Earth Day 2006

 
            With the things that have been evolving with our earth, Earth Day is becoming more and more of an important event in our society. Earth day is a day we can look around and see all the wonders that nature has bestowed on us. It is also a great time to think about how we can protect and beautify our environment. This task can be as simple as planting a single tree to beautify our yard or possibly planting a colorful garden for all to enjoy on your property or even to donate your time to a local garden club to help beautify an area of your city or town.

            The idea of Earth Day was initiated in 1962 as a way to get people aware of what is going on in our environment. It all started with President Kennedy in 1963 when he took a five-day conservation tour of our nation. The first official Earth Day was on April 22, 1970. Since then, Earth Day has blossomed into a national celebration where people initiate ideas that can help make our environment more eye appealing and a better place to live.

            With all the hype on how we are depleting our cypress forests by the use of cypress mulch, there are many other natural alternatives we can use that are both functional and also will save our natural resources. One thing we can use that we all have plenty of is natural grass clippings. That’s right; grass clippings can make an excellent mulching material that you can use on almost all your plants and flowers. You do need to be sure, however, that your turf has not been recently treated with any herbicides. The herbicides may damage some of your tender plants. Place the clippings around your plants in layers. Make each of your layers thin and do not make it too thick, as the mulch will produce a smell. Apply the next thin layer after the initial layer has been allowed to dry out. As the clippings decompose, they will produce a fertilizing effect on your plants. The clippings tend to add nutrients back to the soil as they decay and work their way into the dirt.

            Another great natural mulching material is pine needles. This material is not suitable for all plants, but is great for the majority of plants we use in this part of Florida. You can use pine clippings on any plants that are acid loving. This list can include ixoria, hibiscus, bottlebrush, azalea, gardenia, junipers, and banana trees along with many other plants that require a high acid content in the soil. Not only do many of these natural remedies save resources, they also save you money. Doing large areas of your yard with commercial products can cost a fortune. With the money you save on mulching materials, you will be able to purchase lots more colorful flowers!

            Many of your favorite plants that you have in your yard can be easily propagated into new plants without the need to keep buying new plants. Roses are a great example of this. In the spring, you can choose cuttings that are healthy and green and they will make good candidates for cuttings. Using a sharp knife cut off the soft tip of the cane and then cut it into 4- to 5-inch pieces. Each piece should have at least 2 nodes and some leaves. Strip off the bottom leaves to expose a node, and then plant the cutting in moist soil and keep it in bright shade and high humidity. You can use containers covered with plastic bags, or set them in the ground in the shade and cover them with plastic jugs. Either method should work fine. Take several cuttings to be sure you have success with at least several. You are now on your way to propagating your own Rose garden!
            That’s all for this week’s column and I hope you enjoyed it. I will see you next week with more great garden tips.

Earth Day 2008

With the things that have been evolving with our earth, Earth Day is becoming more and more of an important event in our society. Earth day is a day we can look around and see all the wonders that nature has bestowed on us. It is also a great time to think about how we can protect and beautify our environment. This task can be as simple as planting a single tree to beautify our yard or possibly planting a colorful garden for all to enjoy on your property or even to donate your time to a local garden club to help beautify an area of your city or town.

The idea of Earth Day was initiated in 1962 as a way to get people aware of what is going on in our environment. It all started with President Kennedy in 1963 when he took a five-day conservation tour of our nation. The first official Earth Day was on April 22, 1970. Since then, Earth Day has blossomed into a national celebration where people initiate ideas that can help make our environment more eye appealing and a better place to live.

With all the hype on how we are depleting our cypress forests by the use of cypress mulch, there are many other natural alternatives we can use that are both functional and also will save our natural resources. One thing we can use that we all have plenty of is natural grass clippings. That’s right; grass clippings can make an excellent mulching material that you can use on almost all your plants and flowers. You do need to be sure, however, that your turf has not been recently treated with any herbicides. The herbicides may damage some of your tender plants. Place the clippings around your plants in layers. Make each of your layers thin and do not make it too thick, as the mulch will produce a smell. Apply the next thin layer after the initial layer has been allowed to dry out. As the clippings decompose, they will produce a fertilizing effect on your plants. The clippings tend to add nutrients back to the soil as they decay and work their way into the dirt.

Another great natural mulching material is pine needles. This material is not suitable for all plants, but is great for the majority of plants we use in this part of Florida. You can use pine clippings on any plants that are acid loving. This list can include ixoria, hibiscus, bottlebrush, azalea, gardenia, junipers, and banana trees along with many other plants that require a high acid content in the soil. Not only do many of these natural remedies save resources, they also save you money. Doing large areas of your yard with commercial products can cost a fortune. With the money you save on mulching materials, you will be able to purchase lots more colorful flowers!

Many of your favorite plants that you have in your yard can be easily propagated into new plants without the need to keep buying new plants. Roses are a great example of this. In the spring, you can choose cuttings that are healthy and green and they will make good candidates for cuttings. Using a sharp knife cut off the soft tip of the cane and then cut it into 4- to 5-inch pieces. Each piece should have at least 2 nodes and some leaves. Strip off the bottom leaves to expose a node, and then plant the cutting in moist soil and keep it in bright shade and high humidity. You can use containers covered with plastic bags, or set them in the ground in the shade and cover them with plastic jugs. Either method should work fine. Take several cuttings to be sure you have success with at least several. You are now on your way to propagating your own Rose garden!

That’s all for this week’s column and I hope you enjoyed it. I will see you next week with more great garden tips.