What Is Mistletoe

Controlling mistletoe plants is extremely important in areas like northern California where the plant is a pest and colonizes production orchards.Mistletoe in trees steals nutrients and water from the host tree.

There are readily available lists of toxic plants for people, dogs and cats and these lists are repeated over and over again on the internet and in magazines.But as a veterinarian I am usually less interested in whether something is called toxic versus...

The spirit of Friggas' good will lives on as the Christian theme of love triumphing over death.Kissing under the mistletoe is also cited in an early work by Washington Irving, “Christmas Eve," which tells of the festivities surrounding the Twelve Days...

While the etymology of "mistletoe" is uncertain, some people have claimed that it means "dung-on-twig", from the way the birds spread the seeds.The seed sprouts on the bark, and eventually the young plant's roots then invade the inner bark layers.Its...

I had a really rotten high school history teacher. Lilies bloomed for Easter. Teaching with writings would have been impossible. The holly underwent a similar transformation. Historically there are some golden plants.

Image thanks to Floridian.Ivy - Hedera helix – It is ivy and not evergreen that used to deck the halls and walls during Christmas time. Image thanks to kennedyh.Poinsettia - Euphorbia pulcherrima – This flower was the Aztec symbol of love and purity...

If you are not prone to overwatering, you can plant the cactus in regular potting soil mixed with sand or other gritty material.The plant is used to living in the understory of the forest, where temperatures are at least 60 F.

There's a human angle, too: According to Adrian Tanner's 1979 ethnographic study of the Mistassini Cree Indians in northern Quebec, "Bringing Home Animals," the Cree traditionally incorporate a spruce's witches' broom -- which they call "ciiwetinustikwaan,"...

The prospect of dying trees may cast mistletoe as a villain and in fact, there are some areas that classify the plant as an invasive. First, it is an evergreen and therefore has the same importance in the winter months as holly and ivy .

However, the tradition of hanging mistletoe in the house around the time of the winter solstice goes back at least as far as Iron Age druidic customs on the British Isles, and the enduring association of mistletoe with midwinter has followed Europeans...

As a result, the land looked alive and despite the challenges she faced this season, her business was off to a running start. Recently, I visited an herb farm, and although the owner had been growing herbs and putting them to use for many years, she was...

« More Farm Inspiration » Tags enthusiasm , farmers , farming , inspiration , passion Don't forget that when things get tough—when your cucumbers are plagued with squash bugs and the tomatoes have blossom end rot because of seven days of ceaseless...

Think about the slope of the ground where you will be building your bed and any moisture or water runoff issues that your garden has. HUegel How-Tos Holzer suggests that you begin building your huegel by digging out a shallow trench, removing any turf...

It's not even what I'm used to as a Yankee transplant, despite growing up in northeastern Ohio and going to college in Cleveland's Lake Erie Snowbelt. So, as wintry weather continues over the next few months, and you find yourself despairing while you...

Now that you know what homeopathy is all about, come back next week so I can show you how we use homeopathic remedies on our farm. Hahnemann and his followers began experimenting with other plants, minerals and animal substances, conducting “provings”...

Despite the beauty of its tempting fruit, eating winterberries should be avoided -- especially by children. The toxic berries and plant parts may produce adverse effects in humans and animals.Winterberries provide winter-long interest in the garden and...

I currently live in a second-floor apartment that doesn't get direct sunlight, so my chicken-keeping and gardening endeavors are on an indefinite hold, but that doesn't stop me from playing through scenarios in my mind where I wake up in the morning and...

I called Richo, and after he very kindly looked up his planting records, I asked him what first drew him to grow the plant. Sometimes it's a new supplement. He brought his first seeds back to the U.S. and has been growing it ever since.

However, identifying immature insect nymphs can be a challenge for gardeners, as the nymphs of many pest and beneficial species share little to no resemblance with their adult forms.

Several very warm days in a row may lead you to believe that the ground is ready to be worked. If you begin to dig and your shovel seems to be hitting a brick wall, it is evidence that the soil is frozen.

Damping off can be reduced by planting fungicide-treated seed directly into the garden. The conditions of damping off vary depending on the fungus.Normally, however, cool, wet soils favor development of the disease.

OMRI Listed products are allowed for use in certified organic operations under the USDA National Organic Program.I don't want anyone to get the idea that I am anti-compost - it is a valuable asset to soil conditioning.

Heritage turkeys require a different approach to cooking. Add all the ingredients and stir for a minute or two until the sugar and salt dissolve.Put the turkey into the brine and refrigerate for 24 hours.

But they only bought candies, crackers, snacks, chocolate, wafers or other sweets. Beyond that, it is said laurel leaves will no longer have the same fragrance.However, I've been using the same batch of dried laurel leaves for more than twenty years and...

This high-humidity houseplant can grow to heights of nearly five feet.Dracaena sanderiana is considered non-toxic to humans.The ASPCA's Poison Control Center lists lucky bamboo as a toxic substance to dogs and cats.Although Dracaena sanderiana is considered...

You can preserve biodiversity by abandoning the idea that your garden should resemble your neighbor's. If an area has many species, the distance between specimens of the same species increases, and insects and diseases can't hop conveniently from one...

As the name suggests, arable fields were divided into threes. Each plant species leeches something from the soil while giving something else back. The same technique filtered down to home gardeners.