Plant Tips
Plant Tip: Bring the Fresh Air Indoors
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- Published on Tuesday, July 15 2014 07:34
- Written by BCG Editors
There are a few container plants you can grow indoors that will filter and clean the air you breathe. A NASA study discovered that a lot of easy-to-grow indoor plants are actually beneficial for our health. For example, lady palms remove ammonia, peace lilies absorb benzene and acetone, and pothos removes benzene carbon monoxide. And English ivy and Boston ferns remove formaldehyde from the air. This may be hard to believe, but that same stuff used to preserve the frogs you dissected in high school is also prevalent in a lot of our furniture and housing materials, as well as car exhaust. Yuck!
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Plant Tip: Transform Terra Cotta Pots
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- Published on Tuesday, July 08 2014 07:30
- Written by BCG Editors
Brand-new terra cotta plant pots can be transformed in just a few short weeks to look like they've been sitting in your garden forever. That "aged" look, consisting of a more subdued orange color, as well as a naturally uneven green patina, brings instant charm to the garden. So here's how to do it. Soak your new, dry terra cotta container in water for 15 minutes. Then spread about 1 cup of plain yogurt on the outside of the pot with a foam brush. Brush more yogurt on other areas than others, and make sure to not make it even (uneven will look more natural). Keep the pot in a cool, moist place in your container garden for four to six weeks. And voila! You have a beautifully aged terra cotta pot.
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Plant Tip: Beat the Heat!
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- Published on Tuesday, July 01 2014 06:26
- Written by BCG Editors
It's summer, and that means heat! Hot weather, especially when combined with intense sun and wind, it can cause extreme damage to container plants. Heat can completely dry up and kill a plant, so make sure that plants are either taken indoors on especially hot days, or that they are protected in some way. Move them out of bright sun or block some sun with a screen. Also provide extra water on hot days, as much of the plant's potting soil will dry out. If you don't have a hose or a drip irrigation system, try using store-bought or homemade watering devices like the aqua globe.
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