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Table of Contents
1) Editor's Comments:In the third part of our watering houseplants series, we'll take a deeper look at the water we give our plants. We, of course, also share with you other interesting information and insights. Make sure you look below for the special discount we are offering subscribers this week. As always, if you do have questions, suggestions or ideas, do not hesitate to drop us a note. Tom Krueger Rex Gregor 2) Watering Houseplants: Part Three
We've talked about when to water, differences in containers, and drainage issues. This week we'll take a look at the water itself. The number one rule on water -- don't use cold water! Cold water can set your plants back, especially in the winter. The next time you bring the plant to the sink, stop and think before you turn on that faucet - you could be traumatizing your treasure. Did you know that African violets will develop ugly yellow blotches on the leaves if you get water cooler than room temperature on the leaves? Bet you can tell where we're going. You want to use tepid water. Some have said to use water that is 90 degrees F. Of course, you certainly don't want to get out a thermometer every time you want to water. To tell the temperature, just put your finger in it - if it feels pleasantly warm, you're good to go. What about chemical makeup of the water? Since there is so much variation in the chemical characteristics in water all over the world - yet places all over the world have beautiful houseplants, you can tell that the chemical makeup of the water is of lesser importance. But that doesn't mean that it can't make a difference. If your water is highly chlorinated, it can injure your vegetation. Simply let the water sit in a shallow container for a day and it will be okay to use. Likewise, water high in salt content can also be a problem. In that case you might consider using rain water. Then again, if you are in a large city, rain water might be filled with pollutants. Fortunately, if you let it rain for a few minutes before collecting the water, the bad stuff will be washed out of the air. If you have a water softener, or your community water supply is softened, you may well have some excellent water to be giving your houseplants. But the softening process needs to remove sodium and other harmful salts. If the water is being deionized, then you are okay. So now we've got our water - how should we be sharing it with our plants? Ah, sounds like a good topic for part four of our series in a future issue.
3) Humor for Today:A young minister sitting down to dinner was about to say Grace when he opened the casserole dish that his thrifty bride had prepared from all of the refrigerator leftovers. "I don't know," he said dubiously, "but it seems to me that I've blessed all this stuff before." 4) Chopsticks:
Learning to use them does take some practice. We've found a site giving you an illustrated step-by-step guide. Enjoy. Click Here for Illustrated Guide 5) The Vanilla Bean:Have you ever wondered why Pure Vanilla extract is so expensive? We thought you might be interested in knowing why! The Vanilla Bean is the fruit of a special flower of the only edible orchid. Of the more than 20,000 varieties of Orchids this particular one will only produce one flower per stem and the flower will only last one day. If it is not pollinated that day, it will take at least another year before the plant will flower again. After pollination (if it meets a mate) it will take about six weeks for the bean pod to develop and reach maturity at about 10 inches in length. The pods need to be hand picked at just the right stage, and the bean pod needs to be placed immediately in boiling water so the bean pod quits developing. Interestingly, at this stage the bean has no flavor or aroma. The bean must be cured by heating it in the hot sun, and then at night, it needs to be wrapped up to make the bean sweat. This process continues for about three weeks. The beans are then air dried for about six months. It is at this point where the beans develop their unique aroma and flavor. Finally, the beans are crushed, and the vanilla flavor extracted! You now have Pure Vanilla. You can see that making pure vanilla is very labor intensive and that's why it is so expensive. Click Image for Our New Orchid
Gallery 6) Quote for Today:"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant." 7) The Difference Between a Filbert and a Hazelnut?Do you know the difference between a filbert and a hazelnut?
8) How to Get the Best Looking Paint Job:
Why is critical light important? Because it shows us any imperfection in the wall surface. When you've done a new drywall job, the best looking finished paint job on that drywall will happen when the surface is very flat. Critical light helps you determine if you need more work on the seams, etc. Don't forget to shine that critical light before you put the sanding block away. Glossy paint and the wrong lighting in a room will bring out the smallest imperfection in the wall. This means you need to use critical light as you remodel. Or in an already finished room, you might want to use less critical light and more indirect light in your furnishings. 9) Subscribe/UnsubscribeThis newsletter, the Green Thumb Times, is sent out only to those who have requested a FREE subscription by signing up at http://rexseedco.com or specifically asked to be added PRIVACY: Your email address is held in the strictest of privacy. It is never traded or sold to anyone else. To subscribe to The Green Thumb Times To unsubscribe Tom Krueger, Editor and Publisher Rex Gregor, Contributing Editor Please feel free to forward The Green Thumb Times to a friend. Rex’s Seedco has searched the world for quality
growers of garden seeds. Many of these farmers bring together ancient
wisdom and modern science so people everywhere may have good health
and enjoyment in life. We are dedicated to providing the best wherever
they are found.
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in November and December (
Have
you ever tried using chopsticks? A big advantage of using chopsticks
is they can be a good aid in losing weight. Why? Because you eat less
since it slows the pace of your eating. Research has shown that by slowing
down how fast you eat, you actually eat less because you fell full sooner.
Absolutely
nothing! The American hazelnut is also known as a filbert. The name
filbert comes from St. Philibert, a 7th century Frankish Abbot, whose
feast day is August 20th. Hazelnut is the older of the two names and
in Europe the names are sometimes used interchangeably. History tells
us that the European nutting season is in the middle to late fall.
Have
you heard of the term critical light? It refers to the way light hits
a surface. If you have a table lamp next to the wall, the light hitting
the wall above the shade is critical light. If you hold a flashlight
next to the wall and shine it along the wall, you've created critical
light.