What Is Micro Irrigation

Each valve is connected to a separate watering zone.Once you've verified that you have an on-demand water source, or if you don't, have set one up, you are ready to look over your plants and decide how to arrange them into what will be your "zones".

From an Associated Press article: “As of now, with so many unknowns about the hundreds of chemicals involved and their possible impact on crops, ‘We're not able to answer the public definitely and say there's no problem,' said William Stringfellow,...

I have replaced many hoses that were chewed on by rabbits.When the black hoses of drip irrigation systems are left exposed to the sun, they can heat up the water and basically cook the plants roots.Rainbird and other companies that specialize in drip...

Aren't we happiest when we're comfortable in our own skin, busy doing the things we love and doing them in a way that reflects our values? We farmers don't always have a lot of money.

My summer has indeed been a harried one. « More Farm Inspiration » Tags enthusiasm , farmers , farming , inspiration , passion You, too, have passion and enthusiasm inside of you—I'm sure of it! Why else would you have delved into the exciting (and...

No-till gardening. They are all slightly different variations on building a raised bed from layers of organic matter, which rots down right where it is, getting better and better as it composts in place.

Let's just be honest: It was cold this week. As I headed out to my car Monday morning, head ducked against the wind, coffee mug trembling in my shivering, gloved hand, the realization that I had to scrape a thick layer of ice and snow off of my windshield...

When a mother tincture is diluted, for example, six times it's called 6x potency, because X is the Roman numeral for 10. However, because the American Medical Association considered homeopathy a brand of quackery and discouraged its physicians from practicing...

If areas are not properly covered or water is falling on driveways and patios, adjust the system. Unfortunately, much of the water dispersed through sprinklers and hoses by enthusiastic gardeners evaporates before it ever reaches its intended source.

Other toxic elements include aluminum, arsenic, copper, lead and selenium. An 8-ounce baby bottle will do the job quite nicely. If your water's levels are outside of the plant's tolerance, you can calculate an estimate of percent yield .

Caffeine is the primary toxic ingredient in winterberry, and symptoms can be unpleasant. The toxic berries and plant parts may produce adverse effects in humans and animals.Winterberries provide winter-long interest in the garden and make beautiful cut...

I'm constantly mulling over possibilities in my mind, from the contemplative (“What if I was from a different country?”) to the ridiculous (“How awesome would it be if I had three arms?”).

Of course, none of the folks who are writing about it are sharing what plant this really is, so I went digging. Angelica's Cousin Ashitaba, Angelica keiskei koidzumi is Japanese for “tomorrow's leaf,” and it's called this because it is such a fast...

The nymphs of many garden bugs can look a lot alike—work with your county extension office to figure out if what you're looking at is a friend or foe. While the immature nymphs of assassin bugs and leaf-footed bugs look quite similar, several clues...

Digging in your garden too soon or in the wrong conditions results in two things: frustration for you and poor soil structure. Be very leery of any early spring digging, especially if you live in a northern climate.

The roots of a diseased plant will appear brown or black with evidence of water soaking.Unfortunately, the conditions required for seed germination also create favorable environments for the growth of fungus, as both seeds and roots must be kept moist...

Do they use chemicals or hire a lawn service that applies chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides? If no testing is done on finished compost how are we to know if someone with a communicable disease has left bacteria or a virus on the food scraps?

One solution is to brine the turkey, which I am doing. Because of the high sodium content of packaged lunchmeats, I do not buy lunchmeats, but I sure look forward to some leftover turkey for sandwiches.Meanwhile, I think I will have the only “green”...

That's what happened with the laurel dry leaves: he got a large box, with forty bags, each containingOf course, we wondered whether we would ever sell all those bags, but since they were already there, nothing could be done.

Better known as Dracaena sanderiana, this plant is a fixture in many households.Connoisseurs agree that not all bamboo is created equally.Lucky bamboo, also known as "Belgian evergreen," is a woody shrub with shiny green leaves.

Visit your local botanical garden for inspiration rather than the neighborhood nursery that likely offers what you see in your neighbors' yards. "The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings," sings poet Robert...

Letting a field lie fallow, free from any cultivated crop, is often part of a good crop rotation program. By remaining unsown, the ground rests and fertility can be restored. Crop rotation is all the more important in fields where the soil is prone to...

Okoume peels and slices easily and evenly, and this combines with its good acceptance of glue to give it wide use as veneer and in plywood.Outside of its native range, most Okoume is sold as veneer or plywood.

The tomatoes have been ripped out (they did eventually succumb to the late blight that plagued gardeners up and down the East Coast), the cuke vines have hit the compost bin, and the zucchini have been pulled from the soil, even though they were still...

As an only child with no older siblings to coerce me into adventures and no younger siblings to dare, I was content to sit quietly and read from an early age. Novelty is the great parent of pleasure.

It grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and warmer. If you have a deer problem and want to make sure your bougainvillea is left alone, consider planting it in a hanging basket and hanging it high enough so that deer can't...

Always find out the acceptable pH range for the plants being grown, and adjust the pH to within a few tenths of the middle of the range. With respect to the chemical concept of pH, "alkaline" is another term for "basic." These two terms are interchangeable.