Make a Compost Pile

Did you know that if you add compost to the soil in your yard – regardless of whether your soil is sand or clay – you will save water?  According to our local water control and improvement district, you can save between 30 to 50% of the water you would regularly use which can make up as much as 50% of your summer water bill.

How does compost help you save water in your landscape? Organisms – the living ingredients are what you must have in your soil to hold water. Bacteria, fungus, protozoa, nematodes( the good ones) are some examples of organisms that help you save water. They live in the spaces between soil particles and are made up mostly of water. The organisms digest carbon products and use nitrogen to create enzymes to break down matter.

Protecting these microscopic organisms and adding them to  your soil as part of good compost is what helps you save water. Using compost also reduces the amount of fertilizer and pesticides needed to produce healthy plants, and it is cheaper than artificial soils.

You can buy compost or you can make your own in your backyard. Making your own compost can save money. Composting leaves from one mature tree is equal to $50.00 of purchased compost/mulch. If you buy compost find a reputable dealer who sells compost with fresh ingredients. If you buy from the local chain your compost may have been sitting on the shelf for some time.

If you want to start your own compost pile here is a link with more in-depth information about composting and some simple containers you can make yourself. Visit  http://www.stopthedrop.org/compost/index.html If you are not handy you can check out your local garden or hardware store and buy a ready-made composter.

Green Air Filter

Want to know the very cheapest way to clean the air in your house. I found this great tidbit in Woman’s Day magazine. Dr. Neil Schater of NYC Mount Sinai Medical Center, a spokesperson for the American Living Association says “To get get rid of airborne toxins released by certain paints, carpets and plastics like shower curtains, get a non-flowering plant like bamboo. It can purify the air in a 10 x 10 room in 24 hours.”

I have a son who has really bad allergies and it seems to have helped. I used an ivy plant and a fern but if you want to combine clean and fung shui, get some of that lucky bamboo. You can have good fortune and clean air and an attractive addition to your decor. Sounds like a good deal to me.

If you are unsure about how to locate non flowering house plants, go to your local nursery and ask what indoor plants are non flowering. Generally people at the local nurseries are more knowledgeable than the garden centers at the hardware store.

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Making New Plants From Cuttings

Anyone who has taken a Master Gardener course will always tell you to shop for plants in your neighbor’s yard. Now they don’t mean run out in the middle of the night and dig up the plants in your neighbor’s yard. What I mean by this is there are several varieties of plants that grow from cuttings and your neighbor may be willing to give you cuttings from plants.

For you non-plant people cuttings from plants means you simply cut off a stem or branch from a plant and plant that piece in the ground. A cutting produces a plant genetically identical to the mother plant, so it is essentially a clone.  Ideally, you want a cutting 4 to 8 inches long, depending on the plant. You can root the cuttings in a pot or just stick them in the ground where you want the plant to go.  The plant will grow faster if you remove all the leaves and flowers from your cutting. A good example of this type of plant called an Angel’s Trumpet.

There are some species of plants that also reproduce another plant and you can easily detach this plant and replant it in another spot. Some examples of this type of plant are Airplane plant/spider plants and Fiddle Head ferns.

Ideally, you should find the person or persons on your street or a friend who loves to garden and they will be happy to share plants with you. They will  probably tell you more than you want to know but who cares you will be getting free plants. The important information you need from them is what kind of light does the plant need and how often do you need to water it.  Some plants like Angel’s Trumpet will grow no matter what you do. 

Here is a list of plants that grow easily from cuttings:

Angel’s Trumpet
Aster
Azalea
Begonia
Boxwood
Butterfly Weed
Camellia
Chrysanthemum
Crown of Thorns
Dianthus
English Ivy
Fiddle Head Ferns (these plants produce new plants right next to the original plant so pull the new plant up with the root attached)
Gardenia
Geraniums (Pelargoniums)
Honeysuckle
Hydrangea
Jade plant
Lavender (if you live in colder climates)
Penstemon
Pothos
Prayer Plant
Purple Heart
Rose
Rosemary
Salvia (there a tons of varieties of salvia in all kinds of colors and they are easy to grow)
Veronica
Walking Iris
Wandering Jew

Now if you also want free potting soil to use with you free plants visit our site Fasthowto.com and view our post on How To Make Your Own Mulch Even though people say you can’t substitute mulch for potting soil, I do it all the time and never have any problems. The only time you might run into a problem is with a hanging plant. Good quality potting soil is very light weight and sometimes homemade mulch weighs a hanging basket down which may put some stress on the hook that the plant hangs from.

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