer should never be added to plants that are newly potted or to those who have damaged root systems, weak or newer roots are extremely easy to burns.

There is a wide array of products that can be used for indoor fertilizer, and most will work with plants. The best fertilizers are usually mixed with the potting soil to increase initial growth and this can be supplemented with side dressings if growth needs a quick boost. Complete mixes are usually used in the potting mix and these can either be a quick or slow releasing type. Organic manure and fertilizers can be extremely helpful, but some such as blood and bone are not the best idea because they produce a bad odor and draw animals to the garden.

You can do supplementary fertilization of plants using a slow-release product, plant pills or a liquid preparation. Liquid mixes are extremely beneficial and are safer except when the plant has been over watered. A cheap and useful nitrogenous solution can be mixed by adding 1 " tsp. of urea or ammonium nitrate to a can of water. Commercial preparations have the amounts on the back of the packet and these instructions should be followed to the letter. Some nutrients can be applied through the leaves directly and this process is known as foliar feeding. This method is less satisfactory than the ones mention previously, and it is also more expensive than other root mixtures.

Pests

It is also important to mention that potted plants may have more of a susceptibility to pests than other plants that are garden grown. The three most common pests that can attack potted plants are; mealy bugs, spider mites and scale insects. Spider mites love dry conditions and are a prime pest of indoor plants. Their damage can be reduced by frequent misting or hosing with water. Mealy bugs and scale insects can be present on any tupe of palm, however they may become very severe to those plants that are compromised or neglected. Healthy plants are better able to resist pests than a weak one. - 1432

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Methods of Combating Dahlia Deficiencies

By John Simpson

My favourite trick for feeding is to use one of the commercial complete fertilisers (with a blood base) plus additional potash and magnesium. For convenience sake it is best to make this up in a concentrated form if to be used as a liquid feed, in say a 3 gallon container.

If only slightly acid, lime is not required, but if the reading is well below neutral then lime by all means. Usually a dressing of not more than 4 to 6 ounces to the square yard of hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) or a little more if calcium carbonate (ground chalk) is used, will be sufficient to bring the pH up from say pH 5.5 to a level of pH 6 to 6.5, but up to three times this quantity may be required if the pH level is much lower.

In the early stages, a two gallon can will be sufficient for say eight to ten plants, but as the plants become larger increase the quantity given to each, up to say half a gallon a plant once they start to bud up for flowering. The ground should be well watered before giving the supplementary feed if rain has not fallen for a few days.

With regard to feeding generally, it is usually done for one of two reasons, either because the soil is naturally rather poor, and thus generally deficient in plant foods, or to give exceptional results when growing for exhibition. The requirements in both cases are almost identical, that is a compound or complete fertiliser which will supply both the main plant foods and the minor elements in a balanced form suitable for dahlias.

Incidentally when testing the soil for pII value, it is advisable to make tests in different parts of the dahlia plot, as soil values often vary quite considerably within a limited area. Suspected iron deficiency can be rectified by adding sulphate of iron, at the rate of one ounce per square yard, or by iron sequestrene at the rate recommended by the makers. Magnesium can he replaced by using commercial Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) at one ounce to the gallon of water, giving each plant about a quarter of a gallon of the solution.

If it is present, if anywhere, on excessively alkaline soils; in the main it causes the tubers to be particularly prone to rot, and, if suspected, it should be corrected by watering with a weak solution of boric acid. One ounce of the powder to two gallons of water will be sufficient for say fifteen to sixteen plants, but be careful not to overdo the dosage as boron in excess will kill even dahlias. It is extremely unlikely that any other of the minor elements will not be present, either already in the soil or supplied by the materials dug into the ground, in sufficient quantity for the dahlia's requirements. - 1432

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Dahlia needs sufficient nutrients and fertilizer so that it can thrive in your garden.

Using Artificial Fertilizer on Dahlias

By Helen Dakota

Without any doubt the dahlia plant has a lot to offer to the grower who wishes to brighten the house with flowers, the smaller types being particularly useful. The wide colour range, probably greater than that of any other flower, and the variations in form and shape lend themselves most effectively to intriguing arrangements.

