A lady in one of the forums I subscribe to was concerned because her daughter swallowed a cherry seed. One forum member posted this reply:
“LOL If I had a dime for every cherry pit I swallowed when I was a kid I could afford to landscape my lawn! If they don’t get stuck in the throat, they won’t do a bit of damage. “this, too, will pass”
As I laughed at this “passing” joke, I kept reading and saw this post from another member:
“Whole cherry pits aren’t a problem; they will pass thru the system. But the seed within contains cyanide. If you don’t break the pit you should be ok. Canned cherries could be a problem, between cooking, and breaking of the pit itself, exposing the seed. One seed hasn’t enough cyanide to do damage. But 1/4 cup or more can easily kill. Beware.”
Who knew cherry seeds could kill? I sure didn’t, until today!
Find Tons of interesting reading material at the Online Nature Mall.
Get the Free Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
July 14th, 2006
Bug Zappers - I hate them! Most people hate them, but since there are so many bugs flying around the lights in the summertime, there seems to be no other choice.
I don’t get it though - they make me nervous. You are aware of every bug that is killed and you can hear it frying on the light, I HATE them. I remember one year at my mom’s house in South Dakota there was an infestation of moths (it seems like there’s something new there every year, one time it was grasshoppers, then snakes, and now a drought and very bad sticker bushes), anyway, the moths were so bad, we decided to put up a bug zapper. I’ll tell you, I never heard so much zapping and saw so many “feathers” flying! We almost started a fire!
That’s not exactly a funny story, but it is true. The problem with the zappers though is they can destroy the beneficial insects that keep the harmful insects away, and this makes the problem even worse.
The best thing to do is to try to get rid of any standing water you have around, and maybe even try the mosquito larva killer if you have a pond. Fish in a pond will also eat mosquito larva, so that’s an even better option.
Get the Free Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
July 11th, 2006
I received this in my email box this morning, and it sounds like a better way to remove ticks then with a hot tweezers, which we always used at “home” in South Dakota!
Tick Removal:
FYI — A School Nurse has written the info below — good enough to share:
I had a pediatrician tell me what she believes is the best way to remove a tick. This is great , because it works in those places where it’s sometimes difficult to get to with tweezers: between toes, in the middle of a head full of dark hair, etc.
Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20), the tick will come out on it’s own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away.
This technique has worked every time I’ve used it (and in KY, that was frequently), and it’s much less traumatic for the patient and easier for me. Unless someone is allergic to soap, I can’t see that this would be damaging in any way.
I even had my doctor’s wife call me for advice because she had one stuck to her back and she couldn’t reach it with tweezers. She used this method and immediately called me back to say, “It worked!”
More resources can be found at the Ecology Shop.
Get the Free Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
June 30th, 2006
It’s not uncommon to see Ivy crawling up an outside wall of a house, and/or spreading itself over an entire wall so I decided to find out if this was a good thing.
Continue Reading June 28th, 2006
Trimming the Roses throughout the year is easy, there are only three things to remember:
- Prune the flowers that are wilting before they go to hips. This will ensure continuous blooms
- ALWAYS prune to a leaf set with 5 leaves, and try to prune to an outward facing branch to keep your roses growing out (and not crossing branches).
- Stop pruning in late September so that the plant can harden off before Winter
I have done the 5-leaf prunning ever since we moved into a house and inherited a Rose Garden, and I have beautiful flowers all year long. You can also add Accents to your garden for more charm and to make it more interesting.
Get the Free Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
June 26th, 2006
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It’s the day before summer officially begins and it’s a nice sunny day in Seattle. After a hard day’s work, I got myself a nice cold beer and went outside to claim a lawn chair and read a magazine. I guess I had read for about half an hour, and Jeff was puttering around doing his gardening stuff. Then he looked over at the tomato plants and said, “you should water your tomatoes.”
Humm, sounded like work to me, but my beer was gone by this time, so I decided it might be OK to get up and do some watering.
