know and grow it

Place Christmas cactus outside to initiate buds in time for holiday
August 24, 2015
I had a friend ask me what it would take to make a Christmas cactus bloom. Their plant was several years old and was a large plant but it never produced a single flower. Christmas cactus, like a poinsettia plant, initiate flower buds when the days get shorter and the nights get cooler in late summer to early fall. This is a natural process of the season change and the plants read it like an…
Now that it's rained, watch for weeds
By George Bonnema
May 11, 2015
It is Sunday afternoon and we have just had a beautiful shower of much needed rain. That will make a huge difference on everything you have planted in your garden … and a few things you didn’t plant … like weeds! We use our grass clippings for mulch and other than my hoe, that is the best weed control I have. The layer of grass blocks sunlight which many weed seeds need to germinate. It also…
How low can temps go before young plants show frost damage?
By George Bonnema
April 28, 2015
Last week had me wondering just how much cold the tender new growth of perennials, shrubs, and trees could actually tolerate … nature never fails to amaze me. At 25 degrees for a low, I saw very little damage to anything, including my blooming daffodils. I’m hoping that was the last of that kind of cold we will see for many months! Speaking of daffodils, their display lasted for more than two…