It is better to choose varieties especially for the purpose than to rely upon the general range of garden dahlias, particularly if space is limited. For one thing it is preferable to have varieties with long, thin and strong stems as these are easier to arrange in any form of container.

It is also an advantage to select varieties in a particular colour range rather than to make a random selection of colours which may or may not blend effectively. And, most important, the flowers should be comparatively long lasting in water.

The form and shape of the dahlias need consideration, for the ball type dahlias and the pompons tend to be a little heavy and so have a rather limited appeal, unless used carefully in the more solid arrangements, whereas the cactus and the looser petalled decoratives can be used to create quite fairy like floral arrangements.

However, if given a light feed with one of the liquid quick acting fertilisers, the plant will usually be able to assimilate these quite easily and will continue growing. Only two feeds will be necessary at most, one about ten to fourteen days after planting, the other ten to fourteen days later. Then change over to the more suitable general feed.

I think it will be as well to stress that these foliar sprays are excellent for checking a diagnosed deficiency, as the plants react so quickly that it will be soon apparent as to whether the diagnosis was wrong or not, but they have no great lasting effect. Having correctly diagnosed a deficiency and proved it by foliar spraying, it is best to apply the longer lasting chemicals to the soil to give a more permanent cure. If this is not clone, it will be necessary to continue to feed through the foliage from time to time as symptoms return. - 1432

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Garden dahlia can be used to decorate your home.

Palm Tree For Your Home or Garden

By Keith Markensen

Palm trees might remind you of the tropics, but actually there are many palms that can be grown in cooler weather. These wont be banana trees swaying in the breeze under a hot sun, but theyll still bring a bit of the tropics into your garden, or even inside your home. They are quite adaptable, and are both attractive and unique. Palm trees are easy to care for even for a beginning gardener. The variety you choose should be based on the palm trees intended location. Here are a few choices to consider:

King Palms are great shade trees for your yard. You can start tem off indoors, but they can grow very tall, so expect that youll need to transplant them to your yard after a couple of years. Indoors, they can shield smaller plants from the direct sunlight entering through your windows.

There are a few other varieties that are similar to King Palms but should not be started inside. Majesty Palms, for example, will grow to be ten feet tall in just ten years. In as little as seven years, Queen Palms can grow to be 25 feet tall, making it a bad choice to keep indoors.

If you live in a cool climate, there are still a few palm trees you can grow. In fact, there are hundreds of different species of palm tree. Among these, there are a few that adapt well to lower temperatures. Date Palms can survive temperatures as low as 18 degrees. Texas Sabal Palms and Canary Island Date Palms are a few other choices if you live in a cold climate. Windmill Palms can even tolerate temperatures as low as just five degrees.

If you want to grow a palm as a houseplant, of course, you need not worry about temperatures this cold. However, keep in mind that you can grow houseplants in containers just outside your front door, or on an enclosed porch.

Palm plants need good soil and attentive care, just like any other plant you purchase. Palm trees can benefit from a beneficial fungus such as mycorrhizal fungi, which is added to the soil. Do not use regular plant fertilizer for your majesty palm plants; they require a different type of fertilizer than most houseplants. Look for a slow-release fertilizer with 3-1-3 NPK ratios Also make sure that your palm receives enough magnesium and calcium, too. This may be already mixed into your fertilizer, or you may need to purchase it separately. Also look for a small amount of Manganese in your fertilizer, as this is another important element that your palm tree will use in small quantities.

Palm trees can have issues with salt buildup, but you can easily prevent this. Just flush with water every few hours and measure the salt content with a simple soil testing kit until the levels have been reduced. Palm trees can thrive with very little water, since they are used to the tropics. When you do water them, you can give them plenty of water, as theyre also used to monsoons.

When potting your palm tree, make sure it has a large enough pot to prevent bound roots, and good drainage. Your pot will need to be large and heavy enough to support a large palm. - 1432

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Broaden the mind more on the topic of majesty palm plants today!