Now, I HAVE watered before, but sometimes Jeff has these gadgets on the hoses that redirect water, shut off water, etc., very simple devices really. So now I have the hose unrolled over to the tomato plants, and I’m trying to figure out if it’s on or not, or how to turn it on. Mind you, I’ve only had one beer at this point.
I think to myself, “this little lever on the side of the hose must be the shut-off, is it off?” So I close one eye the best I could and peeked into the hose, while turning the lever to see if it opened anything up. Yes, you guessed it! The water shot right into my face! I looked at Jeff and he just stood there staring at me, trying not break into the laughter he thought might make me mad as water dripped down my face.
So, I frowned and went over to the tomatoes and began to water, trying not to laugh in order to punish him for having such hi-tech devices on his garden hose! I couldn’t do it though, I started to crack up, and then, much relieved, Jeff started to laugh and shake his head in disbelief that I had really done such a stupid thing. Then, he came over and gave me a hug, and put a different nozzle on the hose so I could continue watering without using that little lever again.
I finished watering – then went for another beer!
Get the Free Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
June 21st, 2006
If you plant basil in a container and have it outside in the full sun it may appear to wilt at times. Even though Basil is an herb, and herbs usually like soil on the drier side, it can sometimes look a little droopy. There are three factors you should consider when this happens.
Continue Reading June 19th, 2006
I love our Hydrangeas, mostly because there are not too many plants that are blue! However, I sometimes envy those who have pink or red Hydrangeas because I have never been able to change the color of mine, until now.
I now know that the color of the flower has to do with the PH of the soil. I’m in the Northwest, where the soil is acidic, so I get the blue color. If you have a more alkaline soil, you will get pink hydrangeas.
So, if you want pink hydrangeas and you live in the wrong area, there is a way to change the color; in the Fall every year, add dolomite lime to the soil to sweeten it up a bit. To get the bluer color, add aluminate sulfate to make it more acidic.
Now, I know that the Hydrangeas have just bloomed and we are patiently waiting for the summer roses to come out, but it wouldn’t hurt to buy a few of these in advance. Especially this new one – it’s coming out at a GREAT price and has 4 Colors of Bloom! and is VERY Hardy (even in the North).
You’ll want to make sure you get one today! They’re available now, but you never know if they will still be available next year, and at this price, they will sell out fast!
A new Hydrangea is so amazing that it might as well be a whole new type of shrub, Hydrangea Limelight!
Get the Free Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
June 7th, 2006
I have a Peony plant by my front door, it’s beautiful when in bloom, but every year I want to get the spray out and get rid of all of the ants on it. But I don’t.
You see, the ants that accumulate on Peonies are eating a substance produced by the plant, which they enjoy very much, and because they are on the plant, the plant is protected from predators. So it’s a win-win situation.
Earwigs, however, are another story! I was driving to work one day with a handful of Peonies in my car when suddenly I noticed earwigs crawling out of them! I stopped and began shaking them off feverously. This was my first contact with those little monsters, and they scared the crap out of me!
Earwigs are beneficial because they eat predators such as the insect larvae of cutworms and snails, but they also eat everything else!
To get rid of these beasts, roll up a damp newspaper and leave it on the ground where you suspect the earwigs are munching. They will crawl into the paper and start feasting, and then you can put them into a bucket of soapy water in the morning and kill them. You can also put saucers of fish oil in the garden. They will go in for a drink, get covered in oil and drown.
P.S. It’s only a myth that earwigs crawl into your ears and attack your brain, driving you crazy – but they can drive you crazy if you discover them while driving!
Get the Free Book: “Your Guide to a Successful and Beautiful Garden” at http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com
June 6th, 2006
Growing Lucious Tomatoes isn’t easy — unless you have this secret weapon! A coupon for discounted tomato products would also help (read more). . .
Continue Reading June 2nd, 2006
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